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The "non-Western" Musical Instrument Collection at the Musikinstrumenten-Museum Markneukirchen (Saxony, Germany)

Since 2015 Rolf Killius has been the guest curator of the "non-European" musical instrument collection in the reputed musical instrument museum Musikinstrumenten-Museum Markneukirchen. The small town Markneukirchen in eastern Germany was until the beginning of the 20th Century the world leading production place for (mainly) western musical instruments.

In order to inform the local musical instrument makers about music and instruments the museum collected around 300 musical instruments from around the world. Today this 140-year old collection is in a good condition and for musicians, connoisseurs and musicologists a priceless collection. The collection is definitely one of the foremost collections of "non-Western" musical instruments in the world. The effect of this collection vastly expands the discipline of ethnomusicology, as these instruments were collected after the foundation of the German Reich (1871) and before the devastating wars and revolutions of the 20th Century. Prominent in this collection is the large number of East Asian musical instruments, especially from China.

 

Freiepresse Newspaper Article
 

Newspaper Article FreieStimme

Musical Instrument Making in Markneukirchen

Until today the small town of Markneukirchen hosts around 100 smaller and some larger companies, who nearly exclusively produce high-quality musical instruments to be sold around the world.

For the Musical Instrument Museum Rolf has made a number of short films, where local instrument makers and their craft is shown.

 

Guitar Making with Torsten Preuß

 

Wood for Guitars with Torsten Preuß

 

Concert, Jazz and Electro Guitars with Torsten Preuß

 

Museum Markneukirchen



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