FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 10, 2004 Morris Museum Announces Gift of Renowned Murtogh D. Guinness Collection Museum to Create the Western Hemisphere's First Major Public Exhibition Devoted to a Milestone in the History of Music and Entertainment Technology MORRISTOWN, N.J. -- The Morris Museum today announced it was awarded The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of historic mechanical musical instruments and automata. The Collection represents one of the most significant of its kind in the world.
The prestigious collection from Murtogh D. Guinness, a descendant
of the Guinness Brewing Company, is an extraordinary and diverse
collection assembled over 50 years. It features nearly 700 rare
mechanical musical instruments and automata dating from the late
16th to the
early 20th century. The musical boxes, multi-instrument devices,
street organs, orchestrions and mechanically activated life-like
figures reflect exquisite craftsmanship, innovative technology
and dynamic sound. A major milestone in the history of music and technology, the mechanical musical devices encompass the first form of music on-demand, serving as a precursor to today’s recording industry. The collection includes machines playing a wide variety of musical genres covering classical, opera, folk, ragtime, polka and popular music of past eras. Every category of musical machine is represented in the collection, which features cylinder and disc musical boxes.
The automata are mechanical figures designed to mimic human and
animal movements and many have musical components. Magicians,
acrobats,
singing birds, and others showcase the talents of their makers
and constitute one of the largest and finest collections of its
kind
in the world. Mechanical musical instruments effectively paved the way for today’s sound entertainment industry with its records, audiotapes and compact discs. First made in Switzerland and France during the late 18th century as an expensive luxury item, cylinder musical boxes survive to provide a living link to the arias, overtures and waltzes of the time. The production of disc musical boxes in the 19th century was expanded to Switzerland and Germany as well as the United States, where New Jersey cities such as Rahway and Jersey City became the home of some of America’s most important musical box productions. Machines made in New Jersey were relatively affordable and played popular music making them more appealing and accessible to the masses. These mechanical musical instruments allowed people to have music on-demand for the first time, profoundly changing leisure habits and giving way to the new phonograph, which permanently transformed the way people enjoyed music. “ The Morris Museum is fortunate to be the recipient of this historic collection that represents a pivotal chapter in the evolution of music, art, entertainment, and much more,” said Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier, curator of the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection. “The exhibition will provide yet another fun, family-friendly experience for visitors, as it touches on everything from science and technology to magic, illusion, history and art." To house this world-class collection, the Morris Museum plans to build a new wing with a suite of galleries that will be interactive, engaging and will include educational adventures in sight and sound for the whole family. A temporary, initial exhibition is scheduled to open to the public on November 11, 2004, and the permanent exhibition is scheduled to be unveiled in the new wing in 2006. Ultimately, the museum envisions permanent, changing and traveling exhibitions of the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection. “ Not only does this acquisition reinforce the Morris Museum’s role as an important cultural center, it further strengthens the position of Morristown, Morris County and the state of New Jersey as important travel destinations,” said Peter Mancuso, chairman of the museum’s Board of Trustees. Morris Museum |