Items listed on this page are normally on display in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library at St Pancras, London.
You can find out more about selected items online. You can also check opening times and get an overview of what the gallery contains.
Music
- The Caligula Troper, late eleventh century
Cotton Caligula A XIV ff. 20v - 21 - The Old Hall Manuscript, early 15th century. Chants for Mass & motets
Add. MS 57950 ff. 12v - 13 - Early English Music Printing, 1530. First major music book printed in England
K.1.e.1 - Mendelssohn's Wedding March
Mus.1591 ff142v-143 - Printed volume of Purcell's sonnatas - dedicated to Charles II. 1683
K.4.g.10 - Handel's Messiah. Composed 1741
RM.20.f.2 ff. 111v - 112 - Libreto for the first performance of Messiah on 13th April 1742
K.8.d.4(1) pp 2 - 3 - Mozart's horn concerto in E Flat
Zweig 55 ff. 7v - 8 - Mozart's marriage contract. 3rd August 1782
Zweig 69 folio 1 - Hayden Symphony no 96. 1791
Add. MS 64936 ff. 1v - 2 - Haydn's publishing contract. 1796
Music Dep 2006/09 - Beethoven's violin sonata in G major
Add. MS 37767 ff. 9v - 10 - Schubert's 'An Die Musik'
Zweig 81A - Portrait of Franz Schubert at the age of 29. 1826
Zweig 81B - Beethoven's tuning fork
Add. MS 71148A - Ravel's Bolero, first performed 22 November 1928
Zweig 74 f. 1 - Elgar, sketch for the 3rd symphony. 1932
Add. MS 56101 f. 56 - Photograph of Elgar
Add. MS 54781 - Percy Grainger, Country Gardens music score
Add. MS 50883 ff. 6v - 7 - Miro, design for book cover - Mestres Quadreny's Digodal
K.6.d.5(2)
Beatles
- MS Lyric "I remember a time when everyone"
Loan 86 - MS Lyric "Ticket to Ride"
Loan 86 - George Harrison lyric to an unrecorded song
Loan 86 - MS Lyric "Help"
Loan 86 - Photo of The Beatles, includes Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe
Loan 86 - Birthday card with MS Lyric "A Hard Day's Night"
Loan 114 - MS Lyric "Yesterday"
Loan 86 - MS Lyric "Michelle"
Loan 86 - The Beatles Book no 1, August 1963
Sound Archive - 45 single of "A Hard Day's Night"
Sound Archive - Beatles 1963 Christmas record in cover
Sound Archive - Hammersmith Odeon concert ticket, 1965
Sound Archive - Fan club membership card
Sound Archive