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Artistic reconstruction of a historic music and performance museum hall

MUSEUM OF MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

What survives after the performance ends?

Explore 18 exhibits on instruments, live performance, and recorded sound. Read each object’s context, methods, limits, and further sources.

Images are artistic reconstructions of representative objects and settings. They are not photographs of accessioned Eftsona objects or authentic historical documents.

GALLERY 01 · Instruments, notation & interpretation

Making Music

Sound begins with materials, makers, players, and the spaces around them.

Choose an exhibit below to see its complete label.

MP · 001Violin and bowString instrument model MP · 002Piano actionKeyboard mechanism model MP · 003Hand drumPercussion model MP · 004Brass trumpetWind instrument model MP · 005Handwritten scoreMusic notation model MP · 006Conductor’s marked partRehearsal document model

EXHIBIT MP · 001 / 018

Violin and bow

A string vibrates; a player shapes the sound.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · String instrument model
Period represented: Early modern onward
Typical setting: Instrument gallery
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Wood, construction, bow, strings, and maintenance influence response. Instruments change through repair and playing traditions.

How to investigate it

Compare construction, marks, repair records, and recordings made in context.

What the display cannot establish

Appearance alone cannot tell us exactly how an instrument sounded.

Look closer: What might a new string change?

Further reading: The Met · Musical Instruments ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 002 / 018

Piano action

A key starts a mechanical chain.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Keyboard mechanism model
Period represented: Eighteenth century onward
Typical setting: Instrument workshop
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

A piano key moves a hammer toward a string. Felt, string tension, pedal use, and room acoustics change the result.

How to investigate it

Inspect the action, tuning, wear, and performance setting.

What the display cannot establish

A silent mechanism cannot demonstrate the full dynamic range.

Look closer: Which part returns the hammer?

Further reading: The Met · Musical Instruments ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 003 / 018

Hand drum

A rhythm depends on touch and setting.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Percussion model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Community music room
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Membrane, shell, tuning, hand position, and ensemble role shape a drum’s sound. Its meaning varies by community.

How to investigate it

Compare material, technique, local accounts, and performances with consent.

What the display cannot establish

One display cannot stand for every tradition using a similar drum.

Look closer: Where does the hand strike?

Further reading: The Met · Musical Instruments ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 004 / 018

Brass trumpet

Breath and tubing work together.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Wind instrument model
Period represented: Early modern onward
Typical setting: Instrument cabinet
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Embouchure, air, valves, tubing length, and bell change pitch and tone. Instrument design responds to performance needs.

How to investigate it

Examine valves, bore, mouthpiece, maker records, and playing technique.

What the display cannot establish

A pictured trumpet does not reveal how one player sounded.

Look closer: What changes when a valve opens?

Further reading: The Met · Musical Instruments ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 005 / 018

Handwritten score

Notation carries instructions and leaves room for choice.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Music notation model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Music archive
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Pitch, rhythm, markings, and annotations record some musical intentions; players interpret them in time and place.

How to investigate it

Compare copies, revisions, editions, and recorded performances.

What the display cannot establish

A score cannot reproduce every nuance of a performance.

Look closer: Which mark asks for interpretation?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 006 / 018

Conductor’s marked part

A rehearsal leaves traces in ink.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Rehearsal document model
Period represented: Nineteenth century onward
Typical setting: Orchestra archive
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Cuts, cues, tempos, and corrections can reveal decisions made for one ensemble or production.

How to investigate it

Compare marked pages with programs, dates, musicians’ accounts, and recordings.

What the display cannot establish

A mark cannot prove that it was followed every night.

Look closer: Which cue was added later?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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GALLERY 02 · Design, movement & collaboration

On the Stage

Performances emerge from many people working in a shared space.

Choose an exhibit below to see its complete label.

MP · 007Stage set modelScenography model MP · 008Costume and patternPerformance clothing model MP · 009Dance notationChoreography record model MP · 010Opera rehearsalEnsemble rehearsal model MP · 011Puppet theaterObject performance model MP · 012Festival ensembleCommunity performance model

EXHIBIT MP · 007 / 018

Stage set model

A small model plans a large world.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Scenography model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Theater workshop
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Sets establish movement, perspective, light, and entrances. Practical revisions often follow rehearsal and budget.

How to investigate it

Compare maquette, ground plans, lighting notes, and production photographs.

What the display cannot establish

A model cannot fully represent audience sightlines or scale.

Look closer: Where might a performer enter?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 008 / 018

Costume and pattern

A costume must move as well as signify.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Performance clothing model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Costume studio
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Fabric, construction, fitting, wear, and quick changes support character and action. Designs evolve in rehearsal.

How to investigate it

Compare sketches, seams, cast notes, and performance images.

What the display cannot establish

A costume on a mannequin cannot show its motion onstage.

Look closer: Where was extra movement needed?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 009 / 018

Dance notation

Movement can be recorded in several ways.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Choreography record model
Period represented: Modern era
Typical setting: Dance archive
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Notes, diagrams, film, and dancers’ memories preserve different parts of a sequence. Transmission also occurs body to body.

How to investigate it

Compare rehearsal footage, notation, floor plans, and dancer testimony.

What the display cannot establish

A diagram cannot convey full weight, timing, or feeling.

Look closer: Where does the dancer turn?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 010 / 018

Opera rehearsal

An ensemble assembles a moment.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Ensemble rehearsal model
Period represented: Early modern onward
Typical setting: Rehearsal stage
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Singers, orchestra, conductor, designers, and crew coordinate timing and space. A production changes through rehearsal.

How to investigate it

Compare score, promptbook, rehearsal reports, and cast accounts.

What the display cannot establish

One rehearsal image is not a record of the final performance.

Look closer: Who sets the entrance cue?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 011 / 018

Puppet theater

An object becomes a character through action.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Object performance model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Small theater
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Puppetry joins design, manipulation, voice, and stage framing. Audiences see both material and imagined life.

How to investigate it

Inspect joints and controls; compare scripts and recorded performances.

What the display cannot establish

A still puppet cannot show the timing of its movement.

Look closer: Which motion suggests attention?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 012 / 018

Festival ensemble

A performance belongs to its community and occasion.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Community performance model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Public square
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Music, dance, clothing, route, and participation can carry local meaning that changes over time.

How to investigate it

Compare community accounts, dates, permissions, and recordings in context.

What the display cannot establish

A staged model cannot speak for every participant.

Look closer: Who joins rather than watches?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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GALLERY 03 · Recording, listening & preservation

Sounds Remembered

A recording holds an event imperfectly; its format and custody shape what can be heard.

Choose an exhibit below to see its complete label.

MP · 013Wax cylinderEarly sound recording model MP · 014Acoustic disc and hornDisc recording model MP · 015Reel-to-reel tapeMagnetic recording model MP · 016Field recorderLocation recording model MP · 017Digitization workstationAudio preservation model MP · 018Performance archive boxEphemera and testimony model

EXHIBIT MP · 013 / 018

Wax cylinder

A groove fixes a brief performance.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Early sound recording model
Period represented: Late nineteenth century onward
Typical setting: Recording studio
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Sound vibrates a diaphragm and stylus, cutting a groove. Early formats limit duration and frequency response.

How to investigate it

Check format, speed, label, provenance, and transfer notes.

What the display cannot establish

A noisy transfer cannot establish the exact sound in the room.

Look closer: What did the horn leave out?

Further reading: Library of Congress · National Jukebox ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 014 / 018

Acoustic disc and horn

A performer addresses a machine as well as an audience.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Disc recording model
Period represented: Early twentieth century
Typical setting: Recording room
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Recording horns focused sound before electrical microphones. Positioning and disc limits influenced arrangements.

How to investigate it

Compare takes, labels, session notes, and playback speed.

What the display cannot establish

A surviving disc does not capture the entire session.

Look closer: Who stood closest to the horn?

Further reading: Library of Congress · National Jukebox ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 015 / 018

Reel-to-reel tape

Tape made recording and editing flexible.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Magnetic recording model
Period represented: Twentieth century
Typical setting: Sound studio
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Magnetic tape can store longer sessions and be spliced or copied; generations, speed, and storage affect fidelity.

How to investigate it

Inspect leader, splices, box notes, format, and transfer chain.

What the display cannot establish

A copy may differ from the first recording.

Look closer: Where was a splice made?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Sound Preservation Resources ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 016 / 018

Field recorder

Place is part of what the microphone hears.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Location recording model
Period represented: Twentieth century onward
Typical setting: Performance site
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Distance, weather, crowd, consent, and operator choices shape a field recording. Notes supply context beyond sound.

How to investigate it

Compare audio with field log, permissions, and participant accounts.

What the display cannot establish

A microphone cannot capture every viewpoint at the event.

Look closer: Who was near the recorder?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 017 / 018

Digitization workstation

Access depends on careful transfer.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Audio preservation model
Period represented: Late twentieth century onward
Typical setting: Conservation lab
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Condition assessment, playback equipment, conversion settings, metadata, and backups preserve usable evidence.

How to investigate it

Document original carrier, settings, checks, and resulting file versions.

What the display cannot establish

A digital copy cannot recover missing sound from damaged media.

Look closer: Which playback speed was chosen?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Sound Preservation Resources ↗

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EXHIBIT MP · 018 / 018

Performance archive box

Programs and memories help rebuild an event.

Display type: Illustrated reconstruction · Ephemera and testimony model
Period represented: Historical to modern
Typical setting: Performing arts archive
Accession / origin: No physical Eftsona object; image is illustrative

What this represents

Tickets, programs, photographs, reviews, and oral testimony offer different perspectives on a performance.

How to investigate it

Cross-check date, cast, venue, provenance, and conflicting memories.

What the display cannot establish

No archive can recreate every audience experience.

Look closer: Whose account is absent?

Further reading: Library of Congress · Performing Arts Collections ↗

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