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Long Night of Museums
Event date: 08/24/2024
Location: Musikinstrumenten-Museum, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
"Berlin Secrets" is the motto of the Long Night 2024. We uncover the secrets of famous instruments and their makers and open the doors to hidden spaces.
Exhibitions
Low Brass. A Brief History of Low Brass Instruments
more
Instrument Making in Two German Republics. Spotlight Exhibition on the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the FRG and the GDR
more
Events
6 PM Express Tour
What Is Played Here?
Musical instruments have secrets. Where do they come from, who invented them, and how do you make them sound? Often, there are surprises for the ears and eyes. During the museum tour, many secrets of old and new instruments will be revealed, and the tour will culminate with a homage to the city of Berlin played on the largest instrument in the collection.
Meeting point at the barrel organ
7 PM Express Tour
How Does the Gum Get in the Harp?
Behind the enchanting sound of the harp lies intricate mechanics. Harps are often very valuable and artistically designed, frequently depicted being played by angels in paintings. Why this is, what the complex technology is for, and what it all has to do with the gum found in the museum's harp will be explained here.
Registration at the information desk in the museum entrance area
7:30 PM Talk
The Secrets of the Mighty Wurlitzer
The Mighty Wurlitzer, one of the largest theater organs in Europe, came to Berlin in 1929. It survived World War II unscathed but almost fell victim to flames shortly afterward. In 1984, it moved with the MIM's instrument collection to the building at the Kulturforum. This event will share its eventful history, not just through conversation.
8 PM Express Tour
How Does the Gum Get in the Harp?
Behind the enchanting sound of the harp lies intricate mechanics. Harps are often very valuable and artistically designed, frequently depicted being played by angels in paintings. Why this is, what the complex technology is for, and what it all has to do with the gum found in the museum's harp will be explained here.
Registration at the information desk in the museum entrance area
8:30 PM Express Tour
The Oldest Bass Tuba in the World
The bass tuba was developed in 1835 by Berlin instrument maker Johann Gottfried Moritz. The Musical Instrument Museum owns an example from his workshop, making it the oldest bass tuba in the world. The curator of the current special exhibition "Deep Brass" explains the peculiarities of its construction and guides through the exhibition.
Registration at the information desk in the museum entrance area
9 PM Concert
Tubamania
Large, deep, and loud: the tuba, with its distinctive sound, is the musical foundation of brass bands and symphony orchestras. In 2024, we celebrate it as the instrument of the year. Few instruments are as versatile: its repertoire ranges from baroque music to jazz. Donath Rehm and Philipp Uta demonstrate what the queen of the deep can do.
10:30 PM Express Tour
The Oldest Bass Tuba in the World
The bass tuba was developed in 1835 by Berlin instrument maker Johann Gottfried Moritz. The Musical Instrument Museum owns an example from his workshop, making it the oldest bass tuba in the world. The curator of the current special exhibition "Deep Brass" explains the peculiarities of its construction and guides through the exhibition.
Registration at the information desk in the museum entrance area
11 PM Concert
Tubamania
Large, deep, and loud: the tuba, with its distinctive sound, is the musical foundation of brass bands and symphony orchestras. In 2024, we celebrate it as the instrument of the year. Few instruments are as versatile: its repertoire ranges from baroque music to jazz. Donath Rehm and Philipp Uta demonstrate what the queen of the deep can do.
12 AM Silent Film with Live Accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer
People on Sunday
The silent film, shot in Berlin in the summer of 1929, observes young people swimming, lounging, flirting, and arguing. The screenplay was written by director Robert Siodmak together with the young Billy Wilder, and the cast was mainly amateur actors. Jörg Joachim Riehle provides live accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ.
... and also:
SIM inside: Express Tours through the Acoustic Rooms of the State Institute for Music Research
7 PM / 7:30 PM / 8 PM / 8:30 PM / 9 PM / 10 PM / 10:30 PM / 11 PM
Tour 1: Reverberation and Space
The perception of music is an important research topic at the State Institute for Music Research. Experiments on this take place in two rooms: the reverberation room and the anechoic chamber. What happens to sound in these rooms and how it affects us will be explained and demonstrated during the tour.
Tour 2: Recording Studio and Transfer Room
From the MIM, this tour goes into the rooms of the State Institute for Music Research (SIM). The recording studio, equipped with a state-of-the-art mixing console and real-time audio transmission, is used, among other things, for live concert recordings. Then the door to the transfer room for digitizing historical sound carriers, from shellac records to audio cassettes, opens.
Registration and meeting point at the information desk in the museum entrance area. The language of the tour will be determined based on need.
Tickets for the Long Night of Museums will be available from July 29, 2024, at lange-nacht-der-museen.
Shuttle bus (Shuttle West) to the Musical Instrument Museum
from 6 pm to 1 am every 15 minutes
