EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF HISTORIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

PROGRESS REPORT 1991

The C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection has been given to the University by the Government following its acceptance by the State (as a collection pre-eminent in its field) in lieu of inheritance tax. The Collection was assembled in the 1920s and 1930s, and has been on loan to the University since 1980. The many important items include an ivory recorder by Richard Haka c 1680, several early oboes, a clarinet by Thomas Collier c 1770, a Strobach basset horn, a Haas trumpet c 1730, a Hintz viol, a double bass by Leopold Widhalm 1753, an 18th-century viola d'amore, an arch-lute by Rotunery 1699 and two British bagpipes c 1800.

In the year, the Collection has also been given instruments by W. Russell Day, Anne Macaulay, Nadine Parks, Raymond Parks and Edward Planas. Several further items have been lent to the Collection, including instruments from the late Christopher Monk, lent by the Honorary Curator.

The Honorary Curator represented the University at the CIMCIM (The ICOM Committee on Musical Instrument Museums) meeting in Osaka, Kakegawa and Tokyo. He is a member of the Documentation and the International Directory Working Groups of CIMCIM.

Plans for re-housing the Collection have progressed, albeit slowly: Mr Brian Hartley, the museum designer appointed to plan the fitting out of the premises as a museum, presented preliminary designs, layouts, specifications and costings. His work was funded with the aid of the Scottish Museums Council.

The sackbut by Anton Schnitzer dated 1594 was lent to the National Art Collections Fund for the exhibition `Saved for Scotland' held in the National Gallery of Scotland in August and September.

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 have made organised visits, and various scholars and instrument makers have visited to study particular instruments.

Several instruments have been photographed to provide illustrations for a textbook Companion to Musical Instruments which is being written by Dr D.M. Campbell, Dr C.A. Greated and the Honorary Curator.

Arnold Myers, 31st December 1991

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