In 1882, the musicians in Basel started using historical instruments in concerts. They were inspired by similar circles in Brussels and Paris. This resulted in a renewed interest in historical instruments, which mainly belonged to museums.
These instruments were restored and then used in performances. It is hard to imagine that this would be accepted today.

Encouraged by the growing interest in early music, the required instruments were modeled on historical originals. Since the 1960s, instrument makers have increasingly made reproductions of the museum instruments.

The Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, founded by Paul Sacher (1906 - 1999) in 1933, and the concerts given by the Soc iety of Friends of Early Music, founded in 1942, bear witness to this renewed interest. Together these two groups have made Basel the center of early music, and they are still very much part of the music scene in Basel today.

As a result of this continued interest in early music, several 'old' instruments have been preserved; they were formerly used both in concerts by the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and for teaching purposes up until after 1960. These instruments include a viola da gamba-quartet of the 1930s, made by Hans Jordan, Markneukirchen, and a set of recorders of c. 1940 which was made by Peter Harlan, also from Markneukirchen.

In September 1946, the first Baroque opera using early instruments was performed in Basel: the Basel Puppet theater together with the Friends of Early Music performed II pastor fido by George Frideric Handel.

In reply to a request by the Basel Chamber Orchestra in 1930, the Paris-based Pleyel Company crafted a reproduction of the harpsichord used by the famous cembalist Wanda Landowska. She played it for the first time at a public performance in Basel on 12 March 1931.