June | 2015 | Jerwood Library of the Performing Arts blog

This post is aimed not just at musicians but anyone out there who may have an interest in researching or just appreciating the wonderfully rich resource that is illustrated sheet music.

The jovial drinker [1680-1740] © Trustees of the British Museum

What is sheet music (with apologies to musicians)?

At the risk of stating the obvious, ‘sheet music’ is the generic term used to cover handwritten or printed musical notation. The terms ‘score’ and ‘part’ are more specific terms usually referring to music that is written for multiple players/singers. From at least the seventeenth century, popular songs and other short items of sheet music were issued with illustrations, either as part of a single sheet (along with the music and text) or on a separate cover.

Why would you want to find it?

Irrespective of the musical content, the illustrations on sheet music are a fabulous source in their own right. Here are some reasons you should take a closer look:

I can’t stand Mrs Green’s mother [1859-1886] © Trustees of the British Museum

Design/typography/printing history. Every type of method is represented from wood engravings to colour lithography. Some illustrators specialised in sheet music covers such as John Brandard and Alfred Concanen.
Performance history. From ball rooms through music hall to jazz clubs, sheet music has documented the scenes, people, and themes of light music entertainment.
Social/cultural history. Contemporary fashions, new inventions, and social stereotypes all feature on sheet music covers. All of life is represented and pretty much any topic you could think of has been covered by music’s illustrators.
Portraiture. Many covers include illustrations or photographs of contemporary performers. Sometimes these images can be a rare source for long-forgotten celebrities.

G’arn Away What D’yer Take Me For? [1904 – 1910] © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Where to find illustrated sheet music covers

Popular sheet music has often been viewed as ephemeral material so it’s not as easy to find as you might think. Music libraries catering to classical music students have tended not to actively collect, catalogue, or digitise popular song collections. And copyright law means that there are restrictions on what can be made available online.

That said, there are some really great collections out there, many curated by museums. Here are some places you can look. In most cases, images are free to use for personal, non-commercial research but do check the permissions on each site first.

Aeroplane waltzes [1910] Science Museum via Culture Grid
The V&A have a vast collection of sheet music, much of which is digitised. To browse, click on ‘more search options’, type “sheet music” into the object name/title box, and select ‘only records with images’.
The Cuture Grid brings together collections from museums, galleries, libraries and archives across the UK – the site includes some unexpected sources of sheet music such as the Science Museum.
The Spellman Collection of Victorian Music Covers is a huge collection housed at Reading University. It is included on the Culture Grid but also on VADS where it’s a bit easier to browse.
The British Museum’s Collections Database is another great UK source, particularly for nineteenth-century covers.

Jazz babies’ ball (1919) Duke University via Sheet Music Consortium

Further afield, the Sheet Music Consortium contains collections from US libraries. You can browse by title, subject, name and date published.
Europeana brings together millions of items from Europe’s leading galleries, libraries, archives and museums, including sheet music.
Flickr Commons is a subset of Flickr used by museums, libraries and archives across the globe. Search on “sheetmusic” (NB all one word) to search the sheet music tag.
Lastly, this site is fabulous for French covers, particularly from the art nouveau and art deco periods. But beware: it’s curated by a private individual and copyright in some cases is dubious.

The songs in La Figlia del Reggimento (illustration of soprano Jenny Lind) [1840-43] Jerwood Library, Trinity Laban.

Jerwood Library Collections

Here in the Jerwood Library we are starting to think about how we might make our illustrated sheet music more accessible. We have digitised some nineteenth century items here on Flickr Commons. We also have large amounts of twentieth-century illustrated covers in our Rita Williams Popular Song Collection, though, as yet, these are not digitised. And we are always acquiring new material through donation. So, if you want to know more, get in touch!

We’d also love to hear from you if you have used illustrated sheet music in your research – what did you use it for, how did you find it, what cataloguing/metadata did you find useful?

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the Jerwood Library

I’m responsible for the day-to-day management of the special collections and archives which means anything from answering queries and cataloguing to putting on exhibitions and liaising with potential donors. The collections comprise original manuscripts, photographs, letters and rare printed music – they are a real treasure trove and it’s a privilege to be able to work with them.

I’ve been working in libraries for about 10 years now but before that I was a freelance horn player and was lucky enough to work with some really great ensembles including Academy of St Martin in the Fields, BBC Symphony Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia. I studied with Stephen Stirling at Trinity Laban (then TCM) on a postgraduate diploma course after finishing a music degree at Oxford University. I also hold a PhD in history from the University of Manchester.

What is a typical day at work like for you?

The first thing I do when I get to work is check for new enquiries. These come from all over the world, from academic researchers, musicians, family historians, and lay members of the public. Most enquiries involve a trip into the stacks to look at a collection, and a bit of research using the library’s print and online resources. Enquiry work is brilliant: I love helping people with their research and I always learn something new myself in the process.

After replying to any enquiries, I can get on with some of my longer-term projects such as improving our collections information. Cataloguing special collections and archives is time-consuming, but it gives me the chance to really get to know a collection, which in turn helps me to answer enquiries more effectively. Sometimes I will come across something really special that I can digitize on our Flickr page or write a blog post about.

Other ongoing tasks revolve around ensuring the long-term survival of the collections – for instance undertaking preventative conservation measures, drawing up procedures for handling and access, or updating our emergency plans. I also help out with our information skills training programme, taking the opportunity whenever I can to plug the special collections!

What’s something you enjoy about your role?

I find researching and writing about the collections particularly enjoyable. Luckily there are lots of opportunities for this kind of work – through answering enquiries, cataloguing, and especially when preparing exhibitions. I can get so hooked on a topic that it sometimes spills over into my ‘free’ time – like when I spent much of my Christmas holiday writing about the music for the Chester Historical Pageant of 1910…

Are there any hidden or little-known aspects of your work you’d like to share?

I’m a huge believer in the potential for special collections and archives to ‘sell’ an institution: the more people who engage with the collections, the further our name is spread. So I’m always thinking of ways to reach new audiences – on Flickr, with blog posts, on the website, or with union catalogues such as the Archives Hub. I also work with the marketing and development teams to bring the collections to a wider audience and build up relationships with alumni, donors and other key individuals. Music is a small world so this kind of engagement can really make a big difference to the wider reputation and success of the conservatoire.