Works of art are not silent. If you listen carefully, music and sound resonate throughout the painting, its figures, motifs and landscapes. It is this exploration that forms the basis of this teaching, which is a special feature of the Paris Conservatoire, which is convinced of the rich links between the eye and the ear. Like a red thread, the origins of the instruments are put into perspective by a journey through several thousand years of art history, encompassing sculptures, paintings and archaeology from prehistory to the twentieth century. An invitation to discover the history of art, this course aims to awaken instrumentalists as citizens of the world, aware of the profusion of languages and art forms across the centuries and civilisations.