The library of the school, which counts among its founders Franz Liszt, has been located in a 140-square-metre flat across the street from the Teachers? Training College of the Franz Liszt Music Academy since 1959. However, the flat, which the school rented from the local council, was sold in 2003 to a private individual who now wishes to terminate the agreement allowing the school to use it. The library must move from the flat by the end of July, said Béla Bartók Music School headmaster Brigitta Kovács
When informed of the eviction, the school looked for another flat in the vicinity to house the library?s collection of books and sheet music, containing as many as 45,000 items, together with 6,000 vinyl recordings and 1,300 CDs, but rents in the area were exorbitant. There was no other option but to move the library to a space half the size of the library?s current home in the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Nagymező utca. The space is too small for the library?s period furniture, although a gallery could be built creating more floor space. This would cost, together with other expenses, HUF 48 million, an amount the school cannot produce. Alone the move to the academy would cost HUF 1 million as the seven-metre-long shelves ? richly decorated and bearing the original catalogue numbers ? cannot be fitted through the buildings hallways and must be lowered out the window, Kovács said.
Kovács issued a plea for assistance for the school?s library, from the Ministry of Education and Culture, sponsors or private persons, either in finding a new space for the library or contributing to refurbishing the space in the academy. She noted that the, if the library were to close, the cost of purchasing the required texts and sheet music would run up to HUF 60,000 per pupil. She added that the library contains more than a bit of history and has been used by many of Hungary?s most famous musicians, among them Zoltán Kocsis, András Schiff, Iván Fischer and Gábor Presser.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
