Musée de la musique, Musical instrument museum in Pont-de-Flandre, France

The Musée de la Musique occupies the garden wing of Philharmonie 2, the building Christian de Portzamparc designed for the Cité de la musique, in the 19th arrondissement. Its permanent display presents about 1,000 of the 8,419 pieces held, including 5,555 instruments, from the 16th century to today. Inside, glass-fronted cases with dark metal frames hold stringed instruments at eye level, among them light-wood guitars and a smaller rounded instrument.

The museum descends from 316 instruments inventoried in 1793 by Bernard Sarrette and Antonio Bruni in the cabinet d'instruments of the Institut national de musique, of which only twelve survive. In 1861 the state bought Louis Clapisson's collection, and on 17 November 1864 a public instrument museum opened in Paris. Geneviève de Chambure was curator from 1961 to 1973; the 1978 Cité de la musique project transferred the Conservatoire collections to the state, and the museum opened in 1997.

The museum's name comes from the Cité de la musique, the complex designed by Christian de Portzamparc that opened in 1995; the museum itself was inaugurated in 1997. Since May 2025 the permanent route has integrated the Musique du Monde instruments, with new display cases on ivory and slavery and "Objet-monde" labels giving the provenance of 400 works. Free concerts, guided tours, musical-awakening workshops and musical tales accompany the visit.

The museum provides audio guides in many languages to help you understand what you see, and the entire building is accessible for people using wheelchairs. Visitors under 26 years old benefit from reduced admission prices, making it easier for younger people to visit.

The museum's first audioguide let visitors hear the instruments on display, a novelty when it opened in 1997. Since May 2025 the permanent route has integrated the Musique du Monde instruments, with new display cases on ivory and slavery and "Objet-monde" labels giving the provenance of 400 works.