Music is the greatest invention of mankind, which has existed on earth for many thousands of years. It is an integral part of people's everyday life and self-expression; it reflects cultural traditions and customs of different nations. The language of music is simple and understandable to everyone, regardless of nationality and linguistic affiliation. Like no other art, music is able to penetrate into the soul, heart and mind of a person, filling them with sensations and emotions. It is not surprising that this truly unique cultural language has its own holiday -- International Music Day.

International Music Day is celebrated annually on the 1^st of October all over the world, including Russia. The holiday was established in 1973 at the 15th General Assembly in Lausanne on the initiative of the International Music Council at UNESCO. Russia began celebrating International Music Day in 1996, in the year of thee 90^th birth jubilee of the prominent Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich. In 1973, he addressed the UN with the letter in which he proposed to establish a music holiday. The composer believed that this form of art would help different nations find mutual understanding and unite them. On the first of October, concerts and music festivals, evenings of famous performers and composers, competitions of young talents and experienced musicians are held all over the world. Thematic lectures, roundtable discussion, exhibitions of musical instruments and music-related works of art are organised.

The museum comprehensive collection of mechanical musical instruments and objects, including organs and barrel organs, harmoniums and roller organs, amusing automata and player pianos, recording and playback devices, musical boxes and musical houseware invites you to immerse yourself in a world of music and rare sound. The museum website features virtually every type of music records. Among them are paper music rolls and folded cardboard book-music, pinned wooden barrels and pinned metal cylinders, cardboard discs,  early 20^th century shellac gramophone records and vinyl records. All the diversity of the musical palette can be listened to in the museum Sound Library.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we rarely think about common things. Music Day on the 1^st of October is a wonderful occasion to make a holiday and immerse in the wonderful world of music -- beautiful, deep and exciting!

On the cover: Reproducing grand piano “Steinway Welte-Mignon”. Steinway & Sons, M. Welte & Söhne G.m.b.H. Germany, Freiburg. 1922

https://www.kp.ru/family/prazdniki/mezhdunarodnyj-den-muzyki/