Leipzig’s Museum of Musical Instruments

I had not heard of this museum. Michael Dollendorf, my colleague in Berlin, told me I had to visit. And I’m so glad I did.

It’s a wonderful collection. A lot of thought has gone into the presentation of the instruments in an absorbing historical narrative.

I only had an hour to spend in the Grassi because we had booked for a guided tour of the Bach Museum at 11:00 am followed by a guided walking tour of Leipzig after lunch. So I had to be selective about what I looked at.

I’m definitely going back.

Highlights Slideshow

Grassi Museum

An example of New Objectivity architecture with maybe a hint of Art Deco

The Museum of Musical Instruments is housed in the Grassi Museum complex, conveniently located near the Leipzig city centre, only a few steps from the Opera and the Gewandhaus, the famous concert hall.

Other important musical museums, including the Bach-Archiv, the Mendelssohn House and the Schumann House, are close by.

The Museum of Musical Instruments opened for the first time on the 30th of May 1929. From its beginning, the Museum has been part of Leipzig University.

Its activities include research and education, and it is open to all friends of music.

— Welcome to the Museum of Musical Instruments

The History of the Museum of Musical Instruments

The museum owns nearly 5,000 European and non-European musical instruments, an iconographic collection, as well as a collection of historic sound storage mediums, including approximately 3500 piano rolls for player pianos and numerous graphemes [notations, markings, or symbols on music rolls, sheet music, or other media used to capture and reproduce musical sounds].

— The Collection

In Search of the Perfect Sound

The chronologically organised permanent exhibition In Search of the Perfect Sound offers visitors of all ages insights into the music history of the city of Leipzig and into the multi-facetted world of musical instruments.

— The Exhibition

Grassi Instrument Museum Map.

The entrance (Eingang) is on the right. The exhibition is arranged in rooms devoted to different periods of music history.

  • Renaissance
  • Barock (Baroque) - 3 rooms
  • Zimelien (Hall of Treasures) - display of especially precious musical instruments
  • Klassik (Classical)
  • Biedermeier (1815–1848)
  • Romantik (Romantic)
  • Gründerzeit (Founding period)
  • 20. Jh. (20th century)

I focused on the Renaissance, Baroque and Treasure Rooms.

Renaissance Room

  • The oldest clavichords in the world
  • Thomas cantors and city musicians
  • German and Italian musical instruments
  • Invention of music printing

Clavichord

Clavichord with transport case – Naples, c.1540

The instrument corresponds to the construction tradition of the 15th century but has an extended range.

The clavichord sound is produced by pressing down a key causing a tangent (a perpendicular piece of metal) to rise (like a see-saw) and strike a string. The string to the left of the blade is damped; to the right it vibrates. The position of the blade determines the length of vibrating string and so the pitch. When the key is released the sound stops.

By gently pressing the key up and down (rubbing the tangent against the string) you can create a vibrato effect called Bebung.

The clavichord is an intimate, delicate and expressive instrument.

Take another look at the Lepanto Clavichord I saw at the Musée de la Musique in Paris.

Here’s a demonstration of a clavichord:

Positive organ

Organ by Steffan Cuntz with the collaboration of Nicolaus Manderscheidt (Nuremberg, c.1610)

Steffan Cuntz made the organ. Nicolaus Manderscheidt was also an organ builder. Whoever who did the paintings and decorations is not mentioned.

The positive organ was donated by Wolfgang Rehlein, a merchant and council member of the city of Nuremberg, and his wife Catharina for the “Music Choir” of the Church of Our Lady in Nuremberg.

LAUDATE DOMINUM. IN CHORDIS ET ORGANO.
OMNIS SPIRITUS LAUDET DOMINUM. HALLELUIA.

Praise the Lord with strings and organ.
Let every spirit praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

Praising the Lord with singing, harp, lyre, flute, shawm cymbals and a triangle.

This is rather grim. The horses are weird.

Maybe depicting David and Goliath (big head and armour on spears)? David did decapitate Goliath whose head and armour were then brought to Jerusalem.

The story is often seen as a metaphor for overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges through faith, courage, and resourcefulness.

Praise the Lord.

Baroque Room (1) - Heinrich Schütz

  • Nuremberg Masterpieces
  • Viols, lutes, trombones, and cornetts
  • Musician portraits from the Fabricius Collection
  • H. Schütz and Thomaskantor J.H. Schein

Lute by Jonas Stehelin Strasbourg, 1596 “renovated” by Johann Adolph Böningk, Böhringen, 1664

The back consists of 17 joined ivory ribs. In 1664, the lute was modified and fitted with additional bass strings.

So the extension to the neck was added in 1664.

Lute by Vendelio Venere Padua, c.1580 “repaired” by Joseph Joachim Edlinger, Prague, 1732

The back, built according to the Füssen tradition, was assembled from 33 yew wood ribs. Around the mid-18th century, this lute was modified and fitted with additional bass strings.

Chitarrone by Magnus Tiefenbrucker Venice, c.1610

Tiefenbrucker is said to have first built a chitarrone for the Florentine court in 1589, on the advice of the singer Antonio Naldi, who was himself a virtuoso player of the instrument.

The instrument was considered particularly suitable for accompanying tenor voices. The long string lengths benefited the reinforcement of the bass register. Both gut and metal strings were used.

Chitarrone by Magnus Tiefenbrucker (detail)

Lovely wood tones.

Large Theorbo by Wendelin Tiefenbrucker Padua, 1613 “reworked” by Sebastian Schelle, Nuremberg, 1723/1726

The transformation from a bass lute or chitarrone was carried out by Sebastian Schelle. The lower pegbox was made by him, and the upper double pegbox was added even later.

Large Theorbo by Wendelin Tiefenbrucker (detail)

Octave Virginal in a sewing box – South German, perhaps Augsburg, c.1620

You could take this one on holiday.

Coloured copper engraving: David Vinckboon, c.1610

What a great scene.

Baroque Room (2) - Bartolomeo Cristofori

  • Invention of the piano
  • Instruments from the workshop of Cristofori
  • Dance master’s violins
  • Stage sets
  • Folk musical instruments in art music

This room is devoted to the ‘inventor’ of the fortepiano.

There are two keyboard instruments by Cristofori on display: a fortepiano and a harpsichord. Each is in a richly-decorated red outer case.

These two instruments once stood in the Chinese Room of an Italian nobleman, hence the chinoiserie.

Crisofori fortepiano (in front, lid down) and harpsichord (in back, lid up)

The information panels in this room are terrific.

Bartolomeo Cristofori

“It is known to every connoisseur that in music, the weak and the strong, just like light and shadow in painting, are the principal sources from which the skilled artist has drawn the secret to particularly delight their listeners.”

Johann Mattheson: Critica Musica, 1725 Text by Scipione Maffei, translated by Johann Ulrich König

Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) - Instrument maker at the Medici court.

For generations, the Medici enjoyed a reputation as passionate art lovers and collectors. They employed numerous artists and craftsmen from various professions.

Crown Prince Ferdinando (1663-1713) continued the family’s tradition with his artistic inclinations, sparking hope among the Florentines that Tuscany might once again achieve its former political and cultural prominence. The musical life experienced a new golden age.

Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti stayed in Florence for an extended period in 1702, and Georg Friedrich Händel also paid a visit.

Among the prominent figures of the Florentine court was Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1732). He had been working as the court instrument maker since 1688 and apparently took pleasure in developing unusual forms and technically sophisticated innovations.

Some of his instruments have survived the centuries and continue to astonish with their ingenuity and the technical and musical considerations behind them.

We owe the invention of the modern piano to Cristofori.

BARTHOLOMAVS DE CHRISTOPHORIS PATAVINVS INVENTOR FACIEBAT FLORENTIA. M.DCCXXVI
Bartolomeo de Cristofori of Padua, inventor, made this in Florence, 1726

Cristofori fortepiano (Florence, 1726) inside outer case

The earliest known surviving fortepiano by Cristofori dates from 1720.

The piano action invented by Cristofori is under a wooden cover. You can read more about Cristofori and his piano action on Wikipedia: Bartolomeo Cristofori.

Cristofori fortepiano - outer case

The piano action is hidden under the cover to the right of the tuning pegs.

Cristofori fortepiano - outer case

Paths to Piano and Forte

In the early 18th century, Pantaleon Hebenstreit enlarged the dulcimer, known from village taverns, and transformed it into an instrument suitable for artistic performances. The impressive performances on the pantalon (a large dulcimer) rekindled the desire for a musical instrument with struck strings, combined with a keyboard.

Several instrument makers simultaneously attempted to expand the artistic expression capabilities of keyboard instruments.

A technically advanced solution had been available in Florence since 1698.

Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1732), the instrument maker at the Medici court and inventor of the piano, was an excellent organist and spent his life dealing with technical and mathematical problems.

He presented his first functional hammer mechanism at the Florentine court in 1698. In 1700, an inventory of musical instruments owned by Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici (1663-1713) was created. It contains the earliest description of a hammer harpsichord built by Bartolomeo Cristofori:

“An Arpicimbalo by Bartolomeo Cristofori, of new invention, which produces both loud and soft sounds, … kept in a case with two principal registers of the same pitch, with a soundboard made of cypress without a rosette, … with 53 white and black keys, … its outer case made of pure spruce and its covering made of red leather, lined with green taffeta and trimmed with a gold border.”

Cristofori harpsichord (Florence, 1726) inside outer case

Cristofori harpsichord (Florence, 1726)

Baroque Room (3) - Johann Sebastian Bach

  • 100 objects from the circle of Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Masterpieces of Leipzig instrument makers
  • The art of music engraving around 1740

Playing while walking - Double Bass (19th century)

Some double basses have a hole in the bottom or in the neck heel so that they could be carried with a strap—either during transport or while playing.

Pochette [pocket violin] (Germany, 18th century)

Smaller violins were held on the forearm.

Violoncello da spalla by Lorenzo Arcangioli (Florence, 1825)

A Violoncello da spalla is a small type of cello that was played on the shoulder (spalla means shoulder in Italian). Unlike the larger standard cello, which is played between the knees, the violoncello da spalla was strapped to the shoulder or chest, allowing the musician to play it while standing or walking.

This instrument was popular in the Baroque period and was used for both solo and ensemble performances, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Bach Cello Suites were written for this instrument.

Here’s a video of Sigiswald Kuijken playing and talking about the Violoncello de Spalla:

Bach’s cello suites were written for this instrument. Sigiswald’s recording of them is my favourite.

I studied with Sigiswald’s brother, Barthold Kuijken. I aspire to their approach to playing and their appreciation of 18th-century music.

Theorbo by Johann Christian Hoffmann (Leipzig, 1727)
Reconstructed neck and top by Gerhard Söhne (Krailling, 1990)

This lute was severely damaged during the Second World War. Its swan neck was reconstructed based on Hoffmann’s model. The long strings enhance the sound of the lower notes.

Violoncello piccolo by Johann Christian Hoffmann (Leipzig, 1732)

To be able to play the violoncello on the arm, Hoffmann reduced its size to the limit of what was acoustically possible. This required special strings that were wound with silver wire.

Notice that the piccolo cello has 5 strings.

Flûte traversière by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf (Leipzig c.1730)

Flûte d’amore by Johann Poerschmann (Leipzig c.1750)

Two tenor recorders - B. Reich c.1720 and unsigned Italian c.1725

An attached pair of recorders that differ in volume (echo recorders)

Portrait of Gottfried Reiche by Elias Gottlob Haußmann (Leipzig, 1727)

Reiche’s clarino trumpet is also known as Trompe de chasse. Bach wrote many virtuosic parts for him.

The music is the clarino trumpet part from the Bach Cantata Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen (BWV 215)

Copy of hunting trumpet after Heinrich Pfeifer (1697) by Horst Voigt (Markneukirchen, 1958)

The original trumpet belonging to the Leipzig town musician Heinrich Pfeifer went missing during the Second World War.

Reiche played the difficult clarino part for the Elector of Saxony Frederick August II in 1734. Не died the next day due to ‘serious exertions caused by blowing!’

Oh no!

The art of music engraving around 1740

My AI buddy knows all about music engraving:

Music engraving in the 18th century was done using copper plates. This involved etching the music notation into a copper plate, which was then inked and pressed onto paper to produce printed copies.

The process was highly detailed and required skilled craftsmanship. The engraver would use a burin or other sharp tools to carve the musical notes, staves, and other markings directly into the copper plate. This method allowed for fine detail and precision, making it suitable for the intricate demands of music printing.

Copperplate engraving was the dominant method for producing high-quality printed music throughout the 18th century and well into the 19th century, before being gradually replaced by lithography and other printing technologies.

What my buddy did not mention is the most amazing part of the skilled craftsmanship: the engraving has to be done in mirror image!

The tools of the trade

The tool second from left, with its 5 jagged edges (see the shadow), was used to carve the 5 lines of the music staff.

Canon Triplex in 6 Voices

Engraved copper plate in mirror image

The printed result

The music is the Canon Triplex in 6 Voices (BWV 1076). Bach wrote it as part of the requirements to join Lorenz Christoph Mizler’s Correspondierende Societät der Musicalischen Wissenschaften (Corresponding Society of Musical Sciences).

It is called a ‘Riddle’ or ‘Puzzle’ Canon because the way the 6 parts work together is not immediately obvious (as you can see, there are only 3 lines of music): it needs to be ‘solved’ to be able to play it. (Hint: the other 3 parts have to be inverted and start a bar later than as notated, either a 4th higher or lower.)

This is geekery of the highest order. Bach loved and excelled at this stuff. This little canon is the perfect submission to the Society of Musical Sciences.

I’ll have more to say about this piece and the famous portrait Bach commissioned (another requirement for joining the society) in my next post about our visit to the Bach Museum.

Zimelien - The Hall of Treasures

The word Zimelien is derived from the Greek zēmēlion, meaning ‘treasure’ or ‘precious object’.

This room is also used for concerts.

Organ by Gottfried Silbermann (Hilbersdorf near Freiberg, 1724)

On the occasion of the reopening of the Grassi Museum in 2005, the organ was restored. During this restoration, it received a new lower structure that indicates its original location in the gallery balustrade of the Hilbersdorf church and also accommodates the bellows. The organ is tuned to “well-tempered” according to Johann Georg Neidhardt (1729) and is pitched in high Chorton (a’ approximately 465 Hz).

Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone

This phrase was famously used by Johann Sebastian Bach, who would often sign his compositions with ‘S.D.G.’ as a way of dedicating his work to God.

— AI Buddy

Schirgiswalder Positive Organ

Originally, the positive organ was part of the organ in the parish church of Schirgiswalde (Bautzen district) as a gallery positive.

When the organ was replaced by a new one in 1898, this part was acquired by the Leipzig Musical Instrument Museum, founded by Paul de Wit. Thus, the instrument is part of the core collection of the museum.

More about this organ => Musical Instruments Museums Online (MIMO)

Johann George Tromlitz (1725-1805)

I had run out of time and had to get going to the Bach Museum to meet Cathy for our tour.

As I rushed through the Classical room on my way to the exit, I was surprised and delighted to discover this portrait of Tromlitz.

Johann George Tromlitz
Portrait by Daniel Caffe (attributed) - Pastel on paper (Leipzig, c.1795)

Tromlitz was a lawyer, but today we know him as a flautist, composer, and instrument maker. He was a contemporary of Quantz and wrote an important treatise on the flute with multiple keys.

I have played his music and studied his treatise. And I own a copy of a flute with 6 keys by Tromlitz (similar to the one in the portrait).

Such a pleasant surprise. And what an outfit.

Student Consort

There was one more surprise.

A group of students from Leipzig University were playing recorder consort music in a stairwell as I left the building.

A great acoustic and really excellent playing!

Stay tuned for more adventures on our European Odyssey!