Sarah Richardson - Reid School of Music

Sarah Richardson, a graduate from the University of South Dakota who is currently 'Learning and Engagement Manager' at Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh, engaged members with a fascinating account of two Edinburgh buildings and their contents.

Sarah, an American, gently embarrassed the members when asking us with a show of hands to admit how little we knew of St Cecilia's and the Reid Concert Hall in our City and the world class collection of musical instruments they contain.

Even the the location of St Cecilia's was a mystery to many members until she described it as opposite Bannerman's Bar in Cowgate !

Built during The Enlightenment in 1763 it is the oldest public concert hall in Scotland and was the place to go until to the New Town was built. Before then music performance was not available to the public and was by private invitation only. She sketched the chequered uses for the building in the last century - Masonic Temple, Dr Bell's School, Traders' Shops, Dance Hall in 1940's & 50's and finally purchased in 1968 by the University of Edinburgh to house and display their collection of historical musical instruments.

John Donaldson, Professor of Music at Edinburgh University in early 1800's, built the Reid Concert Hall with funding from a bequest from General John Reid dedicated for musical performance and teaching.

Sarah showed us how cultural history can be traced and analysed by studying the design and manufacture of historic and present day instruments and showed us detailed slides of beautiful craftsmanship and quirky designs of brass 'Serpents' and 'Anacondas'. We were treated to an acoustic presentation on screen of a c.1574 Venetian Harpsichord being played, a c.1763 Clavichord and a c.1627 Lute. Sarah emphasised that the majority of the collection of 5,000 instruments are currently played and are loaned out for playing and performance.

St Cecilia's is currently being restored and extended in a two-year project and will when finished will house the complete collections and extend a frontage and entrance to the High Street to encourage greater public engagement.

The Club are grateful to Sarah for her presentation and enlightening us on what for many of us was an unknown area of Edinburgh's musical history.

Ian Kerr gave Sarah the Club's Vote of Thanks.

Report by Jim Douglas