Collection of historical music instruments in Vienna

The Viennese Weltmuseum contains one of the most important collections of Renaissance and early Baroque instruments, but also those from later periods. Exquisite instruments belonging to Archduke Ferdinand II and Emperor Leopold testify to what the extent music played an important role in the court of Habsburg. Instruments collected by the Obizzi and Habzburg-Este families provide a unique overview of nurturing the art of music in Austria over the centuries. The magnificent instruments from the collections of Emperor Joseph II, Empress Maria Theresa or Emperor Franz Joseph I show how skillful and creative the Austrian instrument makers were. Some of the instruments are associated with particular historical events or famous musicians, so one can see a violin belonging to Leopold Mozart or a piano Sigismond Thalberg played. The visitor can also inform himself how rich the music tradition was in Vienna, because there are instruments once played by famous musicians, such as Johann Strauss Jr, Joseph Lanner, Karl Michael Ziehrer or the Schrammel brothers.

Lira da braccio

Lira da braccio

Of the few surviving examples from the Renaissance period, a lira da braccio kept at the Vienna Museum is considered to be one of the most beautiful. It was made in a workshop of Giovanni D'Andrea and it dates from the beginning of the 16th century. The three-dimensional shape of the human torso results from the curvature of the upper and back parts of the instrument. Interestingly, a male character appears on the lower part of the instrument, while at the same time the shape of the instrument suggests a torso. The front of the instrument resembles the shape of a woman's body. This shows a close relationship between love and music. Of particular beauty and artistic craftsmanship are the sound holes. 

Lira da braccio was very popular during the Renaissance period, especially in Italy, where it was used by artists who recited poetry and accompanied themselves in an improvisational manner. This instrument can also be found on paintings, usually in the hands of mythological figures such as Orpheus or Apollo or in depictions of angelic choirs. Leonardo da Vinci played lira da braccio.

Baryton

Baryton (1732)

In this collection, another unusual instrument can be seen, the name of which suggests another thing - a designation of a male voice. The word baritone itself is derived from two Greek words meaning "one that sounds deep". The instrument usually had six or seven strings, and the player held it vertically, holding it to his feet. There are also a number of added strings on the baryton, which can be used for enhancing the sound of other strings or by plucking. The instrument was in use until the late 18th century. After the interest in baryton declined in the era of Romanticism, it became popular again in the 20th century when musicians started thinking about how they should play old music according to historically informed performance.

Baryton was a favorite instrument of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. That is why Joseph Haydn wrote 175 pieces for his employer, the majority of which are trios for viola, cello and baryton. These are certainly the most beautiful pieces intended for such an ensemble. The baryton of Haydn's time had one special feature - the added strings were tuned an octave higher than the others. The picture shows a baryton made in 1732 by an Austrian instrument maker Daniel Achatius Stadlmann in Vienna.

Simon Schӧdler's baryton (1782)

Baryton was popular for some time in the second half of the 18th century and was mostly played by those who enjoyed making music in their spare time. Many of these music lovers belonged to aristocratic circles. At the Weltmuseum, one can see several barytones, for example one from Simon Schӧdler's workshop, built in 1782. In keeping with the fashion of the time, the instrument maker carved a man's head with a green hat on the pegbox. 

The piano of Emperor Joseph II

A large part of the Weltmuseum collection is composed of pianos and precursors of this instrument. One of these once belonged to Emperor Joseph II, the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa. It was probably this instrument that was available to Mozart and Clementi during their duel in 1781 at the Imperial Court in Vienna. The Austrian emperor decided to arrange an unforgettable Christmas evening in the form of a musical duel for his distinguished guests - the Russian Archduke Paul and his wife Archduke Maria Fyodorovna. At the time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was slowly making his career as a freelance artist in the imperial capital by offering himself as a composer and pianist to Viennese audiences. Muzio Clementi, on the other hand, was already a prominent pianist, composer, pedagogue and publisher with a permanent address in London. At that point, he was on a three-year European concert tour. During this duel two virtuosos played their own compositions, showed their skills by playing pieces prima vista and improvising on given melodies. Although there were no winners, it seems that in Clementi's words, Mozart was a better performer. One of the pieces Mozart played during this event were his Variations Ah, vous dirai-je maman.

On the instrument belonging to the emperor the characteristics of the harpsichord are still noticed. The lightweight construction with a slim soundboard, decorated with a rosette, as well as the inlaid keys in the lower and higher registers, are unique features of Viennese instrument making.

Emperor Joseph II's piano

Clavichord (about 1785)

Instruments made for journeys

Musicians from the 18th century traveled often, so they needed instruments with robust construction, ones that could fit the size of a luggage. Leopold Mozart purchased one such instrument in Augsburg before embarking on a major European tour with his family in 1763. The clavichord from the Vienna Museum is attributed to Otto Joachim Tiefenbrunn and dates back to about 1785. Just besides this instrument there is a small hammer that was used for tuning. With this hammer musicians could tune the tuning pins on clavichords, spinets, harpsichords and pianos. This hammer kept in Weltmuseum was made in 1756.

Schubertiade

Square piano (around 1820)
and a portrait of young Schubert

"He can simply do anything; he is a genius! He composes songs, masses, operas, string quartets, in short, anything he wants." 

This is what Antonio Salieri said about Franz Schubert, who was at that time only 17 years old. 

In the early 19th century, music was often played in private rooms. The rise of the middle class led to this emergence of music played in households. Many intellectuals organised salons in their homes. There was a group of people who regularly held the so-called Schubertiades, during which composer's works were performed. In addition to the usual pianos, whether larger or square, there were also those built as upright pianos. These instruments acted also as attractive pieces of furniture and were designed in accordance with Biedermeier. Due to the growing interest in private music making, there was also a need for making instruments that would fit a given space.

For the purpose of the Schubertiade, the painter Wilhelm August Rieder rented a square piano from the workshop of a renowned instrument maker Anton Walter and his stepson Joseph Schöffstoss. There is evidence Schubert composed on that piano on several occasions, while Rieder at the same time painted in his studio. After composer's death, Rieder bought the instrument in memory of the great master who died very young. 

Lyre guitar

Lyre guitar of Jacques Pierre Michelot
(Paris, around 1800)

A lyre-shaped guitar that can be seen at the Weltmuseum belonged to a famous singer Johann Michael Vogl, a baritone who often sang at the gatherings that were reserved for Schubert and his close friends.

Thanks to the collaboration and friendship with Johann Michael Vogl, Schubert wrote some of his most beautiful songs, such as Erlkӧnig. The composer was fascinated by the beauty of Vogl's voice, and Vogl was on the other side impressed by the quality of Schubert's music. After they officially met in 1817, composer wrote his songs bearing in mind the character and voice of Johann Michael Vogl. 

Pianos for home music making

Due to a high demand, piano makers had to build instruments that would take up less space. Because the tone on the square pianos was less powerful, pianos were made in such a way that strings could be placed vertically. This is how giraffe or pyramid pianos were created. Visitors can see examples of such instruments, created in the early 19th century, at the Weltmuseum in Vienna.

Giraffe piano (before 1819)

Pyramid piano (around 1820)

In addition to the upright pianos or the giraffes, there were also pianos with a built-in cabinets, which allowed people to store their sheet music. The Viennese Weltmuseum exhibits several examples of these instruments, like the one made by Christoph Erler in the second quarter of the 19th century.

Piano with a cabinet by Christoph Erler

Glassharmonica

Glassharmonica

The discovery of this unusual instrument - the glassharmonica - is connected to Benjamin Franklin and his 1761 visit to England. Thirty-seven adjustable glass jars are rotated using an iron spindle that is operated by pressing the pedals. Gold rims on the glass jars serve as markers for semitones. The players can touch them using their fingertips.


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart saw this instrument at the home of Dr. Franz Mesmer and used it in two of his compositions. The famous mad scene from Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor, where the the leading female protagonist is accompanied by the flute and glassharmonica. In Weltmuseum there is one glassharmonica built by an unknown maker. It dates from the first half of the 19th century.

Mozart and the clarinet

Clarinet of an unknown maker
(late 18th century)

Mozart was very fond of the clarinet and its noble and rich sound. That is why he has written several compositions for the instrument. The most significant interpreter of his works was the clarinetist Anton Stadler, to whom the composer dedicated his most beautiful works. At that time, the clarinet was still among the youngest instruments in the orchestra. In one of the letters addressed to his father Wolfgang wrote that he regretted about not having clarinets in Salzburg like in Mannheim, where he heard a fantastic court orchestra.

"I could never think that a clarinet is as capable of imitating the human voice as it is when you play it. Indeed, your instrument has such a soft and warm color that I find difficult to resist." - these words were written by Mozart to his friend Stadler in 1785.

Mozart composed Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, today one of the most beautiful compositions dedicated to this instrument, to his beloved friend Anton Stadler. Besides the concerto, he composed Clarinet Quintet and Trio for clarinet, viola and piano. There are also some beautiful obbligato sections in two arias from the opera La Clemenza di Tito. Thanks to Mozart, clarinet players received a good basis for a further development of the repertoire during the 19th century. The clarinet shown on this photo, built by an unknown instrument maker, dates from the late 18th century.

A metronome and a music stand

A metronome by Johann Nepomuk Melzel

Johann Nepomuk Melzel applied his patent for the metronome in 1816 in Paris. It was based on a clockwork mechanism which could set in motion a vertical pendulum with a moving weight at its end. The pendulum could be adjusted to count between 50 and 160 beats per minute. Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the first composers to use metronome markings in certain compositions (for example, in his Ninth Symphony).

A music stand for four musicians

Besides music instruments, there are also other interesting objects in this museum. Of special interest are the music stands intended for chamber music making. Stands like these were placed on the tables, which allowed four musicians to play together. The racks that could be bent are made using decoupage. This was often used to make furniture and piano racks in the late 19th century. The stand in this picture comes from Austria and was made around 1860.

Valuable stringed instruments

Leopold Mozart's violin

Judging by the handwritten mark and archival material, the violin that can be seen in the photo belonged to Leopold Mozart. Although it is said to have originated in the workshop of the famous Italian instrument maker Amati, the violin must have been made somewhere in Austrian lands in the second half of the 18th century. The ivory parts were added by later owners of the instrument.

Leopold Mozart worked in the service of the Archbishop of Salzburg, first as a violinist and then as deputy kapellmeister. He did not advance beyond that position, but he was certainly dedicated to teaching his talented children - Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus. In addition to composing, his duties in the workplace were to teach the boys of the Cathedral choir to play violin and piano. Although he left no significant mark in history as a composer, Leopold was noted in his time as the author of a comprehensive treatise on the art of playing the violin. That book made a name for him throughout Europe. 

Niccolò Amati's violin
(from 1640s)

There is one violin in the museum that was actually made in the workshop of Niccolò Amati. It dates from the 1640s. Amati was the most significant representative of a family that has been involved in violin making for four generations. After a terrible plague epidemic in Cremona in 1630, he was the only surviving violin maker to continue the family tradition. Amati trained a number of students, including Jacob Steiner (1619-1683). He was one of the most prominent violin makers who achieved high level of mastery, alongside famous Italians. His instruments were highly sought after in Europe until the end of the 18th century.

Jacob Steiner's viola da gamba

Steiner actually made different types of stringed instruments. Today, in addition to his violins, the violas are also sought after because they are rare and therefore valuable. They often feature carved lion's heads as a decoration for the pegbox. Steiner's viola da gamba exhibited in this museum dates back to 1673. The neck and the pegbox of this instrument have been replaced. There is also a carved snail as a decoration.


Viola da gamba was a popular instrument during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Most often it was heard in the ensemble (or consort), both at the royal courts and in private homes. As the popularity of the violin grew, these softer-sounding instruments, better suited for concerts in smaller rooms, went slowly out of use. It was not until the 20th century, with the advent of the early music revival movements, that the viola da gamba again became popular among musicians dedicated to historically informed performance.

Valuable pianos

Joseph Dannhauser's portrait of Konrad Graf (1840)
and piano by Konrad Graf (around 1830)

On the occasion of his first appearance in Vienna in 1829, Frederic Chopin received a piano from a famous Viennese maker Konrad Graf. In one letter, a Polish virtuoso describes the piano as "a wonderful, perhaps the best Viennese instrument." When he in 1830 visited Vienna for the second time, Konrad Graf sent a piano to his residence, but before the apartment was ready to receive this famous guest, Chopin practiced on a piano at Graf's house.

The photo shows a portrait of Konrad Graf painted by Joseph Dannhauser and his piano made around 1830. On the painting we can see Konrad Graf depicted as a successful businessman sitting in front of his desk, where are probably the blueprints for his pianos. In the background of the painting is a portrait of Emperor Franz, who generously supported the development of Austrian industry. It was Graf who directed the wholesale production of pianos, because until the early 19th century, there were mostly smaller workshops in Vienna.

Konrad Graf piano (1839)

Another piano from Graf's factory can be found in the collection of this museum. It dates from 1839 and was sent as a gift to Clara Wieck, a pianist who delighted the Viennese audience at that time. Graf himself seems to have been impressed by the young artist. This piano was regularly played by Clara and her husband Robert, as well as Johannes Brahms, who visited the Schumann's in Düsseldorf.


Clara Wieck was one of the best pianists of the Romantic era. She was a child prodigy. She started appearing as a pianist in European cities at an early age, so her career spanned more than half a century. Clara contributed to the development of the piano recital by shaping its repertory more towards the promotion of serious works, as opposed to the popular concerts performed at that time. She has premiered many works by her husband Robert Schumann and her close friend Johannes Brahms. As a composer, she wrote piano, vocal, choral and chamber music. She was also a piano teacher.

The building of the Musikverein in Vienna was officially opened in 1870. At the opening concert of the small hall, later named after Johannes Brahms, was held on January 19th that year. The then celebrated pianist Clara Schumann played. Contrary to today's practice, pianos were rented for such purposes and the artist chose an instrument made by Johann Baptist Streicher. The piano was then owned by the Streicher family in memory of the event. Afterwards it was donated to the Weltmuseum.

Johann Baptist Streicher's piano (1868)

In the 1860s, Franz Liszt retired from the hectic life of a concert pianist and went to Rome. The collection of the museum contains a piano made in 1862 by Érard company. Liszt used it to write his late works, hold private lessons and give concerts in a private setting. After his death, the Polish virtuoso Ignacy Jan Paderewski played this piano in 1904. The concert was arranged for Pope Pius X in Vatican. The instrument was then completely forgotten until it was rediscovered and restored by Italian pianist Carlo Maria Dominici in 1991. This provided an opportunity for better understanding the works Liszt composed on that piano. The photo also shows a famous painting of Joseph Dannhauser. It was made in 1840 and the title is Liszt at the piano.

Piano Érard (1862)

Similar to Liszt, one of his contemporaries, noted pianist Sigismond Thalberg, who also played on a piano from the Érard factory, withdrew from his concert life. While Liszt lived in Rome, Thalberg settled in Posillipo near Naples. They both performed in an intimate setting, just in front of the invited guests, and played on pianos of very similar material, which can be seen in the Viennese museum. Both Liszt and Thalberg wrote compositions devoid of the dazzling virtuosity that made them famous in their earlier years.

Piano Érard (1863)

For the purposes of the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris, the Bӧsendorfer Company introduced two magnificent and lavishly designed pianos. It took apparently more than two years for the instruments to be built. The designer was Anton Grosser and the style shows elements of historicism. The gilded caryatids are reminiscent of the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, which was built at the same time as this piano.

Bӧsendorfer grand piano (before 1867)

Again about home music making

Harmonium was very popular as an instrument in Romanticism, but also in the early 20th century. Rarely seen in the concert hall, it was used more for home music making and in churches. Two pumps operated by the player's feet deliver the air that passes through a vibrating metal mouthpiece, which is producing the sound on the instrument. Particularly praised as an instrument maker in Austria was Peter Titz, who was appointed an instrument supplier for the Imperial Court in 1870. He also built an instrument called fisarmonica. The first instrument of this kind was made in 1818 in Vienna and soon began to be used as a substitute for organ in churches. In addition, it has become a common instrument in the field of home music making.

Harmonium of Peter Titz (around 1860)