Musicanimale
is a completely original exhibition which shows how, since the dawn of time, the sounds of life have fueled the imagination of men.
A formidable collection of sound documents constitutes the essential part of this journey, which visitors discover equipped with individual audio headsets.
There are various musical transpositions of birdsong and insects, with the much-quoted
Flight of the Bumblebee
by Rimsky-Korsakov, or the air of
Papageno
by Mozart.
As well as the inclusion of whale song in a score by John Cage or in music by the metal bands Gojira and Alice in Chains.
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Childish fun
But rather than being limited to music alone, the exhibition broadens our field of interest to all that animal sound has spawned artistically, such as these incredible paintings by the Dutch masters.
Everything is intelligently organized like an alphabet book with sometimes surprising entries: rooster, gurgling, wolf, sexual parades, nightingale, ultrasound...
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The visitor can measure the influence of this sound universe on our culture thanks to pastoral objects such as these calls - which we have a childish pleasure to use ourselves -, these cuckoo clocks or these Swiss cowbells.
Some sections of the exhibition take place in the dark to better hear the soundscape of the Vercors forests at night.
“The less you see, the more you hear
,” explains Marie-Pauline Martin, the director of the museum.
Guaranteed effect!
The exhibition is punctuated by a touch of humour, with a map illustrating how each language transcribes the famous "cocorico" of the rooster.
Musicanimale - The great sound bestiary, Music Museum, Philharmonie de Paris (19th). Until January 29, 2023.
