Inside The Met: The Curatorial Departments March 26, 2008

Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Musical Instruments
J. Kenneth Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge
Herbert Heyde, Associate Curator
Jayson Kerr Dobney, Associate Curator and Administrator

The Museum’s holdings of musical instruments are among the richest and most diverse in the world. Musical instruments have been a part of the Museum since 1889 when Lucy Drexel and, later, Mary Elizabeth Brown donated their collections. After her initial gift, Mrs. Brown continued to assemble examples from every part of the known world. By 1918, she had amassed over 4,000 instruments from disparate cultures and time periods, establishing the collection as one of the world’s most renowned and comprehensive. Today, the tradition of collecting instruments from all cultures and time periods continues. In this lecture, J. Kenneth Moore focuses on the unique history of the collection; Jayson Kerr Dobney explores the department’s relationships with makers and musicians; and Herbert Heyde considers recent research surrounding the Museum’s unique Andrea Amati violin.

The evening’s finale features a rare opportunity to hear this exceptional and historic sixteenth-century Cremonese instrument.

Official Website: http://www.metmuseum.org/tickets