"In the old days, orchestra libraries were there first and foremost to supply Their Orchestra with the materials required. All other orchestras were viewed with deep suspicion and mistrust, and educational and amateur organizations with outright anathema.
These deep feelings had practical roots beyond personal spites and jealousies: lost parts, horrible indelible markings and long term amnesia regarding return of material do not make life easy nor do they assist in looking after what is a very valuable investment.
But times change, and the modern age in South Africa has now established a new attitude: all these libraries were funded by public money and their collections should be open to all worthy users. That has included the University orchestras and the few and valiant amateur orchestras, but the main benefactors from this Library have been the East Cape Phil in PE and the Free State Symphony in Bloemfontein,, occasional but professional institutions that don’t have libraries at all.
The rental fee from this Library is unchanged from 20 years ago, and so the cost is within the budgets of our colleagues; without the Library’s assistance live orchestral performance would be even less frequent than it is."
Related posts:
Musings in the Music Library #5: Copyright
Musings in the Music Library #4 - Cape Philharmonic Orchestra Library
Musings in the Music Library #3 - Cape Philharmonic Orchestra Library
Musings in the Music Library #2 - Cape Philharmonic Orchestra Library
Musings in the Music Library #1
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