Salzburg loses its music store
mainThe Mayrische Musikalienhandlung, which has sold books and sheet music on Salzburg’s Theatergasse since 1592, is closing down next month. It was latterly owned by Universal Edition in Vienna.
Local orchestras are gutted. Salzburg Camerata’s chief Shane Woodborne says: ‘It’s about specialist knowledge. There is a lot that cannot be found on the internet. If we need unknown or lost works, then the expertise of the Mayrische Musikalienhandlung is extremely valuable.’
I bought some of my first vocal scores there when I was a teenager. Mozarts Die Zauberflote and Die Entfuhrung.
‘It’s about specialist knowledge. There is a lot that cannot be found on the internet. If we need unknown or lost works, then the expertise of the Mayrische Musikalienhandlung is extremely valuable.’
But not valuable enough to keep it as an ongoing store. Where are the good folk of Salzburg? It’s government (the city is heavily reliant on classical music)? It’s no wonder that Mozart left as soon as he could.
Information should be made more accessible in various forms, much of it is not available online. The lovers of neoliberalism shall not complain of this closure.
Schade & Schande for Salzburg.
That’s incredibly sad news. I visited and bought music (and books) from this incredible shop every time I visited Salzburg. I could easily spend hours combing through the shelves.
After 428 years! Nearly all of Wsetern music has flowed through this venerable shop. Cannot Universal Edition find a way to keep it open? It should be maintained as a national institution. They would not have dared do this if Herbert von Karajan were still alive, even if he could not make it stop raining in Salzburg.
In case there is no chance to mark it later, today is the 271st birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born 1749 in Frankfurt-am-Main, Salzburg’s neighbour to the north. Mayrische Muzikalienhandlung was then already 157 years old.
Well, you could always go and buy some music from them, that would help.
Forgive me for jumping the gun by two days through mis-reading an entry. August 28 is the day. Now we have more time to prepare a nice big birthday party for old Johann Wolfgang, who was once young himself. Wait until I give the glad tidings to Friedrich von Schiller, Rilke, and Thos. Mann.
As hGoethe wrote an envious young poet, “My satisfaction in having reached this age may not be as great as you imagine.”