Inside Barcelona’s Auditori concert hall, the Museu de la Música traces music through instruments from different countries and periods. More than 1,600 pieces are displayed, from ancient instruments to modern ones, with a notable collection of 17th-century guitars and baroque keyboard instruments. Multimedia displays add context, and an interactive room lets you touch and play selected instruments to explore how they make sound. Use the audio guide to learn more as you go. The museum is on Carrer de Lepant in the Eixample district.
Instruments from different times and places
The Museu de la Música is housed in the Auditori concert hall on Carrer de Lepant, in Barcelona’s Eixample district. Its collection brings together more than 1,600 instruments from different parts of the world and periods of musical history. Instruments range from ancient examples to modern ones, giving the displays a broad sweep across how people have made music.
The collection includes string, keyboard and other instruments, shown alongside multimedia displays and musical objects. The museum also holds biographical documents. Taken together, these displays connect the instruments with the people and musical traditions associated with them.
Guitars and baroque keyboards
The guitar collection is one of the museum’s main draws, with 17th-century guitars among its highlights. These historical instruments provide a closer look at the development of the guitar across time. Baroque keyboard instruments are another part of the collection to seek out.
Displays also include material on Catalan musicians. Temporary exhibitions have covered figures such as pianist and composer Enric Granados and cellist Pau Casals, including their artistic partnership. The focus on named musicians adds biographical context to the instruments and the music made with them.
Try the interactive displays
Selected instruments can be touched and played in the interactive room. Experimenting with them helps explain how vibration produces sound, and gives the visit a hands-on element alongside the display cases. The museum’s Petit Orpheus itinerary is designed to help families explore the collection.
An audio guide adds information about the instruments and their histories. It can be especially useful when you want more context for pieces that are unfamiliar to you. Allow about one to two hours for the visit, with extra time if you plan to listen closely and explore the interactive displays.
