Musée de la musique de Céret

About the museum

The museum is run by the Centre Internacional de Música Popular (CIMP), founded in Céret in June 1987 to make traditional Catalan music and dance better known and, more broadly, those of the Mediterranean basin. The CIMP carries out research, fieldwork collecting, publishing, training and dissemination, with support from the state and local authorities.

The museum occupies the former Saint-Pierre hospital, a building erected in 1649 and listed as a historic monument, in the historic centre of the town, less than 100 metres from the museum of modern art. Its façade is decorated with photographs from the Herzka Nil collection.

The collections include more than 3,000 instruments and objects, as well as thousands of documentary references and 15,000 scores. They come from the CIMP's original holdings, which include Catalan instruments, band and brass band instruments and historical pieces, and from the Herzka Nil collection, a gift to the town of Céret formalised in 2010. This couple gathered over more than forty years oboes and other instruments from many popular traditions in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The museum describes itself as holding the second-largest musical instrument collection in France.

Highlights

• More than 3,000 traditional and folk instruments from around the world
• Oboe collection of the Herzka Nil couple
• Historical instruments such as an 18th-century church serpent and a 19th-century ophicleide
• Holdings relating to the Manyach family, Catalan musicians
• Building from 1649, former Saint-Pierre hospital

Permanent exhibition

• Exposition permanente – Traditional and folk instruments from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas, with a focus on oboes and on the musicians and makers who keep them alive.

Founded

2013

Operated by

Centre Internacional de Música Popular (CIMP)

Admission & discounts

Free admission for residents of the Communauté de communes du Vallespir on presentation of proof of address and an identity card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The tourist office information sheets for the department indicate access for people with disabilities and a lift; the museum's website gives no further details.

Kids & families

Free admission for children under 7, youth rate of €3 for older children. A fenced and secure outdoor area is available for a picnic or a snack.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the historic heart of Céret, less than 100 metres from the museum of modern art. The education service is on the list of sites that school pupils can reach free of charge by bus, as provided by the Pyrénées-Orientales department.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop, open at the same times. A fenced and secure outdoor area offers a place for a picnic or a snack.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit