Musical Instrument Museum - Brussels

13 April 2022, 14:00

Although I have visited Belgium on a number of occasions, I have never had the luxury of a free day in Brussels (except on a Monday, when the museum was closed). So, I took the opportunity to use up some British Airways and Eurostar vouchers, and visit Brussels especially to see the famous musical instrument museum.

I arrived in Belgium on Tuesday 12th April 2022. I had arranged to meet up with the baroque trumpet teacher from the Brussels Conservatoire, Niranjan Wijewickrema. I had not met him before, but we had exchanged some emails (regarding Hertel manuscripts in the Brussels Conservatoire library); we also had many mutual friends, interests and a similar sense of humour. Nini had studied his doctorate with Edward H. Tarr, and we talked about trumpet-specific musicology and my book project. We visited a restaurant near his home, and one of his former students, Elena Torres, came to meet us a little later on. It was lovely to meet them both. On my way back to my hotel, I stumbled upon the Grand Place, which looked magnificent by night.

The next morning, I walked to the museum on Rue Montagne de la Cour and fulfilled the purpose of my trip. The collection is housed in a magnificent building which was formerly the ‘Old England’ department store: the frontage is regarded to be one of the finest examples of the Art Nouveau architectural style.

The museum has a collection of over 8,000 instruments, and it is particularly renowned for housing many 19th-century instruments, inveterate and made by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. The museum’s founder and first curator was Victor-Charles Mahillon (1841–1924)—the son of Charles Mahillon (1813-1887).

I was particularly interested in the collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century natural trumpets: several excellent examples were on display, including trumpets by Friedrich Ehe, Johann Leonhard Ehe II, Johann Leonhard Ehe III, Johann Carl Kodisch (1693) [INV 1176], Johann Wilhelm Haas, Wolf Wilhelm Haas, and two straight trumpets with in-built mouthpieces by Cornelius Steinmetz.

This elaborate Haas trumpet of 1694 [INV 0470] was very interesting. This instrument is engraved with the name of Johann Wilhelm Haas—though the maker’s mark might indicate the work of his son, Wolf Wilhelm Haas.

I was also interested in the cornetti and dulcians, and there was an impressive collections of (often Flemish-made) harpsichords, spinets and virginals.

Among the nineteenth-century instruments was an interesting English Slide Trumpet (c.1832–1849) by James Goodison, London, as well as a collection of saxhorns (some with keys and valves) made by Adolphe Sax. On the other side of the same cabinet was a collection of Sax’s saxophones, and one of his ophicleides. There was also a beautiful two-valved cornet à pistons made by Charles-Joseph Sax (c.1835).

I was certainly not disappointed with my visit to the Brussels and to the musical instrument museum: it was well worth the special trip.

Russell Gilmour

writing on music, photography, engraving, travel and life as a freelance professional musician.

Russell Gilmour's innovative new book, 'Just' Natural Trumpet, is now available: please click here for more information.