House of Music Hungary
Welcome to the House of Music Hungary where music really belongs to all. We welcome visitors of all ages, with a preference for any genre of music and with every level of musical skill, as well as everybody with an openness to all forms of musical interaction. Our diverse range of events provides a plethora of musical experiences, including exhibitions, concerts, playing music together, singing, dance, exciting music education workshops and lecture courses.
The House of Music Hungary has a tripartite structure in regard to both its architectural and institutional organisation. On the underground level places have been allocated to permanent and temporary exhibitions on an area of more than 2,000 square metres. The two interior spaces on the level of the park are suitable for hosting live music events, concerts and workshops. In the open-air garden area people can have a pleasant conversation while enjoying concerts and performances on an open-air stage. The upstairs level houses the library providing a venue for quiet study, learning and education with works primarily on popular music, as well as music education rooms with workshops bringing young people closer to music.
Concert hall
Two performance halls can be found on the ground floor: the concert hall, which is also suitable for musical experimentation, can seat 320 and accommodate 500 people standing.
Lecture hall
On the level of the institution’s entrance, next to the Concert hall, a smaller hall can be found. The Lecture hall for 120 people is designed to host presentations, lectures, workshops, small concerts and folk dance evenings and can also function as a conference auditorium.
Open-air stage
The open-air stage on the level of the institution’s entrance provides a venue for concerts held during the day or early evening and for small musical events, including those for budding orchestras and bands. Visitors can also listen to concerts while sitting on the slope opposite the stage or in the garden area next to it.
Sound dome
What is a sound dome? This question can be answered quite literally: a dome-cupola, which emits sounds. But it is more than just that. Our sound dome is also a projection screen with a sound system behind it. Anyone sitting in the middle will hear sounds coming from all directions. The world of sounds is evoked here starting with those of nature to composed music but the experience visitors have here expands beyond this dimension. This dome is also a laboratory producing new sounds: alchemy at the highest level. It is a unique creation with unforeseeable potential. It is worth returning here from time to time and making new discoveries. The first show conveys the sounds and images of the Carpathian Basin from unique audio and visual perspectives.
Temporary Exhibition
Hungarian pop music has a presence in the lives of every generation. The temporary exhibition opening at the House of Music on 22 January 2023 promises a trip through time to an era that is certainly familiar to many, perhaps nostalgic, but definitely unmissable.
"They wrote the song for us! - The heroic age of Hungarian popular music and its social effects, from 1957 to the regime change" is an exhibition that fits the House of Music perfectly and uses exciting technical solutions to guide its audience through the first three decades of Hungarian pop music from social, political and sociological perspectives. In addition to the traditional exhibition tools, the temporary exhibition space features creative, interactive solutions that playfully encourage visitors to explore.
Permanent Exhibition
DIMENSIONS OF SOUND - MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH SPACE AND TIME
“The ear lies nearest to the human soul.”
(Johann Gottfried Herder, „Kritische Wälder”, 1769 )
The House of Music Hungary is a tree of life in the heart of Városliget, with a trunk, and a crown of golden leaves on slender branches. We are standing here by its roots, which provide the institution with its spiritual sustenance. The roots are entwined, like a labyrinth, and we walk among them. Our journey begins far back in time and space, back at the birth of music itself where we can grasp the roots of Hungarian folk music and European music. Progressing through the centuries, we will follow the development of music, discovering what a series of organised tones has meant to mankind, with the emphasis on Hungarians in the light—or sometimes the shadow—of Europe. Through the language of music, the exhibition speaks for itself: Everywhere we go, we hear music playing; the subject of the exhibition is music itself. Quoting Shakespeare, we might say, “Mark the music!” Mark not only the music coming from the headphones, but also the music around and within you. When you reach the end of the path, the modern day, many sounds will have been etched into your heart and mind: music to take home with you, the music of ancient times.
