Just in: Musical instruments museum destroyed by fire

Just in: Musical instruments museum destroyed by fire

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norman lebrecht

November 05, 2013

Italy’s Museum of Musical Instruments, in Reggio Calabria has been completely destroyed. It housed some 800 precious items. Arson is suspected. An empty jerry can was found near the scene.

museo

UPDATE: More pictures here.

Comments

  • This is an outrage along with La Fenice and the opera house in Bari. What a loss! Ann

  • cztph says:

    is there a catalogue of what was lost?

  • Oh, no, how awful. 🙁

  • Neil van der Linden says:

    Horrible!

  • David Boxwell says:

    Putting this cultural treasure in a city riddled with organized crime syndicates and prone to earthquakes: what could possibly go wrong?

  • Jim Mendenhall says:

    I hope there will be a list published of some of the treasures lost.

  • Michael Schaffer says:

    I didn’t know that type of canister is called a “jerry can” in English. That is so funny! The jerry can thing, I mean, not the fire.

    The article says the fire also destroyed a library with old books and sheet music, and that the arson may be connected to local organized crime, but it doesn’t say how.

  • Peter Allen says:

    Hey Jim Mendenhall! Greetings from Peter and Ann Allen!

  • Donald Wright says:

    Southern Italy has a rich tradition of destroying cultural heritages and businesses when the requisite amount of “protection” money isn’t paid. Mafia Barbarians.

  • Lauren says:

    Tragic. All of our so-called progress hasn’t done much to enlighten the human spirit as a whole. I am also sad for the general situation in Italy with the Mafia and the Vatican running the country like their personal fiefdom.

  • Mike Earles says:

    All so very sad as many consider Italy as the cradle of Western Classical music [and other arts too].

  • robcat2075 says:

    I think this is the museum’s website

    http://www.mustrumu.it/

    You can put it through Google Translate to get a sense of what they report about the fire.

  • Ailbhe Cunningham says:

    The Jerry can was a German design , which could not be improved on .

  • Garrison says:

    Really sad man! It was totally devastating to me because there are lots of precious instruments were there but now I think none of them existent there. So it’s really big damage and hope that everybody will come out to recover this musical instruments museum.

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