The V&A's musical instrument collection
Gallery 40a, which previously housed musical instruments, closed to the public on 22 February 2010 as part of the V…
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The history of the musical instruments collection
The V&A has some of the most beautiful instruments to be found in any public collection in the world. This is a bri…
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Music for the harpsichord
Recordings of 'Venetiana Gagliarda' and 'Passemezzo di nome antico' - pieces likely to have been performed on harps…
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Norfolk House Music Room
The Norfolk House Music Room contains the panelling from the Music Room and the doorways from the Great Room of Nor…
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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 …
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Musical performance from the 1670s to the present day
Public concerts were first established in London during the 1670s, with the most famous entertainments being the fr…
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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 Th…
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'Queen Elizabeth's virginal', probably by Giovanni Baffo, 1594
With its variety of different decoration techniques and luxurious materials, the keyboard instrument known as the Q…
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To play or not to play: the ethics of musical instrument conservation
In order to bring an instrument into playable condition, it may be necessary to 'modify the original' and in ways t…
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Music Hall and Variety reading list
Recommended reading about music hall and variety
Music from choirbook leaves
This page contains examples of Gregorian chant performed by students from the Royal College of Music. Gregorian chants were traditionally sung by choirs in convents and monasteries. These chants come from a number of illuminated manuscript leaves in the V&A's collection. These pages were originally from choirbooks made in northern Europe in about 1250.
Video: A musical automaton clock
Watch and listen as the musical automaton clock from the British Galleries goes through its performance.
Tipu's Tiger
'Tippoo's Tiger' is an awesome, life-size beast of carved and painted wood, seen in the act of devouring a prostrate European in the costume of the 1790s. It has cast a spell over generations of admirers since 1808, when it was first displayed in the East India Company's museum.
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age
31 March–12 August 2012
Showcasing over 300 British design objects, this exhibition celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012.
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Music, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Custom print)
Music, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (A4 Print, Satin Finish)
Buy nowEvent - Pórtico de la Gloria at Santiago de Compostela Study Afternoon
Fri 15 June 2012 13:15
SPECIAL EVENT: Learn about the Pórtico de la Gloria at Santiago de Compostela in Spain and the
current restoration work. Then enjoy a concert of medieval music, played on modern re-created instruments copied from those shown on the Pórtico.
