Folia archeologica 22.
Gábry György: A Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum zenei gyűjteményének kialakulása
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSICAL COLLECTION IN THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM At the time when the Library was separated from the National Museum, the interest of the spacialists was concentrated almost exclusively on the written relics of music. Material remains from the field of music, collected by the Museum earlv in the nineteenth century, were for a long time rather neglected. These early pieces were few in number; a common feature was their having been in possession of important personages both from the Hungarian and international history. Outstanding pieces from this early time of the collection are a cembalo of the family Thököly, another of the Emperor Joseph II, a small virginal of Princess Catherine of Brandenburg and a harp from the possession of Marie Antoinette. As for Hungarian instruments, the so-called Turkish flutes or "tárogató" are of a special interest. All these instruments were collected during the last century. We cannot speak, however, of a musical collection in the strict sense of the word before the end of the last century, when the musical instruments of the Delhaes collection, about 50 in number, were acquired. The collection of musical relics, to become so rich, was founded previously, in 1887, when the Museum came into the possession of the Liszt bequest. After World War I, in 1927, instruments of outstanding value from the possession of the musical instrument maker W. J . Schunda, made an important addition to the Museum collection. Now the idea of a musical museum emerged in various forms, of which, however, only the separate collection of written relics was realized within the bounds of the National Széchényi Library. The musical antiquities of the Museum were generally preserved for decades as "dead material" and it was first in 1957 when it got an expert for keeper in the person of the present author. Now restoration works and intensive study have started that are proved by several successful exhibitions and publications (v. "Old Musical Instruments" Budapest, Corvina 1969).
