In 2026 the Special Collections will be relocated to a fit-for-purpose storage environment on the refurbished lower ground floor of the Baillieu Library. Access to Special Collections will be restricted from the 15th of June, gradually re-opening throughout Semester 1, 2027. The Reading Room will remain open, and access to University of Melbourne Archives collections will not be impacted.
Please see here for more information about the Baillieu refurbishment and how to make alternative arrangements to use the collections.
The Rare Music collection contains music manuscripts, printed scores, books, archival and other music-related material, including photographs and ephemera. It spans the late 11th century through to the present day. The focus is primarily on European art-music traditions and, to a lesser extent, on popular music. Collection strengths – primarily found in named sub-collections – are in early French, Italian and English music, instrumental methods and music and acoustic theory.
Rare Music also has fine early editions of late 18th to mid- 19th-century Germanic music: a legacy of the musical tastes of University Conservatorium staff and audiences from 1895 to the present. One strength of the collection includes instrumental music for wind instruments. Australian music is another feature of Rare Music. Colonial and post-Federation music (1855 onwards) is strongly represented in both print and manuscript form, including a collection of works by the winners of the University’s Albert H. Maggs composition award (1967- ). Details of the careers of Australian musicians are also recorded in small archival collections. Rare Music also holds a large repository of Concert and Theatre Programs .
In addition to the strengths of the collection, we are actively developing and acquiring early-20th century European music, particularly French.
Business and personal papers of the Editions de l'Oiseau-Lyre Archive can be found in the University of Melbourne Archives catalogue.
The collections are accessible via the Baillieu Library Reading Room.