The Povilas Stulga Museum of Lithuanian Folk Instruments () is located in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
of
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. It was established in 1985. Its permanent collection contains Lithuanian and international
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
s, recordings, books, placards, photographs, and letters. Its musical instrument collection includes various versions of the
kanklės
The ''kanklės'' () is a Lithuanian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery, along with the Latvian '' kokles'', Estonian '' kannel'', Finnish '' kantele'', and Russian '' ...
,
harmoniums,
reeds,
seven-string guitar
The seven-string guitar adds one additional string to the more common six-string guitar, commonly used to extend the bass range (usually a low B) or also to extend the treble range.
The additional string is added in one of two different ways: b ...
s, and a bass constructed using a table.
History
The museum was founded by the Kaunas City Council in 1985, as a branch of the Folk Museum of the Lithuanian SSR.
The museum has had several changes of name. It opened as the Lithuanian Folk Music Instruments Museum, then became the Lithuanian SSR Folk Museum in 1989, followed by Povilas Stulga. In 2013 the museum became a branch of Kaunas City Museum, and is now called the Folk Music Museum.
The museum is housed in a 16th-century Gothic house.
Collection
The museum's permanent collection contains Lithuanian and international
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
s, recordings, books, placards, photographs, and letters.
Its musical instrument collection includes various versions of the
kanklės
The ''kanklės'' () is a Lithuanian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery, along with the Latvian '' kokles'', Estonian '' kannel'', Finnish '' kantele'', and Russian '' ...
,
harmoniums,
reeds,
seven-string guitar
The seven-string guitar adds one additional string to the more common six-string guitar, commonly used to extend the bass range (usually a low B) or also to extend the treble range.
The additional string is added in one of two different ways: b ...
s, and a bass constructed using a table.
It also has a Soviet-era electronic organ, and flutes made of bird feathers, and a musical staircase.
The museum organizes exhibitions of national art, photography,
folk art
Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...
, domestic tools, musical instruments, and traditional clothing. It also hosts concerts and recitals and sponsors children's music lessons and excursions.
See also
*
List of music museums
This list of music museums offers a guide to museums worldwide that specialize in the domain of music. These institutions are dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of music-related history, including the lives and works of prominent musicia ...
References
External links
*
Istorijos fragmentai Official website.
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Museums in Kaunas
Musical instrument museums
Music organizations based in Lithuania
Music museums in Lithuania