“Brincar com a Música” ("Playing with Music") is the new exhibition to be held at Palmela’s Municipal Library Gallery, from May 18th to June 28th, which will enable visitors to get to know the musical toys collection belonging to Hélder Esdras Martins.
Musical toys are part of the child's early life and growth. The presence of music in a child's daily life and the child’s listening to the different sounds produced by these toys are part of the process of musicalization, which happens in an intuitive way. This exhibition crosses cultures and generations and allows us to listen to a wide panoply of sounds.
The toys, that will be displayed, are part of the vast collection of Hélder Esdras Martins, a native of Pinhal Novo, who has been a collector for 16 years. While visiting an exhibition on a trip to France, he fell in love with the theme of toys. Currently, his collection includes ten thousand items, and is made up of varied types of toys with different origins, some of them dating back to the 19th century. He has participated in congresses, conferences and exhibitions and has represented Portugal in several countries.
The exhibition, organized by Palmela’s Town Hall, has free admission and will be open during the library's opening hours, from Tuesday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (it will be closed on public holidays).
The exhibition is part of "Palmela é Música", Palmela's application to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of music.