Metadata: The Hirsch Collecton
Collection
- Country:
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Holding institution:
- British Library
- Holding institution (official language):
- British Library
- Postal address:
- 96 Euston RoadLondonGreater LondonUnited KingdomNW1 2DB
- Web address:
- http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/manuscr/index.html
- Email:
- Email: mss@bl.uk
- Reference number:
- Hirsch 199.-M.1356a
- Title:
- The Hirsch Collecton
- Title (official language):
- The Hirsch Collecton
- Creator/accumulator:
- Hirsch, Paul
- Date(s):
- 1160/1925
- Language:
- English
- French
- Greek, Modern (1453-)
- Hebrew
- Italian
- Latin
- Extent:
- 76 items
- Scope and content:
- Manuscripts from the music library of the industrialist and collector Paul Hirsch (1881-1951).Hirsch's music library in Frankfurt am Main, Germany was one of the finest private libraries of its kind. Hirsch began to assemble his collection in 1896, focussing in particular on early printed editions of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, 19th-century opera and early theoretical works. Music manuscripts formed a small but significant part of his collection. By the 1920s, Hirsch was employing a librarian, and his library was open to the public two days a week. In 1936, fearing for his safety, as a Jewish citizen, Hirsch migrated to England. Incredibly, Hirsch and his family managed to transport the music collection out of Germany in several train wagons, the Nazi authorities not having recognised its enormous value.Related material: The books and printed scores from Hirsch’s music library (approximately 18,000 items) were acquired at the same time as the music manuscripts, and are catalogued separately. These all have the shelfmark prefix ‘Hirsch’ and can be found in the Library’s main catalogue.
- Archival history:
- On its arrival in England, Hirsch’s collection was housed initially at Cambridge University Library, where it became a working library for Cambridge students.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Paul Hirsch (1881-1951) was born in Frankfurt on 24 February 1881. He began to collect music in 1897, initially focusing on Mozart before building up large collections relating to Beethoven and Schubert, and acquiring copies of virtually all the major operas. During the 1930s, Hirsch found it increasingly difficult to maintain his contacts in the book trade. As a result of the political problems in Germany, he moved to Cambridge in 1936, where for a brief period the Paul Hirsch Music Library was housed at Cambridge University Library. In 1946 Hirsch sold his library to the British Museum. By this time, the collection amounted to around eighteen thousand items. Hirsch died in Cambridge on 23 November 1951.
- Access points: locations:
- Frankfurt am Main
- London
- Access points: persons/families:
- Hirsch, Paul
- Subject terms:
- Music
- Access, restrictions:
- You need to be a registered Reader in order to request items to a Reading Room.
- Finding aids:
-
Online catalogue.
There is a Guide to Hebrew Collections on the British Library's website.
- Yerusha Network member:
- AIM25
