The V&A's Musical Instrument Collection
As a museum of the decorative arts, the V&A acquired its musical instruments and has displayed them as works of art rather than to tell the history of music. This is the co…
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The History of the Musical Instrument Collection
The V&A has some of the most beautiful instruments to be found in any public collection in the world. This is a brief history of the musical instruments in the V&A collecti…
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Music for the Harpsichord
Recordings of 'Venetiana Gagliarda' and 'Passemezzo di nome antico' - pieces likely to have been performed on harpsichord. The harpsichord was a popular instrument in weal…
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Music for the Lute
The lute came to Europe in the 13th century via Islamic Spain, becoming the most important instrument in Western music in the centuries that followed. The music you can l…
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Pete Townshend's Guitar
Guitar smashed by Townshend in performance with The Who in the late 1960s or early 1970s on display in the V&A's Theatre and Performance Galleries.
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'Queen Elizabeth's Virginal', Giovanni Baffo, 1594
With its variety of different decoration techniques and luxurious materials, the keyboard instrument known as the Queen Elizabeth’s Virginal, which evidently belonged to th…
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Musical instruments reading list
A selection of recommended musical instrument catalogues and further reading.
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Tiger Tambourine Musical Toy
Made from sustainable rubberwood and finished with non-toxic natural paints, these brightly coloured instruments will have young ones grooving to the …
Buy nowEvent - Mini Musicians
Sat 25 May 2013–Sun 02 June 2013
FAMILY EVENT: Use your body and musical instruments to explore rhythm & music making.
