Letter from Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams and others to The Editor of The Times

Letter No. VWL5049

Letter from Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams and others to The Editor of The Times

Letter No.: VWL5049

[Tuesday April 9, 1946]

Sir,
Ten years ago the most renowned private music library in the world, that of Paul Hirsch, was transferred from Frankfort-on-Main¹to Cambridge. it is now in danger of being lost to the country, for the owner has decided to sell it. He is, however, willing to forgo part of the sum at which the collection has been valued if it can be kept intact and in Britain. That it should remain here is of the utmost permanent importance for this country; not even the British Museum has been so systematically equipped for general research in music. It is unlikely that there will ever be another chance of establishing such a library in Great Britain, since all comparable collections abroad are now in public institutions.
Dr. Partick Hadley, Shallcross, Heacham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, will gladly give further information. We should hesitate to ask for munificence at a time like the present if the matter were not so vitally important to the future of British music.
Yours faithfully,
Arnold Bax, Adrian C. Boult, Edward J. Dent, G. Dyson, Myra Hess, Stanley Marchant, Ralph Vaughan Williams.

1. sic.

To:

Editor of The Times
From:

Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958 Bax, Arnold, 1883-1953 Boult, Adrian, 1889-1983 Dent, Edward J. (Edward Joseph), 1876-1957 Hess, Myra, Dame, 1890-1965
Names:

Dyson, George, 1883-1964 Marchant, Stanley, 1883-1949 Hirsch, Paul, 1881-1951 Hadley, Patrick, 1899-1973
Subject:

Music library Advocacy
Format:

Letter
General Notes:

Printed in The Times newspaper, Tuesday April 9, 1946, headed “A great music library”.
Citation:

The Times (50422), Tuesday April 9, 1946, p. 5.

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