The Art of Music: A New Narrative for Musical Instruments at The Met

The Met is home to one of the world's most diverse and important collections of musical instruments. With more than five thousand examples from six continents, it is unsurpassed in its scope and includes instruments from all cultures and eras. Now, for the first time, the instruments can be heard in the galleries via dynamic kiosks and a musical Audio Guide.

Gallery 680: Fanfare

Fanfare invites you to explore the artistry, diverse forms, and interwoven uses of brass instruments throughout time and place. From sacred conches, animal horns, and pottery trumpets, to a majestic karana from India, Civil War–era over-the-shoulder horns, and a vuvuzela, Fanfare features seventy-four instruments spanning two millennia and five continents. Read more about the Fanfare gallery in this blog series.

Below, listen to our Audio Guide stops for instruments in the gallery.

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Gallery 681: Mapping the Art of Music

Explore the the impact of geography, trade, migration and travel on shaping music and the instruments used to play it. Displays in this gallery focus on the development of regional musical styles and the adaptation and assimilation of instruments. The intersections of instruments and cultures along conduits such as the Silk Road and the Triangular Trade are illustrated.

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Gallery 682: Instruments in Focus

Instruments in Focus provides a venue for special rotations of instruments from The Met collection. The first of these showcases the art of music as expressed by the creation of the Four Seasons guitars—an exquisite quartet of archtop guitars conceived as a complete musical ensemble. Discover more about the Four Seasons guitars in this episode of MetCollects.

Gallery 683: The Organ Loft

The magnificent Thomas Appleton organ (1830), one of the oldest functioning pipe organs made in America, presides over the Museum's organ loft. Read more about the instrument and its historic restoration.

Below, listen to our Audio Guide stops for the organ.

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Gallery 684: The Art of Music through Time

The gallery is punctuated throughout with related objects and paintings that illustrate the universal presence of music and instruments in art and society. Read more about the instruments featured in this gallery.

Click below to explore videos and Audio Guide stops for instruments in the gallery.

View gallery 684 on the Museum Map.