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Barcelona Music Museum

Music as a universal phenomenon

The forest of instruments explains these common elements of music. Photo by Rafael Vargas.

The forest of instruments explains these common elements of music. Photo by Rafael Vargas.

Music is a form of communication that is found in all cultures. It is a language of sounds, linked to speech, which evokes its own concepts and images. Music is produced in time and space and is made up of elements  thanks to which we may understand and enjoy it. Sound, time and space. The first element through which we may recognise musical sound is rhythm, which is the ordered sequence of sound and silence over time. Sound modulation. The second element of recognition is the alternation between high and low pitches. Melody emerges from the combination between these different sounds and rhythm. Sound colour, or timbre. This is the third recognisable element of musical sound. The sounds of voices and instruments are made up of proportional blends of partial sounds which enable us to identify their origins. Music arises as a need for expression in particular situations or to transmit emotions, feelings and to inspire human and divine beings to action and, in some cultures, to influence animals or natural phenomena. At the end of this section, the audio-visual projection‘“The shared origins of our music’ marks the beginning of the historical itinerary through the Museum.

AUDIOGUIDE

01. Stories of a collection

Listen to the audio guide of this museum

All audios available

OBJECTS

<p>Balafon (Equatorial Guinea), 1850-1900. Photo by Gabriel Serra.&nbsp;Barcelona Music Museum.</p>
Balafon from Equatorial Guinea
Balafon from Equatorial Guinea
<p>The rubab and gralla are two surviving medieval instruments still played today. Photo by Rafael Vargas.&nbsp;Barcelona Music Museum.</p>

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Rubab and Gralla
Rubab and Gralla
<p>Christian Rault hurdy gurdy (Le Vanneau, France), 2006. Photo by Rafael Vargas.&nbsp;Barcelona Music Museum.</p>
Hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy
<p>Joan Guillam&iacute; Violoncello (Barcelona), 1756. Photo by Rafael Vargas.&nbsp;Barcelona Music Museum.</p>

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Guillamí Violoncello, 1756
Guillamí Violoncello, 1756
<p>Kundu. Photo by Gabriel Serra.&nbsp;Barcelona Music Museum.</p>

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Kundu
Kundu
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