Even if you are not a musician chances are you will still find this exhibit of instruments at the Neue Burg in the Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente, or the Collection of Early Musical Instruments quite interesting. Said to be among the largest and most significant Renaissance and Baroque collections in the world, the rare and unique instruments started from the collections of Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. Over time, it has grown and expanded from various donations and acquisitions by the museum. What is impressive about the collection is not only the range of medieval instruments that have been preserved through time but also how it is able to show the Viennese culture through the ages in terms of its musical heritage. Visitors are also given a history of the unique instruments and which famous musicians once played them for the Habsburg royalty. Some of the instruments can even actually be played to this day.
There are different themes in the five rooms used to display the collection and the instruments range from the distinctly odd to the highly intricate. There is the 16th century set of shawms (a woodwind instrument) shaped like dragons in one room. In another you can find instruments that were played during Josef Hadyn’s time along with a lifelike bust of the composer himself. Other interesting items include the gold-and-ivory laden violin bought by Maria Theresia. Made from tortoiseshell, the piece looks exquisite but is not made for playing. Then there are the pianos played by Haydn and Beethoven and the Wiener Werkstatte piano played by Schonberg. Finally there is the Marble Hall which is still being used as a venue for small concerts.
