Bands: History of Music

From 11 March to 31 August 2023

Introduction

L’Iber, Museo de los soldaditos de plomo brings together the largest collection in the world of this type of figure, driven by its mission to spread the history of Valencia, of Spain and of the world through historical miniatures.

The idea of bringing this magnificent collection together in a space open to the public came from its owner, Don Álvaro Noguera Giménez, who began the preliminary work back in 1981. After his death in 2006, the project was taken up again by his family through Fundación Libertas 7; his son Alejandro Noguera Borel is the creator and current director of Museo L’Iber.

Opened on 15 May 2007, the museum first opened its doors with ten rooms and more than 60,000 figures on display across 1,000 square meters.
Today it has 18 rooms open, with their corresponding dioramas, 100,000 figures on display, and a temporary exhibitions room hosting shows on a wide range of subjects.

Music bands

The Museum of Lead Soldiers, L’Iber, holds among its collections a set of miniatures of musicians and music bands, from the earliest antiquity to the present day.

Lead soldiers do not only represent military and war figures; the term covers miniatures from every walk of life. One of Museo L’Iber’s mottos is:

“Not all of them are soldiers, and not all of them are made of lead!”

L’Iber, in its ongoing mission to spread knowledge — in this case the history of music — through miniatures, turns here to musicians and music bands. From the origin of music in prehistory, through antiquity and up to the present day, with special emphasis on Spain and our Valencian lands. From medieval street music and its minstrels to more recent artists such as the Rolling Stones, Elton John or the Beatles, by way of Opera and, of course, the Valencian bands, we tell the history of music from a variety of angles.

The new exhibition includes pieces from various Valencian, other Spanish and international brands, such as Sánquez, Capell, King & Country, Pérez Arias, CBG-Mignot, Alymer and Almirall, among others.

Through several display cases, we discover how music bands developed in every respect, in everyday and military life, right up to the present day, including the creation of the municipal and traditional bands typical of our region.

Exhibition details

The exhibition offers a view of music bands from their origins to the present day.

It includes pieces from Valencian, other Spanish and international brands, made from the 19th century to the present day.

This exhibition is a contribution from Museo L’Iber of Valencia, offering the history of music to the city. To that end, an elaborate plan of documentation, restoration and staging of the pieces as a whole has been carried out.

The exhibition draws on the collective effort of outside collectors, reflecting the work of Valencian and Spanish society as a whole. In particular, the prestigious group of collectors SoldAdictos has lent its support with pieces and documentation.

Some of the pieces were manufactured in the province of Valencia, showcasing the craftsmanship and industrial capacity of our region.

A display case has been set up at the headquarters of the Diputación de Valencia, showing “falleros” and a miniature Valencian band.

Sections

The origin of music
Street music
Valencian bands
Military bands
Pop rock music

Related activities

The programme of activities created for the Bandas de Música exhibition includes:

1. A lecture series
2. Concerts
3. Educational workshops and activities for children

Credits

Chair of Fundación Libertas 7
Agnès Borel Lemonnier

Curator
Alejandro Noguera Borel

Technicians
Beatriz Martínez Ruiz
Carmen Benito Olmedo

Researchers
Alejandro Noguera Borel
Grupo Soldadictos

Installation
Dibu S.A.

Graphic design
Goat Media

Printing
Estudio HyO

Catering
Gourmet Catering