Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/436

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
424
MUSICAL LIBRARIES.

presented the greater part of it to the Paris Conservatoire. Mr. Schœlcher has, however, still several very rare works by Charpentier, Destouche, Campra, Lully, Rameau, Sacchini, Colasse, Zingarelli, Clari, Martini, and Pleyel; as well as valuable French treatises and works on music.

h. Mr. John Ella, the Director of the Musical Union, has a considerable collection of music and musical literature, chiefly of the present century.

i. Mr. J. W. Taphouse, of Oxford, has a good collection of miscellaneous theoretical and biographical works on music; a collection of MS. songs by Barrett, Hall, Leveridge, Purcell, Croft, Hayden, etc.; rare editions of psalters and of works by Mersenne, Morley, Playford, and Withers; a copy of the rare 'Agenda Ecclesie Moguntinensis' (1490); 'A Philosophick Essay on Musick,' attributed by Hawkins to Sir Francis North; Lowe's 'Directions for Performing Cathedral Service' (1664); many autograph letters of Dr. Burney and Dr. Crotch; and a few autographs of Mozart, Jomelli, and other musicians. Mr. Taphouse has also a fine harpsichord, made by Shudi and Broadwood in 1781; one of the earliest known pianofortes, made by Zumpe in 1767; and a spinet by Baudin (1723).

Mr. A. G. W. Kurtz, of Wavertree, Liverpool, has a fine collection of autograph music and letters of musicians, engraved portraits, and caricatures. The autographs embrace a Motet by Bach; the Strinasacchi Sonata and seven other large works by Mozart; a Quartet by Haydn; the B♭ Concerto and Songs by Beethoven; Meyerbeer's 'Emma di Resburgo,' and Auber's 'Chaperons blancs'; and compositions by Weber, Mendelssohn, Spohr, Rossini, Schubert, Chopin, etc. Among the letters are specimens by Orlando Gibbons (1) Haydn (1), Beethoven (7), Spohr (10), Weber (10), Schumann (5), Mendelssohn, Spontini (8), Hummel (6), etc., representing in all nearly seventy composers.

[ W. B. S. ]

[App. p.724 "k. Mr. J. E. Matthew has a very fine and extensive collection of early treatises and other music, including a copy of Virdung's rare 'Musica getutscht.'"]


Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

[App. p.724 "Arnstadt. The Church library possesses six folio volumes of vocal music of the 16th century.

Augsburg. The Stadtbibliothek, the Archives, and the Historical Society possess valuable collections of early printed and MS. music, chiefly collected from the suppressed monasteries of the city. An excellent catalogue of these collections was published in 1878 by Herr Schletterer."]

Berlin. a. The library of the Joachimsthal Gymnasium received in 1787 the music collected by the Princess Amalia of Prussia, and in 1858 190 vols. of musical works from the library of Dr. Spiker. (See Meierotti's Nachricht, etc. Berlin, 1788). Amongst the music are autographs and many ancient copies of the works of J. S. Bach. [App. p.724 "The catalogue of the Joachimsthal collections was published by Herr Eitner in 1884. Less important collections are in the Kgl. Kirchenmusik-Institut, the Nikolaikirche, and the Berliner Tonkünstler-Verein."]

b. The library of the Grey Friars, zum Grauen Kloster, contains an important collection of works of the 16th and 17th centuries, in parts, carefully arranged so as to present a view of ancient vocal music, by the director Bellermann, and his son, Prof. Heinrich Bellermann. (See catalogue in the prospectus of the institution, 1856).

c. The Royal library (founded in 1650; the musical division, of which Queen Charlotte's collection formed the nucleus, added in 1705) acquired in 1841 its most important addition, the Poelchau collection (autographs and copies of J. S. Bach, and the most important Italian writers on theory of the 17th and 18th centuries): in 1855 the Bach collection and autographs of the Singakademie; 2779 Nos. from the Fulda library of hymnology; and 103 MS. vols. from Winterfelds collection: in 1859, 3978 nos. from the collection of Fischhof, of Vienna (Beethoveniana, copies revised by Beethoven): in 1860, 216 printed and 8112 MS. sheets, and 142 autographs from the Landsberg collection (Beethoven's sketch- and conversation-books, first examined by Thayer). The complete catalogue of the Landsberg collection is in the Royal library of Brussels (acquired after the death of Fétis, from his collection). All these works have been completed and admirably arranged by Dehn and his successor Franz Espagne, lately deceased. Dehn negotiated the purchase of the Poelchau and Landsberg collection; Espagne, that of Otto Jahn's Mozart collection, bought in 1869. Here may be seen the precious autographs of nearly all Mozart's great operas (with the exception of Don Juan, which is in the possession of Mme. Viardot, in Paris), and of several of Beethoven's symphonies and most important works; also a very large collection of autographs of J. S. Bach, and 42 vols. of autographs by Mendelssohn. In the Landsberg collection are scarce theoretical works by Italian and Spanish masters such as 'El Melopeo' by Cerone. Dr. Kopfermann is now (1880) provisional custos.

[App. p.724 "Bonn. The University library contains about 600 vols. of music, chiefly of the present century. Amongst the few early works is a copy of the 1517 edition of the 'Micrologus' of Ornithoparcus."]

Brandenburg. The church of St. Katharina contains an important collection of parts, and of vocal music of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, described by Täglichsbeck in the prospectus of the Gymnasium for 1857.

[App. p.724 "Bremen. About 74 musical works belonging to the Stadtbibliothek are in the care of the Bremen Tonskünstler-Verein.

Breslau. The musical works (printed before 1700) in a. the Royal Academic Institute, b. the Town library, and c. the University library have been admirably catalogued by Herr Emil Bohn (Berlin, Colne, 1883.) These three collections are some of the richest in Germany in early printed music.

d. The Cathedral library contains about 1000 musical works, of which 60 are in manuscript. The collection chiefly consists of church music of the past and present century.

e. The Domstifts-Bibliothek contains a small collection of MSS.

f. The church of St. Elisabeth contains about 4200 musical works, chiefly church music of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Brieg. The Gymnasium contains a small but valuable collection, chiefly of printed works of the 16th century.

Cassel. The Landesbibliothek contains about 340 musical works, printed and MS. Amongst the former are copies of Morley and Weelkes' madrigals. Most of the works date between 1560 and 1620. The catalogue was published by Carl Israel in 1881.

Cologne. The Jesuitenbibliothek has a small collection of printed 16th century music, including copies of the 'Silium Musice Plane' of 1506, and Wollick's 'Enchiridion' (Paris, 1512).

Danzig. a. The Town library contains a valuable collection, principally of works of the second half of the 16th century.

b. The Allerheiligen-Bibliothek possesses a small collection of the same period.

c. The Town Archives contain six MS. volumes of music, dating from 1611 to 1692."]

Darmstadt. a. The Grand Duke's library, lately enriched by the purchase of the scores of many French operas of the 18th century. (See Accessions-catalog, printed 1873.)

b. The Grand Duke's library, founded by Ludwig I., formerly administered by the director of the Court theatre, but incorporated with the above in 1873. It is rich in modern operatic literature.

[App. p.724 "Donaueschingen. The library of Prince Fürstenberg contains 13 MS. antiphoners (14th–18th century) and a fragment of a MS. treatise on music of the 15th cent."]

Dresden. a. The Catholic Hofkirche contains 1500 nos. of Catholic church-music. Custos, C. Risse.

b. The King of Saxony's collection (Custos, Moritz Fürstenau) contains 400 [App. p.724 "4000"] vols. and 300 cases of operas and instrumental music of the 17th and 18th centuries, including operas by Lotti and Marcello, and Gluck's 'Feste d'Apollo' and other early works. [App. p.724 "The same collection contains a clavichord of the 17th century, and a harpsichord and clavyorganum, both of which are said to be by Silbermann."]

c. The Tonkünstlerverein (library founded in 1854) possesses 550 nos. of instrumental music of the 18th and 19th centuries, also symphonies by J. J. Fux, Court-capellmeister at Vienna. Custos, H. Döring.

[App. p.724 "e. The Royal Public Library contained (in 1872) 1177 volumes on musical theory, and 1468 volumes of practical music. There are many early printed books of rarity, including a copy of the Mainz Psalter of 1457.

f. The Dreikönigskirche possesses a few rare printed works, including the discant and tenor parts of Walther's Wittenberg hymnbook (1524).

Eichstätt. The Royal library is rich in rare printed liturgical works containing music."]

Einsiedeln. Switzerland. The library of the Benedictine Abbey contains important MSS. of the first 10 centuries, written in 'neums' and indispensable to the student of Gregorian music.

[App. p.724 "Elbling. a. The Marienkirche library contains 76 works of the 16th century and 85 of the 17th; 13 Polish cantionales (1571–1792) and many MS. church compositions of the 18th and 19th centuries.

b. The Town library possesses a few rare books, including a copy of the Syntagma of Praetorius.

Erfurt. The Royal library has many liturgical MSS. and printed books, chiefly derived from suppressed convents."]

Erlangen. The seminary for church music has a library of its own. Principal, Dr. Herzog, a well-known organist.

Frankfort. The libraries of St. Peter's church and the Gymnasium contain scarce vocal music of the 16th and 17th centuries, of great