Save $10 off the regular adult admission to the special exhibit about Venice at the Portland Art Museum by attending on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Price of a ticket to “Venice: The Golden Age of Art and Music” is only $5.
I got a $5 ticket to the exhibit last Friday and spent two blissful hours wandering through this fascinating exhibit. It tells how a culture of music was created in Venice from the 16th century through the 18th century, where the creative environment inspired people to invent new musical instruments, to create new musical forms and to contribute to a society that was just mad about music. Contemporary travelers’ accounts tell of hearing a veritable symphony of instruments and voices from passing gondolas. Even orphanages became an important part of the musical life, since the orphans formed choirs whose recitals became popular attractions.
The exhibit includes a number of instruments that were built during the era, including an early cello, a sackbut (early trombone) and a curlicue horn that looks like it would be good for snake charming. As museum visitors wander from exhibit case to exhibit case, recordings of Venetian music from the era can be heard softly playing.
Other artifacts on display include costumes, paintings and musical compositions.
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