Share your opinion
Help us improve our services by filling in our quick survey to let us know how we're doing.
The Welsh Music Archive was established at the National Library in 2017, in order to collect, and to promote the use of, music archives and manuscripts in the Library.
The Contents of the Archive
We may claim that the National Library holds the most extensive collections of Welsh music, in the forms of
- printed materials (scores, books and journals)
- individual manuscripts
- the archives of individuals, institutions and societies
- audio and video recordings of performances.
We preserve the oldest extant written music from Wales, and the most recent compositions and performances by our contemporary musicians. This is an ever-evolving resource: materials are added monthly to our music collections.
Collection Statement
In accordance with the National Library of Wales' Collections Development Policy, the Welsh Music Archive collects
- the personal papers of musicians who have played, and who continue to play an important role in the life of the nation, and individuals from Wales with a high profile because of their musical work nationally or internationally. Among these are composers, performers, promoters, and scholars who study the musical traditions of Wales
- the archives of national bodies who arrange and promote musical performances, national organisations and societies who promote or study aspects of Welsh music, or groups who perform Welsh music or music in Wales
- the archives of Welsh commercial music publishers, including recording companies
- Welsh music manuscripts of all periods, together with concert programmes and ephemera reflecting music activities in all parts of Wales.
Contacting the Welsh Music Archive
Follow us on Twitter: @MusicNLW
To enquire about specific music items in the Library’s collections, contact our Enquiries Service.
General enquiries relating to Welsh music, and offers of donations to our music collections, should be addressed to the member of staff responsible for the Archive, namely Nia Mai Daniel.
Nia Mai Daniel
Email: nia.daniel@llgc.org.uk
Tel: 01970 632 878