I spent only two days in Barcelona on Sunday and Monday of this week just gone.  It wasn’t enough time.  Other than seeing the inspiring architecture of Gaudi, my wife and I visited the Museu de la Música with its permananent collection of musical instruments from antiquity to the present day – although I must say that I don’t think that an mp3 player should count!

The collection of instruments from The Americas was most informative especially for the guitar and wooden flute collection.  So how many of these instruments can you picture:  Charango, Requinto, Chillador, Poro, Antara, Kamhu purru, Flauta de bec doble, Pinquillo, Chirimia and Tarque?  Well, I knew two (the first two) but the rest remain a mystery to me as to when they are used, by whom and for what musics?  Oh well, this is the front-end of research when trying to absorb new knowledge about music from different cultures.

The other place that we visited in Barcelona – purely for enjoyment – was the Palau de la Música Catalana. Continue Reading →