history

The Multimedia Library was among the first structures the Accademia wanted to provide for itself following the Unification of Italy, when its activities expanded to include the first season of public concerts in 1895. The Library, which has been open to the public since 1877, holds all the editions, scores, manuscripts, tablatures and libretti previously kept in the Accademia Archive.

The Antique Collection, previously kept in the Conservatory, consists of about 7,000 manuscripts, a thousand or so pre-1820 editions and about 1,500 libretti; it also has several particularly important collections, including the Fondo Mario (The Mario Collection), which belonged to the first tenor to interpret the role of Ernesto in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, as well as the Pinelli, Monachesi and Cottrau Collections.

Among the book collections received as donations since the second half of the 1900's, especially notable are the Library of Vincenzo Bellezza (which includes part of the Leopoldo Mugnone Archive), and those of Alessandro Bustini, Fernando Previtali, Bernardino Molinari and Franco Caracciolo. Recent acquisitions include the libraries of Virgilio Mortari, Fedele D'Amico, Goffredo Petrassi, Diego Carpitella and Ivan Vandor. The Library also has a rich collection of programs, not only the complete series of Accademia programs but also those from other lyric-symphonic foundations and festivals. Among the most recent acquisitions are Multimedia publications and publications usable online, which make available both musical content and content about music that is often difficult for private citizens to access.

This entire patrimony, further enriched during the course of the 20th century with collections belonging to great conductors, critics and composers, is now available in the Multimedia Library and can also be partially consulted directly in the catalogue in digital format.