The Music Library at the Library of Birmingham looks at a “local” composer…. The recent WW1 centenary commemorations in Belgium brought the English composer Edward Elgar to mind, together with three largely unknown works he composed in support of that beleaguered country. The invasion of Belgium, at the start of the war in 1914, generated…

Some exciting news from ITMA (the Irish Traditional Music Archive). Tonight (Thursday 5th October 2017) at 19:30 there will be a concert of music & songs selected from the 19th century Canon James Goodman Irish Music Manuscript Collection. Featuring Aoife Ní Bhriain, fiddle, Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, uilleann pipes & vocals, with narration & video imagery…

To mark Sir Simon Rattle’s first season as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and to celebrate a career spanning almost half a century, Barbican Music Library is hosting a free exhibition entitled Rattle. It features contributions from his family archives, his agency, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the…

At a special ceremony on Friday, 22 September, The National Library of Wales launched its Welsh Music Archive Programme in the presence of the folk music expert and Library benefactor, Phyllis Kinney. Phyllis Kinney and her daughter Eluned were present at the Friday launch where Maredudd ap Huw and I gave a presentation to the…

Good news from CYM (Community and Youth Music) Library based in Hornsey Library in Haringey.  They have been very fortunate recently to have received a grant to purchase contemporary music for our stock.  This has been made possible by the Radcliffe Trust.  It should all now be on Encore21, but this was a chance to…

It all started 35 years ago in France… In 1982, staff at the Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners and parks, rooftops and gardens, store fronts and mountaintops. And, unlike a typical music festival,…

World Music Day in Manchester Central Library – 21st June 2017 World Music Day, or as is it known in France, Fête de la Musique originated in France in 1982. It was the brainchild of Jack Lang, the Minister of Culture and composer Maurice Fleuret, who he appointed as director of Music and Dance in 1981….

Music libraries and institutions across the country are going to be busy for the next few weeks with BBC Music Day 2017 today (June 15th), and “Make Music Day” next week on Wednesday 21st June. As part of BBC Music Day, in Cambridgeshire English Pocket Opera performed on a punt, and a blue plaque commemorating Syd Barrett, founder…

Being a member of the Conference Committee, I knew what the programme for the IAML (UK & Irl) Annual Study Weekend in Exeter looked like but of course it only comes alive when you’re there. I missed the previous ASW in Manchester so I was really looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones!…

An exhibition – Say it with Music – is being held at The Forum, Southend in May as the culmination of the National Jazz Archive Intergenerational Jazz Reminiscence Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.An exhibition – Say it with Music – is being held at The Forum, Southend in May as the culmination of…

At the ASW on Friday 7th April, a new and revised version of Encore, the go-to site for orchestral or vocal sets in the UK, was premiered; the fruit of several months work by a number of people. There are lots of advantages to the new Encore-21. Most importantly, the software has been updated, so enabling easier searching….

It’s that time of year again… IAML UK & Ireland’s Annual Study Weekend will be starting this Friday (7th April) in Exeter, and running until Sunday. As usual there’s a range of subjects to suit all music librarian tastes from the impact of music on everyday life to the extreme cataloguers of the Gerald Coke…

Exciting news from the Britten-Pears Foundation…. The Britten-Pears Foundation is pleased to announce the completion of the Holst Archive Project and the launch of the new catalogue online, available to researchers through the Britten-Pears Foundation’s website. Funded by the National Cataloguing Grants Programme for Archives, the project has focused on the cataloguing of the Holst…

Very occasionally being a music librarian can take you to the most unexpected places. I’ve recently returned from a trip to Basel prompted by a production of a new ballet, Robin Hood, choreographed by British choreographer, Richard Wherlock, the Director and Chief Choreographer of Ballett Basel. So, what was the connection with my usual life in…

This was the headline grabbing news in The Post Boy for the 26th November 1695 on the death of composer Henry Purcell. Recognised as one of the greatest English composers, Purcell was universally mourned.  But we wanted to celebrate his musical achievements rather than lament his death, not only as a prolific composer but also…

Many congratulations to Nottingham City Council, who have won Best Local Authority Arts Initiative for Nottingham Performing Arts Library Service (NPALS). What Next? and the National Campaign for the Arts have come together to create the Hearts for the Arts Awards, a new initiative to reward and thank Councils, Councillors and Council officers who are…

A quick reminder of all things ASW….. The Annual Study Weekend will take place at Reed Hall, Exeter University between the 7th and 9th April, 2017. There’s something for everyone whether you’re interested in Extreme Cataloguing or baffled by non-print legal deposit. There’ll be visits to a range of libraries including Exeter Cathedral Library, and…

One of the things we can be justly proud of is our rich culture of amateur orchestras and choral societies. From the smallest villages to the largest cities, these bring music to audiences throughout the year.  Where do they source their performance material?  From music libraries! And how do we value our music libraries?  Well,…

A very Merry Christmas to IAML (UK & Irl) members and followers everywhere. May you have a wonderful holiday season, and a happy, healthy and musical New Year. Here is the Opal Flutes flute choir having fun at Westminster Music Library. You can hear a selection of their music here.

More festive events at Westminster Music Library – carolling with Knightsbridge Brass.

If you enjoy watching paint dry, read on … Those of you who avidly watch the website for new content will have been just a little disconcerted when you found that the site was offline for around 48 hours recently. You didn’t notice? Ah well, there’s another illusion shattered. First, a little background. Our website was…

And here are the festive folk at Edinburgh Central Library (Christmas 2015)