Shocking! If this must happen, I do hope the instruments end up in places where they can continue to freely serve an interested, albeit too small, public.
Eugene Eugene C. Braig IV Artistic Director Phone: 614-561-9204 The Columbus Guitar Society Capital University, Conservatory of Music 1 College & Main Columbus, OH 43209 USA http://columbusguitarsociety.org/ > -----Original Message----- > From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On > Behalf Of Stephen Barber and Sandi Harris > Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 2:18 PM > To: Lute List > > Subject: [LUTE] Closure of V&A Instrument Gallery > > 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. > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
