BREMF – Behind the Scenes with the Science of Instruments

Brighton Museum has custody of The Spencer Collection of Musical Instruments, an almost unbelievable hoard of antique treasures. Elegantly laid out before us, in what I remember as the Reference Library, was the tiniest selection but still we could appreciate the care, dedication and ultimate generosity of Albert Charles Spencer (1880–1969). Curator Rachel Heminway Hurst gave us a concise history of the collection by way of introduction to master-oboe maker and player Richard Earle. Unscripted, informal and fascinating, he made the esoteric world of conical box-wood bores and temperamental keys come alive, for the scholar or just the curious.

The Museum Lab, 1 October 2016

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