The very instruments chosen by composers themselves form the heart of The Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands.
The instruments owned or played by Purcell, Johann Christian Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Mahler and Elgar, to name a few, are the largest group assembled anywhere of these tangible and audible relics connecting with the musical minds of the past.
The collection otherwise comprises a further twenty or so instruments that were chosen to represent instrument-makers who were highly regarded or patronised by composers.
What is especially magical is that the collection is maintained in playing order to allow artists and audiences to experience the sounds that inspired composers.