The Musical Instruments Museum (Musee des Instruments de Musique) in Brussels has a lot to see, but it has even more to hear.
This is a museum for the senses. But not the usual ones. Sure, you can look at the exhibits. You can read them if you read French or Dutch–the text isn’t in English. But here what you really want to do here is listen.
And yet it’s surprisingly hushed. As visitors wander through the museum, with its dim, atmospheric lighting that looks a bit like stage lighting, they’re wearing headphones. The portable audio players around their necks are loaded up with examples of the instruments you’re looking at being played. And so you get to hear the musical instruments doing what they best–playing music. This is what guided audio tours were made for.
With over 8,000 instruments from around the world and throughout history, the Musical Instrument Museum presents music in a truly global context. There’s also a very good collection paying tribute to Belgian musical history. Among Belgium’s musical claim to fame is that Brussels was home to Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone.
As you work your way up through the museum, you’ll move through themes: mechanical instruments in the basement, traditional instruments on the ground floor, modern orchestral instruments on the first floor, and keyboard and stringed instruments on the second floor. You’ll see the usual suspects: oboes, bassoons, clarinets, and violins. There are pianolas and bass guitars, chimes and sitars. There are all sorts of keyboards that were once played in the great halls of Europe and, with their impossibly ornate inlay, served as decoration in between recitals. There’s even a mockup of a piano building workshop.
But the real strength of the collection lies in the instruments you never knew existed. Who knew there were so many variations on what we know as Scottish bagpipes? And that they come from all over, not just Scotland? How many different sounds can you get out of a drum, anyway? And what exactly is that weird-looking bendy thing that looks like someone glued a bunch of hookahs together? And what on earth does it sound like?
Unfortunately, you don’t get to play the instruments. Or maybe that’s a good thing. In the hands of experts, many of these instruments can create beautiful music. But in the hands of the average tourist, it’s just going to end up noise.
Photos of the Musical Instrument Museum of Brussels
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The ornate Art Nouveau façade of the Old England building, now home to the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels. This iconic early 20th-century structure showcases the city’s rich architectural heritage while housing a world-renowned collection of musical artifacts. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=0d6a1277-d260-4fdf-a5bf-bb5f8676131b Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A harmonium built by the Aeolian Organ and Music Co. in New York around 1890, on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This 19th-century reed organ exemplifies American craftsmanship in musical instrument manufacturing. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=79f3d55e-4354-4fd1-bd82-5d8b13b5d55b Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — The Musée des Instruments de Musique (Musical Instrument Museum) in Brussels, housed in the striking Art Nouveau Old England building. This world-renowned museum showcases an extensive collection of musical instruments from various cultures and historical periods. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=5ce8f3ee-1b5e-49ee-a988-b9126795a17d Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A collection of Asian drums and horns on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases diverse percussion and wind instruments from various Asian cultures, highlighting the rich musical traditions of the continent. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=6179e5ce-1df7-4c5f-b563-0b35ccd01df7 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A visitor examines a display case of diverse cultural instruments from around the world at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases the global variety of musical traditions and instrument designs. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=9d1221e9-3366-43b2-9f07-7164c17f9c7c Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — Early electronic musical equipment on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases pioneering instruments and devices that laid the foundation for modern electronic music production and synthesis. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=2d4cead8-1cf3-470b-a500-06649b6a0775 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A collection of historical pianos on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases the evolution of piano design and technology from early fortepianos to modern grand pianos. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=ad4b5b41-cdba-4e88-a5ce-ad2bfe983ad4 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A visitor examines a reconstructed traditional piano workshop on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit offers insight into historical piano manufacturing techniques and craftsmanship. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=d5ba59e4-8ecb-42b3-9c48-df9665d72146 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A Geigenwerk, a rare bowed keyboard instrument dated to 1625, on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This unique instrument combines elements of keyboard and string instruments, showcasing innovative musical technology from the early 17th century. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=e39ae05e-5605-4965-a0aa-aafd2fbcb9db Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — An organ and bass guitar on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit juxtaposes classical and modern musical instruments, showcasing the evolution of musical technology and styles. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=d7e632ab-ec91-4139-848a-e59b0e1a8d83 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — An ornate keyboard instrument on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This elaborately decorated piece showcases the intricate craftsmanship and artistic design of historical musical instruments. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=4b8f79cf-1aa2-46e7-8310-bb3a67cfbc2b Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A diverse collection of wind instruments on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases a wide variety of woodwind and brass instruments from different cultures and historical periods, illustrating the evolution and global diversity of wind music. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=9fcf9914-b419-4dd6-a552-8a46a9c7678c Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A collection of Asian drums and horns on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases diverse percussion and wind instruments from various Asian cultures, highlighting the rich musical traditions of the continent. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=41bb0106-f5ed-4c49-9e1e-c0874aaa5c01 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A diverse collection of stringed instruments on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases a variety of global musical traditions and craftsmanship through an array of string instruments from different cultures and time periods. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=858609e5-7338-43b6-9c43-072929050f9b Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A harmonium built by the Aeolian Organ and Music Co. in New York around 1890, on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This 19th-century reed organ exemplifies American craftsmanship in musical instrument manufacturing. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=386b48a3-3ea7-4f91-a2f1-9f75e47f237d Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A pianola built in 1900 on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This self-playing piano represents early 20th-century musical technology and entertainment. The Musee des Instruments de Musique (Musical Instrument Museum) in Brussels contains exhibits containing more than 2000 musical instruments. Displays include historical, exotic, and traditional cultural instruments from around the world. Visitors to the museum are given handheld audio guides that play musical demonstrations of many of the instruments. The museum is housed in the distinctive Old England Building. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=53b19cb9-b97b-471c-a1be-274d8017b066 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A collection of diverse bagpipe variations on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This exhibit showcases the wide array of bagpipe designs from different cultures, illustrating the instrument’s global presence and cultural adaptations. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=70b6f69c-5799-427e-b855-630cf2bb81c1 Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will TravelBRUSSELS, Belgium — A hybrid instrument combining elements of a pianola and a pipe organ on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. This unique musical device showcases innovative instrument design, blending automated piano technology with traditional organ pipes. https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=6aa34931-17c1-4bd2-bf8f-c5decbfe2b5b Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
What to Know Before You Go
The museum is housed in a distinctive and ornate building, known as the Old England department store building in the Mont des Arts district of downtown Brussels. It’s steps from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium and a couple of blocks from the Royal Palace.
There’s a restaurant on the top floor offers a great view out over the city.
Daniel J. Wakin, “Museum Sets Grande Stage for Strings and Horns,” New York Times, 12 March 2010, C25. [↩]
David Coleman
I'm a freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my gear reviews and tips here. More »
