National Music Museum facts for kids
The National Music Museum (NMM) is a special place in Vermillion, South Dakota, USA. It's like a treasure chest for musical instruments! The museum started in 1973 at the University of South Dakota. It's even called "A Landmark of American Music" by the National Music Council.
The NMM has amazing collections of instruments from all over the world. You can find instruments from America, Europe, and many other cultures. Some of these instruments are very old and super important in music history. The museum is known worldwide for its incredible collection.
In August 2023, the museum opened its doors again after a big renovation. New display areas, over 16,000 square feet, show how musical instruments have shaped our lives. They explore how instruments have changed over time and in different places.
The museum's director is Dwight Vaught.
How the Museum Started
The National Music Museum works with the University of South Dakota. The university helps with staff, keeping instruments safe, and research. The museum also has a special group called the Board of Trustees. This group helps get new instruments and plans exhibits and events.
The museum began with a private collection of about 2,500 instruments. These belonged to Arne B. Larson. His son, Dr. André P. Larson, was the first director until he retired in 2011.
The NMM is in a cool building that used to be the university's library. It was built in 1910 with money from Andrew Carnegie. A new, modern part was added in 2021. The museum has a concert hall with great sound for playing old instruments. There's also a special library and a lab to fix and care for the instruments.
You can find tools for making violins and old tuning hammers there. There are also 1,000 mouthpieces for brass instruments. The museum also keeps many old papers and items related to music. This includes a collection of 650 labels from violin makers. Experts from all over the world visit the NMM to study.
Amazing Instrument Collections
The NMM is the only place where you can see two 18th-century grand pianos. These pianos have a special design by the piano's inventor, Bartolomeo Cristofori. One was made in 1767 in Lisbon, Portugal. It's the oldest signed piano by a Portuguese maker. The other was made in France in 1781. It's the oldest French grand piano still existing.
Other amazing keyboard instruments include a Neapolitan virginal from around 1520. There are also three 17th-century Flemish harpsichords. You can also see harpsichords from England, Germany, Portugal, and France. Plus, there are German and Swedish clavichords.
The museum has about 500 instruments made by the C.G. Conn Company. This company was in Elkhart, Indiana, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This collection is super important for learning about American music history.
The NMM has many 17th and 18th-century wind instruments from Nuremberg, Germany. These include instruments by famous families like Denner and Haas. You won't find a collection like this outside of Germany.
The museum also has a special collection of 17th and 18th-century Dutch woodwind instruments. These include a soprano recorder from around 1690. This collection is unique outside of the Netherlands.
The Witten-Rawlins Collection has early Italian stringed instruments. These were made by famous makers like Andrea Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari. This collection is even better than any in Italy! It includes two 17th-century Cremonese string instruments that are still in their original condition. The NMM also has one of only four Stradivari guitars in a museum. It also has one of only two Stradivari mandolins known to exist.
The NMM is the best place to study the history of the saxophone. This is thanks to the John Powers and Cecil Leeson Saxophone Collections.
It's also the top place to study the clarinet. This is because of the Rosario Mazzeo and Bill Maynard Clarinet Collections.
The museum is a leading center for studying brass instruments. This is due to the Joe & Joella Utley Collection.
The Alan Bates Harmonica Collection is also very important. It's the second largest in the world.
In 2005, the museum received the D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, Gudelsky Workshop gift. This led to a big exhibit called "Great American Guitars." It showed guitars from famous makers like D'Angelico and Fender.
In 2007, the museum bought a very rare English cittern from the late 1500s. A cittern is an old string instrument. The museum director said it's probably the only English cittern from that time still around.
See also
- List of museums in South Dakota
- Music of South Dakota
- List of Carnegie libraries in South Dakota
- List of music museums
