[letter from martin picker]

[Letter from Martin Picker]Author(s): Martin PickerSource: Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Spring, 1967), pp. 147-150Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/830465 .

Accessed: 13/06/2014 00:19

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

University of California Press and American Musicological Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Musicological Society.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:19:46 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

* COMMUNICATIONS S

Martin Picker, Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Villa I Tatti, Florence, sends the fol- lowing communication:

Tim PURPOSE of this report is to give as clear an idea as possible at the pres- ent time (Dec. 20, 1966) of the effects of the flood of November 4, the greatest natural disaster to strike Florence in modern times, on the city's resources for musicological research. My principal source of information is the report is- sued by the Comitato del Fondo Inter- nazionale per Firenze, 18-24 November, describing damage to museums, monu- ments, and libraries. Prof. Jiirgen Schulz, art historian of the University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley and a member of the Secretariat to the Comitato, was kind enough to show me the data received from the affected institutions. At the Cherubini Conservatory I spoke with Prof. Mario Fabbri, a distinguished young musicologist who has recently been ap- pointed director of the Conservatory Li- brary. Prof. Fabbri reviewed the situa- tion there and told me something about the city's archives, in which he has done extensive work. Prof. Federico Ghisi, esteemed musicologist of the University of Florence, also helped clarify some of the information I had collected. Many others, too many to list here, have pro- vided information for this report, and I am grateful to them all.

In attempting to ferret out informa- tion, I quickly learned how difficult it is to determine with any accuracy the ex- tent of damage to the libraries and ar- chives. Flooded books and manuscripts are still in the first stages of being dried, cleaned, disinfected, and prepared for rebinding. In many cases catalogues are among the materials damaged. It will be years before every item can be accounted for. Thus the present report is a pro- visional one that, it is hoped, will soon

be superseded by authoritative informa- tion from the institutions concerned.

In the first few days after the flood many of us on the scene tended to take the pessimistic view that everything made of parchment or paper must have been lost in the inundation. This has proved not to be the case, and it is possible now to strike a note of cautious optimism. It appears that, given prompt and expert treatment, the greater part of the submerged materials can be saved. The great international effort being made to rescue them, involving restorers from all over the world, gives us hope that this will be the case.

Although the city's principal libraries and archives suffered badly, I have heard no reliable reports of irreparable damage to the important music manuscripts in Florentine libraries. The situation is much more clouded with respect to printed music; some losses can be ex- pected, and it may be a long time before the damaged materials will again be avail- able to scholars.

One bit of good news is that many of Florence's important smaller libraries were not invaded by flood waters. These include the Laurenziana, Riccardiana, Marucelliana, and San Marco. Thus the most celebrated music manuscripts in Florence-the "Antiphonarium Medi- ceum" preserving the Notre-Dame reper- toire, and the Squarcialupi Codex, both at the Laurenziana-are safe, as are the two precious I sth-century chansonniers at the Riccardiana, the rare 16th-century prints at the Marucelliana, and the il- luminated chant choirbooks at San Marco. But the two main collections of musical sources in Florence, the Bib- lioteca Nazionale Centrale and the Biblioteca del Conservatorio "L. Cheru- bini," sustained serious, and in the case of the Nazionale, catastrophic damage.

The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale stands directly on the Arno, on ground

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:19:46 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

148 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY

that slopes downward from the em- bankment. Some of the greatest destruc- tion to be found anywhere in the city was visited upon this area. The wall pro- tecting the Lungarno in front of the Library gave way and water entered the area with great force up to a level some 13 feet above the street. Observing the flood from the Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking the city, I could see the water rise half-way up the tall entrance doors of the Library, which stand at the top of a flight of seven steps. Its sub- terranean stacks were devastated by water and mud, and the card catalogue on the ground floor was soaked with water. Fortunately the extensive refer- ence collection, valuable manuscripts, and incunabula housed upstairs are safe.

Descriptions of the destruction in the mud-filled underground rooms of the Li- brary defy the imagination. In some cases the paper, especially that of high wood- pulp content used in modern books, fused into solid blocks of cellulose. In others, the mud acted like glue, making it impossible to separate the pages. Parch- ment and leather in the magnificent old bindings began to putrify as soon as the water departed, and for twelve days the workers in the basement were forced to wear gas masks. Some books fell from their shelves into the mud and were ground into pulp during the first chaotic days. For three weeks a human conveyor-belt of student volunteers brought the books out of the Library and loaded them on trucks for transpor- tation to tobacco-drying warehouses and other improvised restoration centers throughout the country. Only recently has that initial step in the salvage of the Library been completed. More than one million volumes are reported damaged, among them 87,ooo regarded as very precious. These include two-thirds of the Fondo Magliabechiano, the great col- lection formed by the 17th-century li- brarian of Cosimo III, Antonio Maglia- bechi, and all the folio volumes of the Fondo Palatino, the original Grand Du- cal Library, along with catalogues and inventories of these historic collections.

In addition, the greater part of the Li- brary's newspapers and journals were submerged, more than So,oo volumes of them. Many of these publications are held in no other library and are of con- siderable importance for Italian history, and especially the history of the arts in Tuscany. Since restoration of the books is proceeding on a mass basis in widely dispersed places, it is impossible to dis- cover how many of the nearly 3oo00 early editions (i6th- and 17th-century) of music were damaged; but the number is likely to run high. It is reasonably cer- tain that none of the manuscripts de- scribed in Bianca Becherini's Catalogo dei manoscritti musicali della Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze are among the cas- ualties. Officials of the Library have ex- pressed the hope that the undamaged collections upstairs can be reopened to the public in the spring.

The Conservatorio "L. Cherubini" possesses one of the most important musi- cal collections in Italy. In addition to the usual holdings of a music school li- brary, it contains two significant collec- tions of early music: the Fondo Pitti, the Grand Ducal collection transferred from the Pitti Palace in the 19th century, and consisting of a vast number of manu- script scores and parts of operas, orato- rios, cantatas, and a variety of church and instrumental music of the i8th and early 19th centuries; and the Fondo Basevi, donated by the musical antiquarian Abramo Basevi at the end of the last century, and containing many priceless manuscripts and prints of the 16th and 17th centuries. The rooms in which these materials are kept were invaded by about two feet of water, damaging some 9,ooo items. Among the water-soaked works of the Fondo Pitti I saw such unique manuscripts as Giovanni Platti's Miserere, a magnificent late-Baroque work for soli, chorus, and orchestra, and an Exaudi Domine ascribed to Mozart (K. Anh. i86g). Prof. Fabbri told me that auto- graph scores by Michael Haydn (Tene- brae factae sunt), Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, etc. were also among those caught in the flood water. Of the Fondo Basevi,

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:19:46 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

COMMUNICATIONS 149

the frottola manuscripts B. 2440 and 2441 were inundated, as was an unicum manuscript collection of Carissimi can- tatas.

Prof. Fabbri felt sure that these im- portant manuscripts did not suffer serious damage, but he admitted he could not be certain about the collection as a whole until an inventory is made. Some manuscripts of lesser importance have been rendered partially illegible. Of course the huge Fondo Pitti has not been studied thoroughly and one cannot know what treasures are lurking in it. The Platti psalm only recently came to light; it is scheduled to receive its first modern performance at the Chigi Academy in Siena next summer.

Also damaged were the library's val- uable collections of early opera libretti and 19th-century journals. Under Prof. Fabbri's energetic direction the students and faculty of the Conservatory carried out a rapid and effective salvage opera- tion, which involved interleaving the volumes with blotting paper and airing them. The onset of mold, the greatest threat to wet paper, seems to have been avoided by prompt spraying with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, and later with chemical fungicides when they be- came available.

The Instrument Museum of the Con- servatory was luckily out of reach of the water, and its valuable Stradivari, Amati, and Guarnieri violins, among other rare instruments, are safe. This good fortune was not shared by the Museo Bardini, located near the river, in which a valu- able collection of lutes and keyboard instruments of the 16th through 18th centuries was severely battered, one of them a spinet made in Pisa in 1557. Re- storers from Germany are now working to repair the instruments.

Florentine archives are rich in infor- mation about music, as recent studies by Frank D'Accone and Mario Fabbri have demonstrated. The largest of these re- positories is the Archivio di Stato, housed in the Uffizi. Forty of its 3oo00 rooms are reported flooded, and in them some 40,0oo00 volumes containing about So mil-

lion (!) documents dating from the I3th through the i9th centuries. Although only about io% of the Archivio's hold- ings, this is a staggering number. Among the 45 fondi affected is that of the Con- venti soppressi, the churches and monas- teries dissolved by Napoleon. Much in- formation, largely untapped by scholars, can be found here on musical activities at Florence's religious establishments. Some music may also be included. An archivist recently told me that among the documents from the Archivio being dried at Perugia he saw some pages of music to Italian texts inserted in a 15th- century account book originally from SS. Annunziata. Paradoxically, the dis- order of the present may lead to new discoveries among materials ignored for centuries. Despite all difficulties, the Ar- chivio plans to reopen early in January.

Of fundamental importance for the music historian is the Archivio dell' Opera del Duomo, located near the ca- thedral, which reports some 6,ooo vol- umes, about half its holdings, damaged. In addition its collection of 55 illumi- nated chant manuscripts of the 14th through 16th centuries, recently on dis- play in the Cathedral Museum, are badly damaged and have been sent to the Vati- can Library for restoration. A number of these are thought to be beyond help. Luckily the Cathedral's collection of over 60 manuscripts of polyphonic music of the 16th and 17th centuries, of which no inventory exists, is safe, but by sheer chance. Prof. Fabbri, who has been working on this collection, had them moved upstairs a few months ago.1

Many of the city's church archives

1 In a recent article, Fabbri has described one of these manuscripts, No. 45, in some detail. It contains works by Corteccia and Marco da Gagliano, and anonymi. See Mario Fabbri, "La vita e l'ignota opera-prima di Francesco Corteccia, musicista italiano del rinascimento," in Chigiana XXII (1965), x85-217. A list of manuscripts in the Archivio del Duomo containing music by Marco da Gagliano is appended to an article by Fabbri and Enzo Settesoldi, "Aggiunte e rettifiche alle biografie di Marco e Giovanni Battista da Gagliano," Chigiana XXI (1964), p. 142.

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:19:46 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

150 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY

were damaged, among them that of SS. Annunziata, which is of considerable musical importance. On a recent visit to that church I saw liturgical books set out to dry in the devastated Chiostro dei morti. Particularly distressing was the damage to the Cappella di S. Luca, a beautiful chapel patronized by the Ac- cademia del Disegno and decorated by a pantheon of i6th-century artists. Here concerts of early music have been given regularly, most recently in October. A Renaissance positive organ that stands in the chapel is now caked with mud; only a year ago it was restored to play- able condition.

The fragility of books, manuscripts, and documents, the record of our civ- ilization, has been emphasized with tragic force by this disaster, but so have the fortitude and ingenuity of man. The Florentines have undertaken the job of cleaning and rebuilding their city with a strong spirit, and alongside them have labored hundreds of volunteers from many countries. It is evident that the job, especially that of repairing cultural damage, will take a long time and will cost a great deal of money. American scholars may wish to contribute to the Committee for the Rescue of Italian Art (CRIA), which is concerned with libraries as well as works of art. Their address is 717 Fifth Avenue, New York, and contributions (which are tax-de- ductible) may be earmarked for specific purposes, such as aid to the Conserva- tory Library or to the Biblioteca Na- zionale. For aid to Florentines who have lost their homes and possessions, a Flood Relief Fund has been set up by St. James American Church in Florence (Via Gioberti 34), under a committee headed by our colleague, H. C. Robbins Landon.

Irving Lowens of the Washington Evening Star sends the following communication:

THOSE WHO read John Vinton's "Bart6k on his own Music" (this JOURNAL XIX, 1966) with interest might also find quite

intriguing a Bart6k letter dated May 8, 1921, "recently published for the first time in a Budapest newspaper" (accord- ing to the August 1966 issue of New Hungary, an English-language periodical issued by the Hungarian News and In- formation Service of London). The let- ter was written from No. 2 Gyopar Street in Budapest to Janos Busitia in Rumania; it is today the property of a collector in Bucharest.

Since New Hungary is not likely to be seen by many American musicologists, the complete English text as it appears there is given below:

My dear Friend! At last I can get news from you again!

Two letters you mention did not ar- rive, only the last one dated April 2 i. Of course I haven't even tried to write since it became known that postal communica- tions between the two countries had stopped.

Since then many things have hap- pened to us, good things too, but mostly bad things about which I can't even write.

In brief only this much: we could not stay on in Rakoskeresztur, so we had to accept the kind offer of an old acquaint- ance of ours and have come to live in Pest, in two rooms at his villa (at the above address).

Here we are provided with every- thing: we haven't a household of our own, nevertheless life for the three of us costs twice as much as my annual salary and as a result I have to spend all my spare time in making money.

I play at concerts, write articles for foreign journals, write books on Hun- garian and other folk music and so on. It is clear that under such conditions I would get no chance to compose, even if the state of my mind allowed for it. But the latter isn't by any means in order, which is no wonder.

In effect I have no home; flats are completely unobtainable and even if they were available, they are prohibitive. What I need as much as other people need fresh air is to continue my folk music studies. I am hopelessly shut off. There is neither time nor money for it!

It has emerged that there is no real interest in this kind of information any-

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:19:46 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions