Music in educationtory, and often contain rare treasures to which access must of neces-
sity be made as difficult as possible. These irreplaceable riches are placed
at the disposal of only the most carefully selected readers. This applies
in principle, to those which have long been installed in a musical aca-
demy (conservatoire), as in Bologna, Paris and Brussels, to those which
form the music section of a national or central library (as in Washing-
ton, London, Paris, Vienna and Munich), as well as to the special
collections in general libraries (as in Italy).
Actually, however, this is so only in principle; usually, life sees to
it that these well guarded doors are opened wider.
Far from being designed for experts only, the temporary and per-
manent exhibitions arranged by the large public libraries appeal prin-
cipally to the layman or the amateur by arousing his curiosity and
introducing him to aspects of music he would never think of by him-
self. True, he can hear new or seldom performed music at concerts, on
records or on the radio; but only in a public library, or one belonging
to a university or academy of music, and not at home, can he see a
genuine musical manuscript of the Middle Ages, the first edition of a
song, a motet or a mass printed in the sixteenth century, the original
rough draft of a Bach score, or a Beethoven, a Debussy or a Messiaen,
an original portrait of a musician-engraving, drawing, painting or
sculpture- autographed letters written by the same composer, original
models for the scenery and costumes of an opera or a ballet, and do-
cumentary archives.
There is every reason to suppose that this first introduction to the
subject will not satisfy him. With his curiosity keenly aroused he will
ask to come back to the library, alone or with others, to make a closer
inspection of the things that impressed him most, to handle them and
ask to see others. After this he will certainly want information about
them and, if they are very rare works, here again only a large public
library will be able to supply his demands, and provide him with
publications by experts, authoritative commentaries, all the facsimiles
published to date and the most complete iconography.
If he absorbs all this, the amateur or novice will gradually and per-
haps unwittingly acquire a musical knowledge of the kind that only
access to a very extensive library can provide-a well balanced know-
ledge, slowly and patiently accumulated.
Later he will find that in one library he can photograph a particularly
interesting score or other documents he wants to study at leisure, that
from another large public library in his own country or abroad he can
borrow works not available where he happens to be, or hear a record