The Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale, founded in 1959 to keep the Comune di Bologna's collections of musical objects, was renamed Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica in 2004 with the inauguration of the museum's site, the Palazzo Sanguinetti, in the historic center of Bologna. The building was reopened to the public after a long and careful restoration that brought back to their original splendor the rich, interior frescoes, which were completed between the end of the 1700's and the beginning of the 1800's, and which provide one of the highest examples of the Napoleonic and Neoclassical period in Bologna.
The institute is presently divided into two sites: an ample selection of volumes, paintings, and musical instruments is on display in the museum halls in Strada Maggiore 34 (Palazzo Sanguinetti), while the majority of bibliographic material is accessible in Piazza Rossini 2 (the ex-Convent of San Giacomo) in rooms attached to the G.B. Martini Conservatory of Music.
The idea to build a museum of music in Bologna began not only from the necessity to support the importance of the Bolognese experience in the art of music, but also from the demand to satisfy a number of intents. The first and most important intent was to bring awareness to the greater public of the rich variety of musical heritage that the Comune di Bologna owns and has kept for a long time. Until now, much of this heritage remained confined in warehouses for various reasons - the first and foremost being the lack of an adequate space - and was only occasionally brought out for temporary expositions or was only partially known by music experts.
In this context, Palazzo Sanguinetti offered the possibility to increase and enhance the cultural value of such precious musical heritage, fulfilling the double goal of reassuring an expository frame worthy of the priceless quality of the items displayed. At the same time, it guarantees the best conditions for managing and conserving these items, which are essential requirements for the protection of a cultural heritage of any type.