Musical gardens in Brasov will allow people to form improvised ensembles

City authorities say that the park would be complete by mid-December

Yesterday, authorities in Brasov, Romania, announced that the city’s new musical gardens should be complete by the end of the year. Back in February, the local government unveiled the projects that won the popular vote from the participatory budget. One of the winners was a project for creating public spaces that have open-air musical instruments.

The idea behind the proposal was to give residents of all ages, kids, teenagers and adults more variety in public spaces. Additionally, the musical instruments were supposed to be constructed from durable materials that can withstand the elements, while also being good enough to be used by professional musicians in public gatherings.

Putting ‘pen to paper’

According to an official statement by the city, the company that will win the public project will be announced in mid-September, and after that, the music gardens will be set up in around 90 days. The municipality has selected three parks for the initiative: Nicolae Titulescu, Aleea de Sub Tâmpa and Tractorul.

The project should cost around 50,000 euros and each musical zone in the parks will be around 36 square metres. They will be equipped with a concrete border and a rubber cushion surface, 30 millimetres thick.

The project calls for the musical instruments to be built from durable, easy-to-maintain materials, that are also resistant to external factors, designed for their use in the outdoor space. They will be resistant to corrosion, suitable for use in any season or weather conditions, location specific and geared for intensive use.

The instruments that the city will set up will include large and small Babel drums, Bell Lyres, Handpipe aerophones, horizontal harmony xylophone, Sansa-Rymba xylophone, Emperor Chimes, a Cajon type bench drum, coloured samba drums, Cherub Bell and a balaphone, also known as marimbas.

Furthermore, these instruments will be spread out among the three locations and each will be able to produce both rhythmic and melodic sounds, through the different types of bells, whistles and drums. This would allow whole park ensembles to form around the new urban installations.

Two girls playing Handpipe aerophones, Source: City of Brasov