The Basel Museum of Music: Instrumental History
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Musical Offerings Volume 10 Number 2 Fall 2019 Article 4 10-7-2019 The Basel Museum of Music: Instrumental History Elaina V. Hutton Cedarville University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings Part of the Fine Arts Commons, and the Musicology Commons DigitalCommons@Cedarville provides a publication platform for fully open access journals, which means that all articles are available on the Internet to all users immediately upon publication. However, the opinions and sentiments expressed by the authors of articles published in our journals do not necessarily indicate the endorsement or reflect the views of DigitalCommons@Cedarville, the Centennial Library, or Cedarville University and its employees. The authors are solely responsible for the content of their work. Please address questions to [email protected]. Recommended Citation Hutton, Elaina V. (2019) "The Basel Museum of Music: Instrumental History," Musical Offerings: Vol. 10 : No. 2 , Article 4. DOI: 10.15385/jmo.2019.10.2.4 Available at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol10/iss2/4 The Basel Museum of Music: Instrumental History Document Type Report Abstract Basel, Switzerland thrives with a rich musical culture and history, and the Museum of Music at the Basel Historical Museum is truly a rare gem demonstrating the influence of instruments in Swiss cultural development. The museum houses an exquisite collection of instruments which beautifully encompasses an extensive timeline of musical and instrumental diversity. Unique beauty of the uncommon and the experimental is showcased in a manner that educates and inspires. The span of genre and style demonstrated by the array of composers and instrument builders recognized imparts just how important a role music plays in Basel. For one museum to weave so many different threads of musical significance into one magnificent tapestry is a significant achievement both musically and culturally. Following is a brief synopsis of a few select instruments from the collection. This discussion includes a harp built by renowned French musician and master craftsman Sébastien Erard. An overview of Erard’s inventive contributions to the musical world and the functions of his harp offers a greater understanding of the significance and capabilities of this instrument. Also included is a closer look at the fascinating harp- guitar. Following the development of this unique troubadour instrument through history offers a glimpse at a lesser-known side of the strings family. Finally, the museum houses a beautiful memory of the medieval: the remarkable strings and keys of the nyckelharpa. The range of sound and song this instrument is capable of producing is given a brief highlight at the end of this discourse. Basel’s Museum of Music offers a priceless gift of music, history, and insight, illuminated by a few of the exquisite instruments in the following offering. Keywords Musikmuseum, harp, harp-guitar, nyckelharpa Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This report is available in Musical Offerings: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol10/iss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