Music Menagerie

Animals inspired composers to write beautiful songs and compositions. Can you think of a folk or popular song dedicated to animals?

We invite all curious children as well as adults who still like to play for a walk with music and animals. You will travel through the realms of birds and water, to the woods as well as exotic regions. Not only illustrations, music notes and musical instruments will be on display – animals will be there too! Can you distinguish a lark from a nightingale? A cricket from a cicada? Thanks to the cooperation with our science department, you will have a chance to see all the animals up close. Spotting a lion is easy, but can you find a violin with a lion’s head?

You will learn what musical instruments used to be made of, why certain parts are named after animals or why they resemble them in their shapes. We will show you a historical serpent that looks like a snake, or an Arabian drum called elephant’s foot due to its shape.

You will learn what Emmy Destinn’s favourite cat’s name was, or that Antonín Dvořák was a passionate pigeon fancier. And don’t worry: insects will be there too! You will see the bowtie of the violinist Josef Suk as well as the collection of butterflies of the composer Zdeněk Fibich.

You will also be able to listen to recordings of animal sounds at the exhibition: some of them might be easy but what about, let’s say, birds? You will have to prick up your ears! We prepared beautiful songs inspired by animals for you to listen to, such as Swan Lake, the Carnival of the Animals or the Flight of the Bumblebee. We did not forget about folk and popular songs either. You can sing along with famous Czech songs such as We Love Animals, Pigeon House, Maya the Bee, Bears Don’t Know, and many more.

You will also have a chance to try out and play all sorts of things at our exhibition… Have you ever hear of Temple Block, Waterfall Percussion, or Djembe? All this and much more will be waiting for you in the Czech Museum of Music.