On December 17, the New Year exhibition “Musical magic. Mechanical dolls and antique rarities of the 18^th – 20^th centuries" will be opened in Kazan Kremlin Center "The Hermitage-Kazan".

Museum Collection and "Hermitage Kazan Center" are presenting the exhibition dedicated to miraculous and sought-after items. Despite the differences in design, form, decor and functionality, a single feature - the ingenious musical mechanism, unites them all.

The exhibition “Musical Magic” will acquaint a visitor with a very special sphere - the world of various self-playing musical objects and automata. The history of mechanical music goes back to antiquity. Having originated in ancient times, this peculiar area of technical progress has been developing for more than two millennia and has combined the advanced achievements of mechanics and natural sciences. Over the centuries, this area has attracted the attention of talented and skillful scientists, engineers, precision mechanics masters and watchmakers. Multifarious household and interior items have been equipped with musical mechanisms.

Today we are familiar with a huge variety of self-playing musical instruments - from simple organs and barrel organs to perfect player pianos, pianolas, harmoniums, most complex orchestrions, organs and unique amusing automata. The exhibits presented at the exhibition clearly demonstrate key inventions in the history of mechanical music and provide an insight into the evolution of various sound media and the development of sound recording. The exhibition multimedia support gives visitors the opportunity to be acquainted with unique recordings digitized from musical media stored in the Sound Library of the museum Collection.

The breathtaking and enigmatic properties of these exhibits - the perfection of mechanisms, the ability to function without human participation, the refinement of decoration and authentic sound - will be of interest to both an audience of professional experts and a wide range of visitors of all ages.