Musée de la musique

The Musée de la Musique de la Philharmonie de Paris is a major French museum of musical instruments located in the Villette district of Paris's 19th arrondissement. Inaugurated in 1997, it holds one of the world's finest collections of musical instruments and art objects, inherited from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. The museum traces the history of Western music, both learned and popular, from the 16th century onward, while also offering an overview of the world's principal musical styles. It has been awarded the official Musée de France label and functions as both a public exhibition space and a center for conservation and research.

The museum's origins reach back to the French Revolution, when a collection of 316 instruments was assembled from confiscated church goods and inventoried in 1793 by Bernard Sarrette and Antonio Bruni for the cabinet of the Institut National de Musique, the predecessor of the Paris Conservatoire. Only twelve of these original instruments survive. In 1861, the French state purchased composer Louis Clapisson's instrument collection for the Conservatoire, and on November 17, 1864, Paris saw its first genuine public museum of musical instruments open. The following century brought intense acquisition activity and organizational reforms, including the October 30, 1935 decree that envisioned merging three major musical collections. The music department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France was officially created in 1942, though opera-related materials remained at the Opéra Garnier and instruments stayed with the Conservatoire. From 1961 to 1973, Countess Geneviève de Chambure served as curator of the Conservatoire's instrumental museum, enriching it through her substantial donation and further acquisitions. The desire for an independent museum grew, and in 1978 the project for the Cité de la Musique allowed the Conservatoire's collections to be transferred to the state. The present Musée de la Musique was born in 1997, broadening its scope beyond instruments to include iconography, concert hall models, and audiovisual documents. In 2015, the permanent exhibition was reorganized into five chapters tracing music history from the Baroque period, and in 2024 the itinerary was redesigned to better integrate instruments from the Musique du Monde section.

The museum holds a collection of 8,419 pieces, of which 5,555 are instruments. The online catalog identifies 2,609 pieces as European in origin, 512 from Asia, 152 from Africa, 129 from the Americas, 12 from Oceania, and 2,141 as yet uncategorized. The collection encompasses primarily classical and popular instruments from the late 16th century to the present. Beyond instruments, the holdings include paintings, composer portraits, and other art objects. The museum's resource center is closely linked to the Philharmonie's media library, housed in the beam-shaped structure above the museum, which contains four collections: museum collections, documentary and archival materials, digitized resources, and educational holdings. As of January 1, 2016, this center held over 80,000 documents excluding archival holdings, and 110,000 including audiovisual recordings. Most composers' autograph manuscripts had been entrusted to the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 1942 for conservation and rationalization purposes.

The permanent exhibition displays approximately 1,000 works arranged in their geographical and historical contexts. The collection is particularly strong in Italian stringed instruments, including works by Stradivari, Guarneri, and Amati; French, Flemish, and Italian harpsichords; and French pianos by Erard and Pleyel. The holdings also include lutes, archilutes, wind instruments, and percussion. The museum's presentation uses an audio guide system: visitors receive headphones with a small radio receiver at the entrance, and approaching display cases triggers descriptions of the instruments followed by musical excerpts in which the featured instrument plays a prominent role. The museum also complements its permanent collection with temporary exhibitions, guided tours, free concerts, early-learning workshops, promenade concerts, and musical storytelling sessions.

The museum and its media library occupy the garden wing of the Philharmonie 2 building, formerly known as the Cité de la Musique, within the larger Philharmonie de Paris complex. The building was designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc. It is situated in the Villette district of Paris's 19th arrondissement, within the Parc de la Villette. The museum is located near the Porte de Pantin metro station.

The Musée de la Musique is located in the Villette district of Paris's 19th arrondissement, accessible via the Porte de Pantin metro station. It operates as part of the Philharmonie de Paris, with its website at philharmoniedeparis.fr. The museum is open to the public and offers free access to its digital content through its website. As a Musée de France, it maintains active conservation and research programs, making the most recent data on ancient and modern instruments available through its documentation center integrated into the media library. The museum organizes temporary exhibitions, guided tours, free concerts, and educational activities including workshops for children, promenade concerts, and musical storytelling.