Mussshino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum

Tucked away in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, the Musashino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum beckons music lovers and history buffs alike. This museum, reopened in April 2023 after extensive renovations, isn’t just a repository of instruments; it’s a journey through time. The Musashino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum houses a remarkable collection of approximately 5,700 instruments, with around 1,600 on display. Imagine wandering through rooms filled with the silent echoes of music history. The collection spans four distinct exhibition rooms. The European Keyboard Instruments room traces the evolution of keyed instruments, from the cembalo and clavichord to the grand piano. Here you’ll find treasures like Queen Victoria’s Napoleon hat-shaped piano, a wedding gift to Napoleon III, and a grand piano once played by Clara Schumann. The European String, Wind, and Percussion Instruments room highlights the enduring design of the violin. Curator Noburo Morishige notes, “The violin already had an ideal shape when it was born in the early 1500s.” A unique gem in this room is the Stroh violin, with its amplifying horn. The Musashino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum proudly owns the only complete Stroh quartet (violin, viola, cello, and contrabass) in the world. The Japanese Musical Instruments room showcases traditional instruments like the koto and biwa, contributing to the museum’s serene atmosphere. The World room celebrates the diversity of global music cultures. The Musashino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum isn’t simply a collection of objects; it’s a narrative of human creativity and cultural exchange. As Morishige observes, some instruments have evolved while others have remained unchanged, passed down through generations. Each instrument whispers a story, and the Musashino Academia Musicae Musical Instrument Museum invites you to listen.