Flat note (From Barry And District News)

Flat note

9:10am Thursday 4th February 2010

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I THINK my fellow musicians may be interested in this.

Having listened to the second instalment of the TV series Pop Star to Opera Star, and having enjoyed it immensely - especially the Toreador's Song and The Habanera from Bizet's Carmen - I thought that a pleasant hour or so could be spent browsing over a few operatic scores in the music department or our comprehensive library in Barry.

But - shock horror There is no music section in the library.

I remember the former library housed a very decent music department comprising of about eight bookcases, three or four shelves deep, where operatic scores, sonatas and symphonies, national and international compositions of note, song books and absolutely masses of incidental music to London shows could be found.

The then librarian Philip John and his assistants would, I am sure, be horrified over the disposal of all that treasure.

There is a popular belief that the computer has all the answers, a completely erroneous assumption.

Heart and soul are all of music's wonder, which no computer can replace.

Handling a nice fat volume of the best historically proven masterpieces is a thrill in itself, let alone opening it to reveal its inner glories.

What body of non-intellectuals decided a music department was not needed?

Why have the administrators of the library done nothing to correct the omission? Where are all the precious books and manuscripts? Do our town or Vale councils have any jurisdiction in the matter?

P J Owen-Weaving (Mrs) Holton Road Barry

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