Pendlebury Music Library

Ever wondered what a library sounds like? At the Pendlebury Music Library, it sounds like the whisper of rustling pages, punctuated by the melodic hum of students discovering musical treasures. The Pendlebury Music Library isn’t just a repository of books and scores. It’s a vibrant hub of musical life here in Cambridge. The library’s story begins in 1880 with a generous gift from Richard Pendlebury to the Fitzwilliam Museum. He donated 100 volumes of printed music, a gesture he repeated over the years until his collection reached around 2,000 volumes. This generous donation formed the core of what would eventually become the Pendlebury Library of Music. The collection took root under the Music Faculty in 1926, eventually finding its current home on West Road in a building designed by Sir Leslie Martin and completed in 1984. Today, the Pendlebury Music Library, nestled next to the West Road Concert Hall, holds a treasure trove of around 50,000 books and scores, alongside 10,000 sound recordings and 2,000 microforms. Within its walls, you’ll find everything from rare books and facsimiles to an impressive array of online resources. While the music manuscripts were transferred to Cambridge University Library in 1994, Pendlebury’s original collection of printed sheet music remains accessible here. Special collections, such as the Picken Collection of early Bach editions, the Walter Emery Collection, and the Howard Ferguson Collection, add depth and breadth to the library’s holdings. The Pendlebury Music Library isn’t just about preservation. It’s about access and discovery. It’s a place where students and researchers can delve into the rich history of music, explore new sounds, and find inspiration. The library’s unique classification system, somewhat similar to that used at Cambridge University Library’s Music Collections, ensures that every note, every score, every recording is easily discoverable. So, the next time you’re near West Road, take a moment to step inside the Pendlebury Music Library. Listen closely. You might just hear the echoes of musical giants whispering through the pages.