The concept of multiphonon excitation is introduced and the various me
thods to excite these states in nuclei are presented and discussed. Th
e present status of the field of multiphonon excitations is reviewed w
ith emphasis on the most recent and exciting developments obtained wit
h inelastic scattering of heavy ions at intermediate and relativistic
energy and with the double charge exchange reactions. The perspectives
of the field are then summarized.