Museu da Música Portuguesa – Casa Verdades de Faria

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1981, when Cascais Town Council acquired the collections of Portuguese folk musical instruments and ethnographic objects assembled by the ethnomusicologist Michel Giacometti. A museum programme was then defined for the Casa Verdades de Faria, and the Museu da Música Regional Portuguesa (Museum of Portuguese Regional Music) was approved in 1987. Shortly afterwards, Giacometti's specialised library was also acquired, forming the basis of the documentation centre.

In 1994 the composer Fernando Lopes-Graça, a close collaborator of Giacometti, bequeathed his entire estate to Cascais Town Council, which was incorporated into the museum in 1995. The broader collection led to the current name, Museu da Música Portuguesa (Museum of Portuguese Music). In 2005 the building was restored and remodelled, and the museum reopened with a new museum programme.

The building was constructed in 1918 in Monte Estoril, on the initiative of Jorge O'Neill, to a design by Raul Lino, with interiors decorated with painted stucco, stained glass and eighteenth-century azulejos. It later belonged to Enrique Mantero Belard and to Gertrudes Verdades de Faria, who hosted cultural evenings there, and it was bequeathed to Cascais Town Council to become a house museum and public garden. Besides the permanent collection, the museum presents temporary exhibitions, concert cycles, lectures and educational activities, and each year it awards the Lopes-Graça Composition Prize.

Highlights

• Giacometti collection of Portuguese folk musical instruments
• Estate of the composer Fernando Lopes-Graça
• House from 1918 designed by Raul Lino, with stucco, stained glass and azulejos
• Concert cycles and recitals in the house
• Documentation centre with Giacometti's specialised library

Permanent exhibition

• Coleção permanente – Portuguese folk musical instruments and ethnographic objects assembled by Michel Giacometti, together with the estate of Fernando Lopes-Graça.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Câmara Municipal de Cascais

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The annual programme includes studio visits and family activities, such as “Familiofones”.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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