timetofly

To all music scholars out there,

I'm a university/conservatorium music student, and wanting to spend some time in these cities seeking out original music manuscripts of old/great composers. My university has a database for this sort of thing, but it's quite complicated to use, and you have to know exactly what you're looking for. I just want to view anything which has good aesthetic historical value.

I've heard that some churches in Italy hold such treasures. Does anyone know the names of any of these churches? I know that to view some manuscripts one needs a letter of introduction and an appointment - I would rather not have to go through all that if I don't have to. Call me lazy, but this can be very time consuming, and I don't want to spend all my time in Italy doing just this.

Also, I believe that many churches hold classical music concerts. Is there a website where I could find out the names of these places?

Further, does anyone know what parts of the Paris Conservatoire are open to the public (libraries etc). I've had a quick look at their website, but can't really seem to find any definitive information about this.

Thanks in advance from a true romantic.
timetofly

timetofly

I left out some vital information......I'll be in Paris from 27th December to 2nd January, then Italy from 3-24th January. I suppose a lot of these places might be closed, or have curtailed opening hours.

timetofly

sandi_travelnut

It seems that it would serve you well to learn how to use that database.

massagediva

I would e-mail Paul or Lani at Context Rome.They have such a broad knowledge of Rome and if they don't know the answers,they know who knows! www.contextrome.com

Christina

I'm an amateur pianist, but have attended master classes at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, and know some people who attended the Paris Conservatory. I have some ideas, but can you be more specific? If you are a scholar, you must have some kind of focus and I wouldn't think you'd be looking for manuscripts from any composer, no matter what. Do you have a particular goal or research subject, as for a paper, a particular class, thesis or something?

I don't think the general public can just walk into the Paris Conservatory library, no. You do have to make arrangements and have references, letters, etc.

If you just want to see some old manuscripts for interest and don't care about the composer, I can suggest something. The Paris Conservatory is probably not your best bet FYI, but they may have something. Are you a member of AMS? They have plenty of resources and information on this.

Finally, the time you have scheduled for Paris is very difficult due to being a holiday period, and everything you are looking for may be closed.