Title page from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's "Nourmahl's Song". Written on manuscript paper, the title page reads: Nourmahl's Song scena for contralto and piano or orchestra. Orchestrated from the original unpublished piano manuscript in his possession by L. Kirkby Lunn Pearson. Text from the poem "Lalla Rookh" by Thomas Moore.

New discovery at the Royal College of Music Library

The Royal College of Music Library is delighted to announce the discovery of a previously unknown composition by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Nourmahal’s song. This short, unpublished, song by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor has long been assumed to be related to his two-movement piano work, Nourmahal’s song and dance, op. 41. Although the names are similar, comparison of the…

Ledsham Bursary – Prague 2022

The Music Libraries Trust is accepting applications for the Ledsham bursary. The Ian Ledsham Bursary is awarded annually to a member of IAML (UK & Irl) in order to assist attendance at IAML international conferences. This year’s IAML international congress will be held in Prague, 24-28 July 2022. The preliminary programme may be found here and the…

True is The Dream (Barbican Music Library exhibition)

Barbican Music Library’s current exhibition, True is The Dream, showcases the photography of Derek D’Souza who, over four decades, has taken insightful images of The Jam, The Style Council, and Paul Weller. In 1981 he submitted some photographs which he had taken at The Jam’s gigs to the band’s fan club, as a result of…

St Anne's College Oxford viewed from Woodstock Road

ASW 2022 Booking

After two years of online-only events, it is exciting that the Annual Study Weekend (ASW) 2022 is set to proceed in person this year. The event will take place at St Anne’s College Oxford from Friday afternoon 1st April until lunchtime on Sunday 3rd April 2022. The ASW is a great opportunity to network and…

Another Successful Seminar

The Branch’s annual Academic and Public Music Library seminars were again combined into a single event this year, on the afternoon of Wednesday 17 November. As in 2020, COVID made it more practical to organise a Zoom, rather than in-person, event, one silver lining to this continuing pandemic cloud being that attendance at the seminar…

Public Libraries Discussion Session on Digital Provision

Purpose Earlier in the year IAML (UK & Irl) hosted a discussion session on music-related digital provision in public libraries. We were delighted to welcome twenty-one attendees from a variety of sectors, including representation from eight public libraries. Running the session on Zoom was also a great opportunity to receive input from a number of…

Tangerine Dream celebrated at Barbican Music Library

Barbican Music Library’s current exhibition, Tangerine Dream: Zeitraffer, celebrates the music and legacy of the pioneering German electronic band, Tangerine Dream, and showcases the remarkable musical vision of their founder, Edgar Froese. Founded in 1967 in Berlin, Tangerine Dream became one of the most important and successful bands that Germany has produced. Their influence on…

Looking Back at VASE21

IAML UK & Irl’s annual study weekend was a bit different this year: it wasn’t held on a weekend, rather it was held mid-week from the 13th-15th April, and it all took place over Zoom, which meant it was easier for attendees to dip into the sessions they were interested in without having to commit…

Learning more about music library staff and users

In summer 2020, Dr Michael Bonshor of the University of Sheffield was commissioned by the Music Libraries Trust [MLT] to carry out a survey of music library staff and users. MLT funded the bulk of the research, with additional funds for analysis of the survey data coming from the Postlethwaite Music Foundation. An Executive Summary…

A Grecian vase, with a decoration depicting women playing instruments

VASE21, and New Blog Supervisor

VASE21 (Virtual Annual Study Event 2021) As many of you will probably already know or have guessed, the Annual Study Weekend will be a bit different this year. Firstly, it will be held mid-week (13th-15th April) and will consist of online presentations and activities over Zoom. We are calling the event VASE21 (Virtual Annual Study…

Bursary post

In the latest of a series of blogs about the recent ASW – an insight into a maiden ASW from Masters student, Kirsty Morgan… Having received the Music Library Trust bursary, I was very lucky and pleased to be able to attend IAML’s Annual Study Weekend in Leicester this year – and what an amazing and…