Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Opera Museum Library (BMO) is a unique service combining library and museum, located in the Opera Garnier in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Although physically integrated into the Paris Opera, it is administratively dependent on the music department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). Its origins date back to 1669, with the creation of the Opera Academy, whose copy office preserved scores and archives, forming the first fruits of a musical library.

The official creation of the library took place in 1866 thanks to the librettist Charles Nuitter, named archivist of the Opera. He structured the collections, enriched them through the legal deposit, and obtained in 1882 the authorization to install the library and a museum in the pavilion of the emperor of the Garnier Palace. In 1932, the majority of archives (excluding registers) were transferred to the National Archives, marking a turning point in its organization. The BMO then became a key player in the preservation of the lyrical and choreographic heritage.

The BMO's collections, estimated at nearly 600,000 documents, include autograph scores (Rameau, Gluck, Wagner), 100,000 photographs, 30,000 prints, and stage objects such as 2,500 models of scenery. The museum, accessible via the visit of Opera Garnier, exhibits a selection of iconographic works, costumes and paintings in five enfilade rooms. Among his treasures are the International Dance Archives, given in 1952 by Rolf de Maré, which made the BMO a European reference on the history of dance.

A significant event was the discovery in 1988 of two ballot boxes sealed in 1907 in the basements of the Palais Garnier. They contained 24 discs 78 turns of famous lyrical singers (Caruso, Melba, Patti), intended to be opened a hundred years later. Exhumed in 2007, these "Voice ensevelies" were digitized and released on CD in 2008, offering a unique sound testimony of the early twentieth century.

Today, the BMO collaborates with institutions such as the Musée d'Orsay for temporary exhibitions and participates in the development of the French lyrical repertoire. Its funds, gradually integrated into BnF's computerized catalogues, remain an essential resource for researchers and enthusiasts of opera and dance.

Collection

Le musée est intégré dans la visite de l'opéra Garnier. Il se compose de cinq salles en enfilade présentant des tableaux, des maquettes et des costumes.

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