Venerable Ambassadors from a Distant Culture

VENERABLE AMBASSADORS FROM A DISTANT CULTURE

The following plan has been conceived in light of a study of over thirty museums of musical instruments all over the world, which we carried out several years ago.

Museums of musical instruments in general do not attract the general public at all. (Only very few are interested in the measurements of a Stradivari violin!). Therefore, if this museum were to be successful, considerable imagination and creativity need to be employed in order to make a visit to the museum truly unforgettable for any individual, regardless of his previous background in music or the fine arts. Our museum has to be experienced through all five senses in a very spectacular way. Below, you will find a sketch of the overall plan of the displays, which will give you an indication of what our visitors will experience.

Again, our plans for the total integration of the museum with the communities of the region, ideas drawn from the dynamic - almost aggressive, in a marketing sense - structures of the Shrine to Music Museum (South Dakota, USA), will set a path for others institutions to follow. These include aspects like the collegium musicum, membership to the museum, school programs and the concert series. EXIBITION 2004: OUTLINE OF THE DISPLAY HALLS

1. URBINO: MUSIC AS PART OF THE EDUCATION OF A GENTLEMAN

THE BEGINNINGS OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC OF THE RENAISSANCE Replica of a hall in the Ducal Palace of Urbino. Instruments on Renaissance chairs, facsimile of music on Renaissance table, portraits of the Dukes of Urbino, musicians at court, Raffaello’s portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, quotes from Il Corteggiano about the music of Urbino.

ITALIAN CONSORT - 16th C. - PALAZZO DUCALE URBINO

Instruments: Ital. Trebles (2), Linarolo, Violone D,

Furniture: Music Table, Cards-Tables, cloth cover, chairs,

Displays: Monteverdi, Duke Urbino, Intarsia Urbino, Palace Urbino, Isabella d'Este, Manteg- na, Castiglione, Veronese, Ganassi, Voice as model for the viol,

Audio: CD or DVD-Player, Video? Josquin, Isaak, Merulo, Gabrieli

2. ENGLISH CONSORT - ELIZABETHAN, JACOBEAN

Instruments: Five English viols, Lute (Renaissance), Virginal (spinett), Organ

Furniture: Music Table, cloth cover, period chairs

Displays: Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, Dowland, Cromwell, William Lawes, William Byrd, Mace Music room, Simpson, tablature music, facsimile music on table Mace on fantasies,

Audio: CD or DVD-Player, Video? Hume two players on one viol!

3. GERMAN CONSORT - 17 th C.

Instruments: Festoon trebles (2), Seeloß, Albanus, Theorba (Baroque), Violone in G 2 Violins, viola vs. violett Spinett?

Furniture: Music Table, Cards-Tables, cloth cover, chairs Manequin Soldat (30J Krieg)

Displays: Consort Braunschweig, Schein, Schütz, Buxtehude, Praetorius Syntagma, Breughel Madrid,

Audio: CD or DVD-Player, Video? Schein, Scheidt, Schütz, Buxtehude, Rosen- müller

4. VIOLA DA GAMBA IN SHAPE OF VIOLONCELLO

Instruments: Maggini, Grancino, Claude Boivin Violoncello to compare

Furniture:

Displays: various, Stradivari models,

Audio: none

5. CORELLI ORCHESTRA / VIVALDI

Instruments: violins, violas, violoncellos, violone Eberle, Giusti harpsichord,

Furniture: Instruments displayed in orchestral disposition

Displays: Corelli, Vivaldi, La Pietà Venice, Palazzo della Cancelleria Roma, facsim- iles, music stands wood, Special display: baroque / modern violin

Audio: Corelli, Vivaldi

6. VIENNA - HABSBURG VIOLIN-MAKING

The Austrian violin-making school, well represented in our collection, is very little known outside of Austria itself. This display will make more people aware of the very considerable Austrian contribution in this field.

Instruments: Families Leidolff, Stadlmann, Thir, Posch

Furniture: Low tables for celli, display cases for violins, violas

Displays: Bridge collection, Salzburg, Vienna 17th, Leopold I, Joseph I Fux, Biber, Muffat, Caldara, 7. MARAIS: THE OPERATION OF THE GALL STONE

The hall reproduces an operation room of the baroque, reproductions of paint- ings of surgical operations. Medical implements and tools of that period. Marais: The Operation of the Gall Stone

Furniture: The hall reproduces an operation room of the baroque. Medical implements and tools of that period, operation table.. mannequin?,

Displays: Marais, surgical operations, Louis XIV,

Instruments: 7-String Vdg, Theorba (?)

Audio: Marais, “The Operation of the Gall Stone”, narrated in Italian, English, Ger- man, French, perhaps even Japanese!

Requisiten: Staatsoper??? Technisches Museum (Gallensteinoperation?),

8. VIRTUAL VIOLA DA GAMBA CONSORT

A computer screen shows the musical score of a work for five viole da gamba. Two sopranos, a tenor and two bass violas da gamba with players on five images projected onto screens all-around. An apparatus with levers, each controlling the volume of one of these instruments/players. The visitor can vary the loudness of each of the instruments independently, can turn them off, the players on the video stand up and leave, etc. VERY ENTER- TAINING! This sort of invention has already been tried out in Vienna.

Music: viola da gamba consorts by Ward, Holborn, Purcell...

Similar with a string quartett!

9. HALL OF GLORY

The finest instruments of the collections are displayed each in their own “al- tar”, with descriptions, information as to origin, maker, etc. These will include names like Amati, Testore, Maggini, Linarolo, etc. The lighting in the display case turns on when approached by the visitor, dims when he moves away from the case.

HALL OF FAME

Instruments: Violins: Amati, Testore, Albanus, Tielke 5-string Violas: Italian ca. 1700 Violoncello: Italian ca. 1760, Viola da gamba: Tielke, Stainer,

Furniture: Cases for smaller instruments, tables for larger Lighting tricks Displays: Other Amatis with wood pattern, Documentation Tielke (Döbereiner, Eva Heinitz),

Audio: Samples of these instrument, on one

10. HAYDN AT ESTERHAZY

Recreation of the hall of the Palace of Esterhazy, where Haydn was Capellmeister for many years.

Haydn at Esterhazy

Recreation of the hall of the Palace of Esterhazy, where Haydn was Capellmeister for many years. Ambience created with chairs and tables from the classical period, facsimile music on wooden stands with candles, wax figure of a servant with wine

Instruments: baryton, Leidolff viola, Leidolff violin, Posch violoncello, violone

Furniture: table with candles, wine; manequin in costume (servant), period chairs, subdued lighting (evening), drapery

Displays: Portraits of the Palace, Haydn, Prince Esterhazy, musicians at court, bary- tons, story of Haydn and baryton,

Audio: Trios for baryton, viola and basso;

11. VIOLA D'AMORE

Instruments: 5 viola d'amore

Furniture: Glass cases - two

Displays: Attilo Arisoti, Treatises with vd'a, display resonant strings, blowups of details of instruments (heads, pegbox, etc)

Audio: CD: Bach passion aria, Arisoti sonata

12. THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

Subdued light, three or four spotlights: on a detail of a fresco on ceiling, on a detail of the fireplace, on a renaissance viola da gamba. A set of reclining egg-shell chairs which can be tilted backwards, for relaxing. The visitors learn about Athanasius Kircher, Kepler and the “Music of the Spheres”: how the Renaissance composers studied the movements of the planets and tried to reproduce this celestial harmony in the proportions of their music, how each voice moved independently, yet harmonized with all other voices, etc. A very quiet and relaxing experience for our visitors!

Instruments: viola da gamba (Linarolo?)

Furniture: Egg-shaped reclining chairs, "fresco", fireplace

Displays: Projection of the heavens - planets, stars, astrological zodiac signs rotating on ceiling

Audio: ricercare by Bassano, Conforti, Padovano, Cotes,

13. VIDEO ROOM

14. TOUCH AND PLAY ROOM How does a harpsichord work? A fortepiano? Play a violin, a viola da gamba, a violin maker's shop, etc. Cut out, file away, varnish a violin?

PLEXIGLASS PLATES: four grouped together to form a single display case. Open on top, but lighting can hang down from top.

Requisiten: Staatsoper??? Technisches Museum (Gallensteinoperation?),

SPECIAL DISPLAYS:  Baroque/modern violin (Bridges, fingerboards, tailpieces)  Different models of viola da gamba  Baroque/classical/modern bows  Gut strings / modern strings  Lute (vihuela) - viola da gamba - violin (characteristics from both families)  Elegies: Monteverdi on strings, Mersenne,

Bach: The Orchestra of Cöthen The Palace of Cöthen, Bach, musicians at court. On display: all the instruments used by Bach in the works written in this period: strings, viola da gamba, harpsi- chords, trumpets, oboes, flutes... Audio: Brandenburg concertos, Orchestral Suites, works for violin, viola da gamba, cembalo, etc.