Part of Collection

Title

Musical Instruments Museums Edinburgh (MIMEd)

Creators/Contributors

Description

Musical Instrument Museums Edinburgh ranks among the world's most important collections of musical heritage. All the main types of musical sound-making device are represented, and are presented to the public in two museums, St Cecilia’s Hall Museum of Instruments and the Reid Concert Hall Museum of Instruments. The c 4000 objects in the permanent collection constitute a rich research resource of both breadth and depth, and include many historically typical models of musical instrument spanning over five hundred years, together with prized rare and unique items. The instruments are supplemented by an archive of original materials, working papers and a sound archive. The Collection as a whole attracts researchers from far and wide and is an extensively cited resource in international scholarship. The Reid Concert Hall maintains Scotland's leading general museum of musical instruments. On display are nearly 1000 items including stringed, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments from Britain, Europe and beyond. The scope of the collection covers all instruments and related items except early keyboard instruments and plucked string instruments, which are housed in the St Cecelia’s Hall Museum of Instruments. The Collection originated in the period 1845-65 when the University's Reid Professor of Music, John Donaldson (1789-1865), established a museum and bought old and unusual instruments, and some not so old at the time, but which are now museum pieces. As well as founding the Collection, Donaldson built a fine hall as his music classroom with adjoining museum gallery, opened in 1859. The hall is now the Reid Concert Hall and the museum gallery is still the home of the University's historic musical instrument collection. This is believed to be the earliest surviving purpose-built musical museum in the world. The University’s holdings of historic musical instruments were significantly expanded with the acquisition of the Raymond Russell Collection (1964, opened at St Cecilia’s Hall in 1968), the Galpin Society and Geoffrey Rendall collections (1980), and many subsequent additions. The Collection was established by the Reid Professor of Music from 1845-1865, John Donaldson. In 1969 the Galpin Society Permanent Collection was established in conjunction with the University. In this period the University’s non-keyboard historic instruments (at the Reid Concert Hall) were managed by the Galpin Society. In 1980 an agreement was reached whereby the title to the instruments owned by the Galpin Society and to the Rendall Collection was transferred to the University, and both museums were operated by the University albeit with different curation. Important acquisitions have been made since 1980 with the help of the National Fund for Acquisitions (formerly the Government's Local Museums Purchase Fund), the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Art-Collections Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the University's General Council Trust, the Hope Scott Trust and other benefactors.

Type

Collection