The Royal Musical Association

As you may already know, the Victoria and Albert Museum are planning to put their extensive collection of historic musical instruments, currently on display in Room 40, into storage, to facilitate redesigning the gallery to show the museum's fashion collection

Although instruments have been part of the collection since the museum's inception, there are no plans to reinstate the collection at any future date, and it appears that it will either be broken up or be confined to spaces which are not open to the public. Full details can be found in the 16 January 2010 edition of Classical Music (page 7). (or see online version).

A petition has been opened on the 10 Downing St website. If you would like to register your regret at this action you can sign the petition:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/VandAchange/

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to ensure that all members of the public have continued, free and open access to the complete historic and valuable musical instrument collection entrusted over generations to the Victoria and Albert Museum, and currently exhibited in Room 40 (Jan 2010). The V & A are intending to place in long-term storage its collection of historic musical instruments, which is unparalleled in the UK. The reason for this destruction, given by a V & A spokesman, is so that ‘the gallery can be redesigned to show the fashion collections.’ Musical instruments have been part of the collection since its inception in 1851: the museum has received adverse comment on this plan from curators worldwide. The removal is to take place in Spring 2010, and is a short-term decision which will have long-term negative results for scholars and music lovers alike.

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