Musical Instruments Collection


The history of this collection dates back to the early 1980s. As a result of our love of music and playing in groups, we began to accumulate different musical instruments. What began as whimsical hobby, little by little turned into a full-fledged collection. Our first exhibition included 200 instruments and was organised in Hondarribia under the same title we've been using for exhibits ever since:
“MUSIC TO SEE. Instruments of the world”

See all +Some random intruments

The name -Music to see- is now a registered name used for exhibitions.

Since that time, we've taken a progressively deeper look at organology, as well as different aspects related to ethnic groups around the globe, such as rituals, beliefs and customs...

Today the collection consists of over 4,000 instruments, many of which are of great ethnomusicological and artistic value.

The work carried out encompasses the collection, classification, conservation and exhibition of instruments.

Based on our own personal criteria and after having visited several museums specialising in this area, we can safely say that ours is one of the finest private collections in Europe. This opinion has been corroborated on a number of occasions by ethnomusicologists, curators of musical instrument museums, musicology experts, university chairs, and other professionals.

A number of exhibitions have been organised at different locations in Spain and France. One of the most noteworthy took place in León in 1992, coinciding with “The Ages of Man” exhibit dedicated to music. Another was the two-year traveling exhibition sponsored by Caixanova in Galicia, showcasing an average of 350 instruments at each event.

See all +Last exhibition

Alaúdes do Mundo

En el marco del XI Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Lagoa, en Portugal, se ha organizado una destacada exposición dedicada a los "Laúdes del Mundo". Bajo el título "Alaúdes do Mundo", esta muestra ofrece una oportunidad única para los amantes de la música y la cultura, ya que presenta una colección de 80 laúdes provenientes de más de 50 países de los cinco continentes.

La exposición invita a los visitantes a sumergirse en un fascinante recorrido por las diversas maneras en que las distintas culturas han concebido y fabricado este instrumento de cuerda a lo largo de la historia. Cada laúd, con sus particularidades y características propias, refleja el ingenio y la creatividad de los artesanos de diferentes regiones del mundo. Se pueden apreciar instrumentos con fondos planos y otros con fondos abombados, mostrando así la diversidad de formas que este instrumento puede adoptar. Asimismo, hay ejemplos de laúdes con tablas de armonía hechas de madera, mientras que otros optan por la piel como material principal. La longitud del mástil es otro elemento que varía considerablemente según la tradición cultural, con laúdes que presentan mástiles largos y otros más cortos, influyendo tanto en la afinación como en la técnica interpretativa. Esta exposición muestra cómo un mismo tipo de instrumento ha sido reinterpretado y adaptado de múltiples maneras según las necesidades y preferencias de cada sociedad.

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