Department of Music
The Duke University Musical Instrument Collections (DUMIC) are founded on the flagship collection, the G. Norman and Ruth G. Eddy Collection of Musical Instruments, which arrived here in Durham in 2000. The Eddy Collection has inspired further generous gifts and the acquisition of the Frans and Willemina de Hen-Bijl Collection of Musical Instruments, which arrived at Duke in 2003. The Robert D. Miller Collection of replicas of early instruments and related materials, including a small library of printed music, was bequeathed to DUMIC in 2006. The other instruments in the collection were given as individual gifts, and are classified as part of the overall DUMIC collections. While the Eddy Collection consists primarily of instruments and paintings of instruments from America and Europe, Duke’s de Hen Collection includes over 200 musical instruments, 100 reel-to-reel field recordings, and 1000 slides of instruments from all over the world. The de Hen Collection together with the Eddy Collection, the Miller Collection, and other individual gifts make up DUMIC.
Current Exhibit on Display
Boehm’s Ghost: A Vicarious Portrait of a Flute Maker in London
Biddle Music Building, Upper Level; This exhibit opened in March 2019
Introducing the DUMIC blog:When Jubal Struck the Corded ShellThe Duke University Musical Instrument Collections blog was created in direct response to the ongoing pandemic. Its purpose is to showcase choice instruments, oddities, art, and media within the collections housed on campus, fostering camaraderie and community through musical exploration on a digital stage. New May 2021: Lizards, Serpents, and Sturgeons: The Instrument Paintings of G. Norman Eddy. |
