The collection of musical instruments
The musical instruments displayed in the rooms of the museum originate from
the collections of two important Bolognese institutions: the Museo Civico
Medievale and the Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale. The core of the musical
instruments collection from the Museo Civico Medievale comes from the Liceo
musicale founded in 1804: Federico Parisini (the Liceo librarian from 1881
to 1891) used to say that, following the Napoleonic suppressions, "the
instruments, many famous musical works, chorus books, rare instruments, and
other items related to music were sold publicly."
The central administration of the Dipartimento del Reno had asked the government
of the Repubblica Cisalpina to purchase and conserve the objects that risked
being dispersed. The recovered instruments were then entrusted to the Liceo
and, in 1881, were finally added to the Museo Civico Medievale, where they
have remained until today.
Among the most valuable instruments now displayed in the rooms of the museum
is the Trasuntino harpsichord of 1606 (displayed in Room 4). It was constructed
for Camillo Gonzaga, the Count of Novellara, and afterwards was passed to
Giuseppe Baini (1775-1844), the celebrated author of the first biography of
Palestrina, who left the harpsichord as a bequest in his will to the Liceo
musicale. Other valuable instruments in the display are the Trasuntino monochord,
which was built to tune the cymbal, and the 5-reed flute, which is noted as
a harmony of flutes or the polyphonic flute (displayed in Room 5) and which
bears the mark of Manfredo Settala (1600-1680), a Milanese rector, who was
a great collector and famous personality in the cultural panorama of the 1600's.
The origin of the collection of musical instruments in the Civico Museo Bibliografico
Musicale is more uncertain. The collection includes some particularly important
models, such as eight pianos, five of which are grand pianos and three are
rectangular, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Among these are the
priceless Erard from 1811 (that possibly belonged to Paolina Borghese), which
was restored for the inauguration of the museum and is now exhibited in Room
8, Gioachino Rossini's Pleyel piano of 1844 (exhibited in Room 7), and the
so-called "spinetta di Padre Martini", a rectangular Glonner from
1780 (displayed in Room 3). Other important instruments on display are the
Heckelphon of 1900 (Room 8), various English horns, some cornets, and two
oboes.
