Day 3 – Music in Prague

The forecast today said RAIN, but there was not a drop all day. What does a dedicated musician do when he has Prague as his disposal? check out the musical sites, of course,

The Czech Museum of Musical History is easy to miss. It is in Lesser Town several blocks away from the main tourist areas. But one should not miss it! The permanent part of the collection is an incredible array of musical instruments, including some very rare items.

This Seidlphone was made by a Czech craftsman about a century ago. It's double-belled design is quite rare.

Some of the brass instruments are quite unique. There are quarter-tone trumpets, and a family of Seidlphones, which were only found in the Czech lands. One can also see a quarter tone piano and a harp with crossed strings that allow the player to perform all the chromatic notes at one time.

The keyboard of a quarter-tone piano. Imagine the coordination it would take to play this.

After the museum, I wandered through Old Town Square. Street musicians are very frequent in well-trafficked areas like this, but I saw what was a first for me – a gentleman playing a Hurdy-Gurdy and singing local Czech and Bohemian tunes. This is not something you see every day!

A Hurdy-Gurdy is a relatively unusual folk instrument. This gentleman played it well.

Tomorrow, I take an early train to Vienna where I will do my final preparations for my UNCG students. They arrive Saturday morning and are awaiting a great musical adventure. I intend to give them that and more!

 

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