Latest news and case studies
Music is the loser in this V&A gallery shake-up
Guy Dammann14.01.10
Classical music in the capital is riding high just now. Musical standards among London orchestras and ensembles are arguably higher than ever. And with ticket sales largely bucking recession trends, widespread fears that concert culture would collapse together with an ailing record industry have proved misplaced.
Meanwhile, best-selling books by psychologists such as Oliver Sacks and neuroscientists such as Daniel Levitin seek to ask why our brains and bodies have always found music's abstract play of pitch and rhythm so deeply expressive of our common humanity.
Yet when it comes to the instruments that have allowed musical culture to flourish down the centuries, the outlook is less rosy: the gallery of musical instruments at the V&A Museum looks certain to close next month in order to make way for an expanded display of the museum's fashion and costume holdings.
While a number of the instruments will remain exhibited as part of other sections � such as the Venetian virginals owned by Elizabeth I which now stand in the Medieval and Renaissance galleries � most of them will be placed in storage, available on request, or distributed among other museums and collections.
Unlike Brussels, Paris and New York, where national instrument collections are displayed centrally, London's rich store of instruments is distributed among several smaller collections. The V&A's collection, of international significance purely by itself, gains in importance in this respect because it is the only collection of historical musical instruments to be housed in a major national museum, thereby attracting general as well as specialist visitors.
Besides the virgin queen's sole surviving keyboard instrument � Elizabeth I was a keen amateur musician as well as an active patron of the art � the jewels in the collection include an ivory oboe and tortoiseshell recorder that belonged to the composer Gioachino Rossini and two pianos owned by the Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones, both lovingly decorated by the artist himself.
One of the collection's greatest assets is its visual attractiveness. The V&A was founded as and remains primarily a museum of decorative arts and its musical instrument collection developed around pieces striking for aesthetic as well as historical reasons. As most people visit museums seeking instruction and entertainment for the eye, the collection has for years played a unique role, by appealing first to the eye and then opening an imaginative window on past musical worlds.
There is some good news in the discovery that a proportion of the collection will go to south London's Horniman museum, whose already excellent musical instrument collection will be enriched by the loan. But despite its national status and its considerable charms, the Horniman remains somewhat off the beaten track of London's major visitor attractions.
Music is our common heritage, the oldest and perhaps most deeply engrained form of human culture. The prime physical embodiment of this culture remains the musical instruments which come down to us.
While I understand the V&A's need to keep its focus on its core collections, the decision to close the musical instrument gallery is a mistake. It will deprive many an accidental tourist of past music's rich rewards. Surely our musical heritage deserves better than this.
Reader views (3)
Add your view
Copy of an email sent to the V and A Museum:
I have only just heard of the closure of the Victoria and Albert Museum�s historic musical instrument collection.
I have never been able to visit the collection, and probably never would have been, but this closure is nothing short of outrageous. And, as I understand it, to make space for a pop fashion collection. I would have thought that music, and its history, were of crucial and ongoing interest to the British. Even abroad we show an avid interest in Britain�s rich musical culture and heritage. Apparently not so the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Victoria and Albert Museum management has proved to the international community that, indeed Britain is a nation of shopkeepers, and that the Victoria and Albert Museum management is certainly among them.
- Robert Moore, Melbourne, Australia
Absolutely shocking! Futhermore the notion of splitting the collection its totally non-sensical. Very disappointed with the level of cultural management shown by what I thought was a leading country in cultural matters. I am having a �lucidity moment�...
- Jorosa, Palmela, Portugal
I have visited the V&A Instrument Gallery many times, both in my student years in London decades ago and in my many more recent visits to London. I always quoted it as an absolute must for any musician visiting England. I strongly believe that, no matter how well the instruments are re-distributed elsewhere, closing the Gallery is a mistake and a serious loss for the early-music world, I mean worldwide, not just for London residents or visitors.
Claudio Di Veroli,
harpsichordist
- Claudio Di Veroli, Bray, Rep. Ireland
Add your comment
An interesting approach to heritage from the V & A removing the historic music display to replace it with pop culture - is this an attempt to appeal to a younger audience? If so then although display space in a museum is always at a premium, what a trajedy that an existing and historic collection in its own right has to be broken up for a display that may or may not prove popular to passing visitors. It is removing "proper heritage" in favour of a something gimmicky, (which one can argue will become heritage in its own right of course) but I add my voice to the many in the industry who see this as a shocking and worrying decision.
Posted via web from copperphoenix's posterous
Today (12th January) is the 88th anniversary of HMS Victory's move to her dry dock in Portsmouth and the beginning of her restoration. It is amazing to think that this veteran of Trafalgar and the spiritual symbol of Royal Navy was afloat until 1922, after around 157 years on the water. Despite being dry docked she is still the oldest commissioned battleship in the World.
HMS Victory was launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard and was commissioned in 1778. She continued in active service for the next 34 years which included her most famous moment - the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when she was flagship to Vice Admiral Lord Nelson, defeating the Franco -Spanish fleet. In 1812 Victory was retired from front line duty and anchored in Portsmouth Harbour, where for the next 110 years she remained at her moorings fulfilling a combination of practical and ceremonial roles. In 1922, amid fears for her continued survival, Victory was moved into Portsmouth's Royal Naval Dockyard and placed in No2 Dry Dock. Work then began on restoring the Victory to her 'fighting' 1805 condition and continues today.
I have visited the ship many times and always marvel at her size and how she could have held nearly 1,000 people in her cramped hull, including some unofficial passengers such as a few "wives", along with animals providing fresh milk and meat. Victory carried more artillery than the Duke of Wellington had at Waterloo, over 100 guns of varying calibre, including the two giant Carronades on the forecastle which fired a 68lb shot.
That she was rescued for preservation in 1922 is terrific as other deserving ships have not been so lucky. HMS Warspite a veteran of Jutland in the first World War and a very active player in the Second World War was cut up for scrap (after she seemingly took control over her own fate under tow and beached herself) but in 1947 a real tragedy occur ed when a 74 gun ship, a two decker captured from the French at Trafalgar was sunk in the Channel under the Union Jack and the Tricolour. But this noble sounding act was a disaster for heritage and the preservation of relics from a bygone age. Today the thought of destroying such an important piece of history we hope would not be allowed.
The Implacable started life as a French warship, built at Rochefort in 1797. It was as the Duguay-Trouin that she fought at Trafalgar, part of a squadron commanded by Admiral Dumanoir which entered the fight at a late stage. The Duguay-Trouin was able to engage the heavily damaged Victory with a few broadsides, but Dumanoir soon saw that the battle was already lost, he attempted to withdraw but a fortnight later was intercepted by a much stronger British naval force and battered into surrender.
The Duguay-Trouin was brought back to Britain and renamed Implacable, then sent to fight her builders, the French. In 1842, she was sailed home and discharged from active fighting service, for much of the 19th century she was at Portsmouth as a training ship. HMS Victory and HMS Implacable, as the only two Trafalgar survivors, became famous, but the preservation of “heritage” was not then perceived as part of the state's duties. The cost of conserving cathedrals, castles or old warships was considered to be the responsibility of civil society and to be met by rich individuals or by private bodies and corporations. Nor had anyone appreciated how expensive it is to maintain the complex structure of a large wooden ship, especially one which was already a century old and weakened by heavy seas, extreme temperatures, gunfire and all the other shocks to which a big sailing ship is exposed. The timbers rot, leak, grow insect-infested and warp.
Victory, as Nelson's flagship, had been saved as a memorial to him (and as flagship of the commander-in-chief, Portsmouth), meeting her costs was something the Admiralty could not avoid. But Implacable was another matter. The Admiralty hung on to her for decades while growing ever more anxious about the escalating costs of any repair. During the WW2, Implacable lay at Portsmouth, near Victory - the bombs missed both ships, but Implacable's maintenance was neglected and the hull deteriorated further. The Admiralty now began to claim that her condition had passed the point of no return, and announced that they intended to “dispose” of her.
There were letters to the Times, and appeals (supported by members of the Royal Family) for funds to save the old ship. But post-1945 Britain was war weary and broke: the Admiralty declined to be moved by patriotic sentiment. In late 1949, carpenters sawed off the warship's figurehead, then removed the whole ornamental stern - thankfully these are preserved at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. On 2nd December 1949, the Implacable was packed with explosive charges and loaded with 450 tons of iron ballast. Flying the white ensign and the French tricolour she was towed out to sea, escorted by modern warships carrying a party of admirals, sea lords and other senior naval staff, where she was sunk.
This provided a wake up call to those who wanted to save historic ships, who saw that they must organise themselves more effectively. A few years later, they managed (yet again with royal help, from Prince Philip) to save the old tea-clipper Cutty Sark and preserve her in a dry-dock at Greenwich. In 1970 the Maritime Trust was founded, followed in 1979 by the World Ship Trust which is now restoring over 400 historic vessels and has three times as many on its books. The motto of the World Ship Trust is “Implacable – Never Again”.
So we shouldn't take heritage for granted - always be aware of the danger threatening heritage objects, those that are as large as ships to things as small as paintings.
One final personal note about HMS Victory. About 15 years ago I met an ex-Commando who told me of the time he nearly destroyed Victory by mistake during WW2. While heading through the dockyard at Portsmouth passing Victory's dry dock, a satchel of mortar bombs he was carrying broke its strap. As they began to fall onto the dockyard everyone ran for cover and then watched with horror as with a dreadful inevitability they started rolling towards the dry dock and one by one fell in. Wincing at every clang as they hit the bottom the Commandos waited for the explosion that would blow a whole in Victory's hull and possibly break her back. Mercifully nothing happened, apart from a severe punishment dealt out to the Commando!
Posted via email from copperphoenix's posterous
So the UK is blanketed in snow and suffering freezing temperatures more extreme than normal. Or at least the South of the country is, and where I live in Bristol we've had the worse conditions for 30 years. There's 6 inches of frozen snow outside my front door and with sub zero temperatures and more snow due in the next few days I'm not venturing out, mainly because ironically just making the 400 yards to the main road is extremely difficult on sheet ice and once there I'd encounter a lot of drivers who don't know how to drive in bad weather, especially snow, so I'd probably end up involved with a hedge/ditch/other vehicle.
This is not to make light of the winter weather, it is quite serious, having driven from Wiltshire to Bristol yesterday I can vouch for how dangerous it was, and with all my meetings for this week now cancelled I can work from home and not have to venture out. On the down side there is only one onion in the fridge and a small jar of pesto sauce.
It is interesting to see how the snowy weather dominates our National and Regional news. All bulletins focus on the problems, difficulties, British pluck and dire forecasts for the next few days and as a result other news has been dropped from sight. It was only a passing comment at the end of the local news last night that Lady Scott, wife of Sir Peter Scott who founded the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire had died. Her husband Sir Peter was the son of the ill fated explorer Scott of the Antarctic. After his father's death Sir Peter developed a great interest in birds and nature, resulting in Slimbridge being set up and eventually spawning other sites around the UK. After Sir Peter's death, Lady Scott continued to live at Slimbridge and held the position of Honorary Director. As an aside, my grandfather looked after the farms at Slimbridge during WW2 (before the area was leased by Sir Peter), as part of his job with the "War Ag" and could never see the point in "wasting farmland on a bird sanctuary"!
But back to the bad weather. there is criticism about lack of salt and grit for roads and complaints about the disruption to public transport and calls for more snowploughs etc to cope. But this is a very British thing. We're complaining about not having the tools for coping with an event that hasn't happened on this scale for 30 years. The cost to have all the equipment to cope with this weather, bought by councils and local authorities, sitting there doing nothing for most of the time, would generate even more criticism during our more normal and milder winters.
Personally I'm looking on the weather conditions as exciting, photogenic and a bit of an adventure - and wishing I still had my Land Rover from many years ago. Interesting to note too that the usual vitriol aimed at 4 x 4 users has been suspended while they help to get brides to the church on time, deliver milk and other supplies plus rescue stranded motorists of 2 x4 cars etc
Anyway, I'll enjoy the winter of discontent, safe in the knowledge that it will be made glorious summer, eventually, with the news concentrating utterly on the forthcoming General Election. I think by then we'll be looking back at the snow with some fondness and nostalgia.
Although I have to say, nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Posted via email from copperphoenix's posterous
You may have heard on the news this week that the sign from the entrance to Auschwitz "Arbeit macht frei" translated as Work sets you free, was stolen although it has now been recovered. The initial reaction I had was of anger that an historic artifact had been stolen, instantly followed by a pause as to what the sign actually was. It was a cynical and evil lie that those entering the camp would be released through their own endeavours: instead they would simply be worked until dead. However despite the natural revulsion that the sign engenders, it is a tangible link with an abhorrent past that should be remembered for two reasons: firstly to remind us of the evil of Fascism and that it must not rise again, and secondly that it is a memorial to all those who died in the camp, and all the others the Nazis ran.
I've never been to one of the death camps, although I know people who have, including a padre who was at the liberation of one. I feel that I should go to one, not just as an historic site but to remember those who died there and why. The Holocaust is definitely a joint European heritage issue, one that we all need to bear in mind to so as to prevent it from happening again, although we have failed in that when we saw similar camps in the former Yugoslavia spring up for ethnic cleansing.
So I am glad the sign has been recovered and although a representation of pure evil, it should be reinstated for the reasons given above.
On a totally different note, I was in Uxbridge at the weekend, nominally to meet my brother and nephew from Paris and spending a mini-Christmas with my Aunt and family. However the snow and ice in Northern France crippled Eurostar and prevented the visit - our Christmas will have to be rescheduled! But it meant I had longer to talk to my aunt and discuss some of our family heritage and history. I know most of the history on my father's side of the family up until my Great Grandfather, especially as I met him. He died just before his 102nd Birthday when I was about five.
But I didn't know that one of my Welsh relatives in the mid 1800's had been awarded a bardic chair for his poetry at the local Eistedfordd. We have no idea where the chair is now, sadly. I also learned more about the French links we have, with my Great Grandfather on the French side being Harbour Master of Marseille. It is interesting how families seem to genetically migrate salmon like back to their roots. My brother has moved to live in France and while recently looking at houses myself I found that I was looking for properties in an area where my mother's family used to own a great deal of farmland, between Chepstow and Lydney.
Sometimes heritage catches up with you, but it is nice to know one's own roots to appreciate where we came from, and possibly why we ended up where we did. It is also the case that heritage doesn't have to be "good" to be important or necessary to our development, nor should we shy away from the reminders, and warnings, of the past. However, occasionally one comes across a gem of personal history, such as my relative's bardic chair. I suppose I'd better start writing poetry.
"There was a young lady from Stoke....."
Posted via email from copperphoenix's posterous
