EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF HISTORIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

PROGRESS REPORT 1985

In the last year, the University has been given instruments by Anne Macaulay, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilfrid Appleby, Gerald Elliot, H. Kacser, Dundee City Museums, R.A. Beatty, A. Fleming and Mrs M. Smith. Mrs Macaulay's gift, together with the instruments she gave to the University in 1977, are now established as the "The Macaulay Collection" within the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments.

The 18th-century guitar which was on loan to the Collection from Mrs M. Ross has been purchased with funds provided by the Government's Local Museums Purchase Fund and the University of Edinburgh's General Council Trust. Two natural horns by Nicholas Winkings and a voice flute by Joseph Bradbury have been bought with assistance from the Government's Local Museums Purchase Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Pilgrim Trust and previously donated monies.

The Collection has published The Glen Account Book 1838-1853 with assistance from the Marc Fitch Fund. This is a transcription of a manuscript account journal in the archive of the Collection, intended as research material for organologists and other scholars. A programme of publishing workshop drawings and photographs of some of the instruments in the Collection has been commenced. So far, two drawings are available.

Preliminary plans have been made for re-housing the Collection in Morton House, Blackfriars Street (just off the High Street, in the same block as St Cecilia's Hall) which is one of the Old Town buildings of Edinburgh already owned by the University. A preliminary brief for the Architect, Museum Designer and other consultants was adopted by the Committee overseeing the Collection and is being used by the Morton House Project Sub-Committee. An architect has been appointed.

The Honorary Curator attended the CIMCIM meeting in Washington, D.C. and New York, where he read a paper on the Glen Account Book. Assistance with travel was given by the Scottish International Education Trust. He was also invited to a conference organised by the Levi Foundation in Venice to read a paper on the conservation of wind instruments.

A small exhibition of instruments of French popular music was mounted by Mrs Catherine Gray to coincide with the 1985 Edinburgh Festival. The fiddle which had belonged to James Hogg "The Ettrick Shepherd" was restored and lent for a commemorative exhibition in Selkirk and for use at two associated concerts. Three instruments were lent for a study day held in Oxford by the Clarinet and Saxophone Society. Two instruments have been lent to the National Portrait Gallery in London for the exhibition Hallelujah! Handel.

The Scottish Museums Council's Antiquities Conservation Officer has undertaken conservation work on three of the instruments in the Collection, the work being grant-aided by the Scottish Museums Council.

The Collection has been used for teaching purposes by University staff, in particular for courses in the Faculty of Music on the History of Instruments, Ethnomusicology and Musical Acoustics. Several parties from schools and other groups have made visits, and various scholars have visited to study particular instruments.

Arnold Myers, 31st December 1985.

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