Murcia museum makes music

Written by Sharon Bruce

Friday, 07 March 2008

The province of Murcia is always coming up with surprises. One is the fantastic museum of ethnic music which can be found at the little village of Barranda, near Caravaca de La Cruz. The museum is not a dry as dust place but a living experience of the wonderful world of music that spans all continents and cultures. The exhibits change all the time and they are chosen from the huge collection of more than 2,500 instruments collected by a local man and scholar Carlos Blanco Fadol. The facility is housed in a beautiful modern building built around an old wind mill. The first thing the visitor sees in the entrance hall is a rusty old chain suspended from the ceiling. But this, in itself, is a musical instrument. Guide Maria José explained that the roof funnels water down the chain when it rains, creating natural music. Moving on into the display rooms the visitor finds all sorts of musical instruments that are or were used by ordinary people. There aren't any Stradivarius violins or fancy grand pianos. These are the instruments that ordinary people use in more than 145 countries around the world. Some are very simple, such as drums or whistles, and others are complicated, such as the huge set of brass bells that make up the Indonesian gamelan orchestra. Maria José and her pals can even play it, though normally she plays the lute. When I visited, there were groups of children playing tunes on traditional Asian instruments and having a great time while doing it. They were all shaking their bamboo tubes in time with the notes being pointed out on a screen in front of them. I would have loved to have had a go. In the display cases, were instruments from all over the world and I spotted a didgeridoo that is made from a branch of an eucalyptus tree hollowed out by termites. I also enjoyed seeing the African drums and instruments that I remember from my time in Kenya and Nigeria. How some of the things are played, I have no idea. There are no captions in English, but Maria José speaks the language and is a font of knowledge. This is a great place for groups, in particular, to visit, although it would be a good idea to give plenty of advance notice. The full name of the museum is: Museo Etnica at Barranda. Opening hours, 10am to 2pm, and 4pm to 6pm, Tuesdays to Sundays. Telephone 968 738 491; wwww.museomusicabarranda.com Go along and hear the sounds of the world. Read +: http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14142&Itemid=34