The expansionist conquests of Ottoman power in sixteenth-century Europe caused a profound disarray that changed Western representations of the world order on a long-term basis. The imposing military orchestras which preceded Turkish troops on the battlefield or accompanied official delegations made a great impression and went on to exert two centuries of influence on artistic creation. The recent study of one of these orchestras.

Brought back to Venice by the admiral Francesco Morosini  around 1690 after a victorious military campaign in the Peloponnese, offers an unprecedented field of scientific investigation both in terms of organology and of the science and technology of materials. The multidisciplinary approach of the conference held at the Musée de la musique – Cité de la musique in Paris brought together historians, curators and scientists around this exceptional Ottoman military band.