It has a collection of several thousand instruments and objets d'art,[1] inherited from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, which traces the history of Western music, both learned and popular, from the 16th century onwards, and offers an overview of the world's principal musical styles.

[3] In addition to the thousand or so works in the permanent exhibition, presented in their geographical and historical context, the museum organizes temporary exhibitions, guided tours and free concerts,[2] as well as early-learning workshops, promenade concerts and musical storytelling.

[4] Finally, the Musée de la Musique, which has been awarded the "Musée de France" label,[5] carries out a mission of conservation and research, providing access to the most recent data on ancient and modern instruments in its documentation center, which is integrated into the media library, and giving free access to its digital content via a website.

[7] In 2015, the museum itinerary defined five chapters to illustrate the main moments in the history of music since the Baroque period.

Most of the composers' autograph manuscripts were entrusted to the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 1942, for reasons of rationalization and conservation.