Dear Friends,
we have just received the sad and very extraordinary news that one of
the world's major collections of historic musical instruments, that of
the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, is to permanently close on
February 22nd 2010. James Yorke, who is the V&A staff member who has
responsibility for the instruments (he is an expert in Italian
Renaissance furniture, and ended up looking after the instruments
because he is a keen amateur lutenist) told us this desperately
alarming news in an email this afternoon (the text of which is
reproduced below).
It may come as a surprise to many that the V&A does not have a
dedicated organologist, or even conservator who specialises in musical
instruments, to look after the collection; the instruments have
always come under the umbrella of the Department Of Furniture &
Woodwork. James has for many years struggled on a virtually non-
existent budget to look after the collection and grant access to
instrument makers, organologists and scholars, whilst doing the job
the V&A employs him for – which does not include looking after the
instruments as part of its remit. He's always taken on the task
because he loves the instruments and the collection.
It seems inconceivable that the V&A, one of the world's most
celebrated and foremost museums, has taken this decision, which will
consign the collection to various other museums and effectively split
it up, perhaps forever.
We don't know what can be done, perhaps a campaign of letter-writing
to the Director? However, given some of the rather superficial and
frankly tacky displays that have been mounted in the V&A in the name
of 'fashion' in recent years, which clearly have the blessing of the
powers-that-be there, any pleas may well fall on deaf ears and closed
minds. The instruments seem to be losing out to the unfortunate and
short-sighted modern disdain for anything other than disposable
popular culture, and the general dumbing-down that many museums seem
to feel they must indulge in, simply in order to justify their
existencies.
We don't propose to get into arguments about our analysis of the
cultural mores that seem to have produced this mad decision at the
V&A, but it seems to us that there is something wrong with the
judgement of a museum regime that discards an important aspect of
everybody's musical heritage in favour of a few frocks.
Our old friend Walter Vermeulen, the Dutch harpsichord maker, called
while we were writing this message, and was shocked when we told him
the news about the V&A, but he then told us that something similar has
happened to the instrument collection of the Geementemuseum, in The
Hague, which now mostly languishes in a storage depot, unseen and
neglected.
This is the relevant part of James Yorke's message:
"Dear Stephen and Sandi,
I'm giving advance warning that the Music Galleries will be closing
for good on Monday 22nd February. The immediate plan is to decant them
in storage in Blythe House, the V&A's store at Olympia, display the
sexiest items from a decorative point of view in our various galleries
and possibly lend the rest to the Horniman Museum, Reid Collection and
the Royal College of Music. The idea is to convert the area of display
basically into fashion, fashion and more fashion.
As you can imagine, I am pretty miserable about this, but our Dear
Leader is absolutely set on this idea, and could not be persuaded by
my keeper. Ph well ...
I will be drafting a statement for the V&A website and various
societies informing them that we are closing. On a slightly more
upbeat note - for me personally - Jakob Lindberg has very kindly
agreed to give me lute lessons. I played for him the other day. He
thought I had sufficient potential though my technique had plenty of
room for improvement. (SB and SH think, "Well, we could have told you
that!!!") Still, hopefully, I will be eventually able to do full
justice to your two absolutely beautiful instruments.
Happy Christmas and lots of love
James".
What a way for the first decade of the 21st Century to move towards a
conclusion!
Stephen and Sandi.
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