Have A Stimulating Time At The Interactive House of Music in Vienna

Take a step into an interactive world of music

Renowned composer Gustav Mahler once said, “A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything”. Music is a form of expression that can reflect the highs and lows that one faces in life and Mahler flooded his music with emotions.

The Haus der Musik allows guests to not only feel those emotions but to get in tune with their own emotions and start making music themselves too. This is why the grand staircase from the ground floor to the first floor in the Haus der Musik has 13 sensitive steps that are actually keys. Each step illuminates and activates notes on a wall panel.

As the ground floor only really consists of a ticket booth and café, the staircase to the first floor is your introduction to the museum and it will certainly activate your senses. I was immediately captivated and curious about how much more interactive this rather unusual museum could be and no doubt, you will feel the same during your visit too.

A photo posted by Haus der Musik (@hausdermusik_vienna) on Jan 14, 2016 at 2:49am PST

Play and dance with the Waltz Dice Game

World-famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once said, “You know that I immerse myself in music, so to speak — that I think about it all day long — that I like experimenting — studying — reflecting”. The Haus der Musik is a museum that will allow you to fully immerse yourself in a musical adventure that you will never forget.

The first floor of the Haus der Musik particularly includes a history of the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a mini cinema room that showcases concerts. This is because the building in which this unique museum is housed was formerly owned by Otto Nicolai who was a composer and conductor of this Orchestra.

In addition, to the history of the Orchestra, it also includes a fantastic Waltz Dice Game. This is an interactive game whereby visitors can throw a soft fuzzy dice and each time the dice lands on a certain number it would reflect a note in the Waltz. Visitors can roll the dice on a number of occasions and create their own Waltz melody for which the notes would be seen on a screen and the sound would come through speakers.

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Hear distinct elements of sound like never before

Internationally known composer Ludwig van Beethoven once said, “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life”. The second floor of the Haus der Musik focuses truly on sound and life. There is a sonosophere, which includes a prenatal listening room where you can hear the sound waves that a baby would hear when in the womb.

There is also a sea of voices system where you can see and hear the voice as an instrument itself. The sound gallery specifically stood out because it allows you to listen to sounds from the human body and the environment through rather striking and unusual shapes.

This floor represents how we hear sound and how sound can be broken down into distinct elements. Your eyes will read every note, which will tell you about sound, and your ears will take a stroll through so many sounds in a short period of time.

A photo posted by Haus der Musik (@hausdermusik_vienna) on Apr 29, 2016 at 10:49am PDT

Take the place of famous conductors with the Virtual Conductor Game

Celebrated composer Joseph Haydn once said, “I was never a quick writer, but composed with great care and efforts” and his dedication to his music has been noted in history. On the third floor of the Haus der Musik is a floor that is dedicated to the greatest of composers that were either born or became famous because of their work in Vienna. This includes Gustav Mahler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss and Joseph Haydn.

There are rooms with historical timelines, pictures and samples of the beautiful music created by these musical visionaries. This includes specific rooms that are dedicated to making remixes of contemporary versions of classical music of Mozart and Beethoven. These rooms are lit in blue and red with seating areas; the remixes are to such a level that the only thing that you can do in that room is to truly stop and listen. For a musical bee, this is the perfect place in which to sit in relax for a while.

This floor also included an interactive game called the Virtual Conductor. This allows visitors to have a go at conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra themselves by holding a baton and managing the overall performance of the entire Orchestra; this means keeping the musicians in tempo and helping them to stay in synch with each other. If the conduct of the baton is done poorly, the virtual Orchestra will express their views to the Virtual Conductor in the funniest of ways. I won’t tell you here as I think it’s best for you to experience this yourself.

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Make music and star in your own opera in Zeitperlen Game

The short lived but appreciated musical talent Franz Schubert once said, “I try to decorate my imagination as much a I can” and the fourth floor of the Haus der Musik definitely requires you to use your imagination when embracing the interactive games. On this floor, you have the opportunity to direct your very own music and opera experience in the Zeitperlen Game. You have an entire mini theatre in which you can sit, and design your stage (via an interactive screen), following which your movements and gestures bring about your own opera.

Visiting the Haus der Musik without any doubt was one of the best museums that I have ever visited in Europe. It was fun, playful and extremely exciting to go from one room to another and see what would be learnt and experienced. There is a real classical and modern twist to the entire place including the music being played, the remixes being made and importantly, the fact that every visitor has the opportunity to make music themselves. As music is a form of expression to everyone, having the opportunity create your own music is the best part of the museum.

On this floor there is also the Haus der Musik Shop, which offers musical souvenirs and interesting practical items. It also includes CDs of the classical remixes that are heard in the music rooms on the third floor so if you enjoyed the tunes, be ready to make a purchase before you leave the museum.

A photo posted by Haus der Musik (@hausdermusik_vienna) on Jan 28, 2015 at 10:07am PST

Central location in the Old Town

As the Haus der Musik is located in the Old Town in Vienna, it is very easy to access and is surrounded by some amazing historical sites, event venues and museums. Public transport that can bring you to the Haus der Musik include the underground stations of Karlsplatz (from which it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Haus der Musik) or Stephansplatz (from which it takes a fifteen minutes to walk to the Haus der Musik).

In the vicinity and on your way to the Haus der Musik, there are some incredible sites that you could see such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, State Opera House, Kursalon Concert Hall, Vienna Concert House, Albertina Museum and Hofburg Palace. History and music is in abundance in the spectacular city that is Vienna. Once you arrive to the Haus der Musik, you will be pleasantly surprised with the prices of the tickets, with a standard adult ticket costing only 13 EUR (15 USD). Purchase your ticket fast and get stepping on the interactive staircase that represents a piano.