Archive and library

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The archive is divided into a text archive, a pictorial archive and a sound archive. A reference library serves both us who are working here and our visitors such as researchers, musicians and private persons who need information on instruments.

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The Text Archive comprises catalogues and price lists, original or copies, from Swedish and foreign makers of pianos, reed organs, self-playing instruments and piano actions. In addition there are catalogues from art and industry exhibitions (prints). Among manuscripts there are archival documents on the Herrljunga piano and reed organ industry with among others Bergling files and part of the Anders Sjögren business correspondence from the 1940s. Archival documents are also found in the Baumgartd piano factory gift and the deposits of the Almquist and Nyström families. The S. Ljungqvist reed organ factory at Vänersborg and Landvetter (1899-1945) has left an order-book 1915-1945, accounts, catalogues and price lists, photos and glass films of organs produced, diplomas from art and industry exhibitions together with a family history book. In addition to these manuscripts and prints we create a collection of copies of archival documents, for example patents, and register the presence of archival files of domestic piano and reed organ factories.

The Pictorial archive contains full scale drawings for pianos, some grand pianos and for keyboards (originals). Construction drawings from domestic factories are rarely preserved in Sweden and here is a collection that may be unique in Sweden. There are also photos of factory buildings and interiors representing different stages of production, among them pictures from the Östlind & Almquist taken in 1899 to manifest the just begun piano production and for the 1909 catalogue. Three movies from the Malmsjö and Östlind & Almquist factories from 1927 and 1936 are unique as far as known. Video recordings reproduce for example the piano maker Uno Bergling in Herrljunga telling his story and pianists performing on the concert podium. In addition, photos of old instruments made abroad serve as searching aids when we are hunting for models and sources of inspiration used by Swedish makers.

The sound archive contains among others around 25 interviews made with Swedish piano makers, workers and music tradesmen in the period 1977 to c. 1990. Moreover we have laid the foundations of a collection of recording by Swedish pianists and early keyboard players.

The reference library is still being built up. It shall consist of instrument literature, studies on different factories, piano and reed organ atlases (number books) and related fields such as technical and industrial history, music museum catalogues and works on musical and social aspects on the use of keyboard instruments through centuries as well as books on local history.

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