Musical Instruments galleries

Start with an instrument’s shape. Its length, strings, keys and openings can tell you something about the movements a musician makes and the sound the maker wanted. The Musical Instruments galleries occupy Rooms 680–684 on Floor 2. In Gallery 684, look for Bartolomeo Cristofori’s Grand Piano of 1720. Its long case resembles a harpsichord. Inside, however, hammers strike the strings, allowing a player to change the loudness through the force of a touch. Compare that piano with the shapes of other instruments that catch your eye, using their labels for the maker, place and date. You can study an instrument’s construction even when it is silent. Look for where a musician’s hands, breath or bow would make each instrument sound.