Alright! So on to the third part of the morning! My planned "date" with Ulrike and the materials in the music archive at Klosterneuburg. She walked us through some of the same spaces that Patrick had shown me earlier, but had things to add to the story. Like that anything that the canons leave to the archive HAS to be accepted and kept. They recently received a large bequest because a canon died unexpectedly in a car accident.
Also they recently (well--in 2023. Fairly recently) had to get a new provost, and they were very worried that the one selected might not be a good supporter of libraries and archives, but fortunately, the one they hoped for was selected, and they are relieved because their jobs are safe, and they can keep rescuing/caring for materials.
Ulrike had chosen some items to show us, and had them laid out in the library ahead of time. Like this music book, one of a set of many like it with illuminations. She was so happy and animated as she talked about them. More pictures follow.
These next images are from a book of compositions by various canons who were a part of Klosterneuburg, and their manuscripts were collected. Many of them are signed, and have scribbles or doodles on them.
These next images are in the wrong order, but I don't think I can manage to place them where I want them a second time. They are a Schubert autograph score. I wanted the box with the label first, and work my way through the last page, which lists dates and performances. The thing I wanted first is last, and what I wanted last is first! Other information is to know that the part--the one full page of notes--is in Schubert's hand.
Earlier, I took a picture of one globe, but I didn't take a picture of the other one, which I thought was just another globe, but I think it is a globe of the solar system? I am not really sure how that works, but again, it is made in an earlier era, which I can't remember exactly when!
Ulrike wanted to show us this register from about 1830? (I am guessing the date.) It was in the conservation lab, which is very close through a low door in the library. The conservator let her take it back to the library to show us. Here is the small conservation lab and the conservator.
And here is Ulrike ready to show us this item. It is having issues because the iron gall ink is eating through the paper. So this ink is made from a place in an oak tree where an insect's damage is dealt with by the tree by making a protective coating, which is then taken and ground, and ink is added, and it turns a lovely black color. However, over time, it becomes caustic and eats through the paper, which is what is happening to this book.
This book is the second register of the kloster--the first one is from 1790, which is really early for this kind of register. (I will show this one later.) So, it is full of incipits of music that is owned by the archive, and descriptions of the first performance, composer, and notes about the performance. Very cool! You can see that it has been repaired and rebound before--they actually made extensions so that the actual original paper has no stress on it when pages are turned.
Here are some of the pages. This one shows some scribbled out--so they once owned these, but maybe they got lost or destroyed, or the composer asked for them back because they decided they didn't want the music used anymore.
The books are divided into genres (masses, motettes, cantatas, etc.) and then are in alphabetical order within the sections. A history of what has been performed at the abbey!
I took this picture of Patrick because I wanted to illustrate the impossibility of reaching some of the books in the library. On the edges, there are some books that are above stairs, so there isn't a way to put a ladder to reach them. So they have been sitting in the library for 200 years maybe, and nobody can get to them. Well, no easy or even mediocre way of getting to them--only difficult ways!
And Patrick took a picture of me in the library, to prove that I actually was there!
Then we went down one floor (and down another floor) to the old library and the new library of music materials. Edited to add this door, which is curved like the walls. I did not take a picture of it, but Patrick did. Actually, that whole curvy staircase was really interesting because of how the entrances and exits on it were!
They are still acquiring things--buying or receiving gifts--so this is not a static collection. Some of the organization is by size -- that is not so unusual. We have miniscores, quarto, quarto-w, and folio sections. Theirs are given letters - A, B, C, D.
Sheet music: They have so much!!! These old storage units that are important historically are being used for sheet music storage. Ulrike and Patrick are showing what is under the home-made blinds--boxes and boxes of sheet music. There is another unit the same size, floor to ceiling, and another that is a bit smaller. So much sheet music!
These are all materials that are relevant to Ulrike's master's thesis and now her PhD dissertation. I will put all the pictures and hope that I remember some things.
So this! is from the 1790 register. Same idea, incipits and descriptions of music performed in the abbey, and held in the music archives.
This is the beginning of the 1790 register--it is the organist who started it. He must have been ready to have some organization, so he could find the pieces he wanted to play.
This catalog that Martin found mixed in with some sheet music has been super important to Ulrike's research! It is just a thin book with really small writing, but gives so much detail about musical performances. She is particularly looking into one man, AR, who is confusing to follow because his father and brother have the same initials and also signed music with those initials. She has had to learn his handwriting. At first she thought he was only a peformer, but she has found pieces by him, using an anigram of his name for the composer, but with his identifiable initials in his hand, AR, so that he is identified.
These next few pictures show how these part books, used by choir members, have been so very used over decades, people leaving their doodles and names and so forth in the music they used.
This user (below) even afixed a stamp of a famous actress in the book.
I know that these next two items have to do with AR. I keep calling him by initials because I can't remember his name! I will have to read her dissertation when it is available so that I can be reminded!
See! I knew the answer was in the photos somewhere! Anton Roesner!
Then Ulrike took us upstairs and into the dome that is the part we saw at the very beginning when we first got to the kloster. It is very beautiful!
This picture is at the doorway to the dome room, looking back at the other dome that is the library.
The dome in this dome room. (There is probably a better and more accurate name for this room.) This is all done in fresco, and the colours remain so vibrant though they are centuries old.
What some of the walls in the room look like.
There are two large mirrors in the room, so that you can look down into the mirrors to see the dome, instead of looking up. You can see my phone/camera as I took a photo of the reflection of the actual dome.
And then there was this:
It has something to do with artists, but I am sure that I do not remember anything about why it was in the dome room, and Google Images was not particularly helpful!
I took a picture looking south towards Vienna from inside this dome room. It looks a lot like the same picture I took outside, only from behind a window.
There are opera performances outdoors somewhere in the Klosterneuburg compound, and I am not sure where--like, I couldn't find it if I tried, but I could see the set and seats from inside.
And last of all, a peak into the church on the grounds. The picture of the sanctuary was taken by putting my cell phone into an opening into a barrier, because something was going on in the church, and so we could not actually go in.
Well, I can tell it is late, and that I had too much in my brain from so much that I learned, so I did not give the best explanations. However, going to Klosterneuburg was a fantastic experience, and I am so grateful to Patrick for arranging a behind-the-scenes tour, and to Ulrike for preparing to amaze and astound me. It was wonderful!
