the SPAL collections
THE CORE COLLECTION
MAKING MUSIC KIRBY COLLECTION
About the collection
Making Music is the UK's primary organisation for voluntary music, helping over 3,000 music groups to flourish in their music making. Its members include choirs, orchestras, music promoters, jazz and wind bands, community festivals, samba groups, sitar ensembles, barbershop choruses and brass bands. These groups come to Making Music for the expert help they need to set up, run and grow music in their communities.
The Making Music Kirby Collection was launched in August 2011 thanks to a generous legacy from Alan Kirby, Making Music's first Chairman. He was a leading figure in choral singing in Surrey and, together with his wife Ethel, was keen to ensure the continued success of choral singing in Surrey. The Making Music Board decided to use the £148,000 legacy to purchase a collection of printed music for choirs. This is now kept at Surrey Performing Arts Library, where the music has its own distinctive label and is shelved alongside the other music for choirs. This is currently held with the SPAL collection at Ewell Library, where the music has its own distinctive label and is shelved alongside the other music for choirs.
This extensive collection was developed between 2011-2015 and offers a wide range of many choral favourites, as well as some more unusual works. Please see below for a list of the stock in the collection, updated with the final new titles as of October 2015.
How to reserve items
Group members of Surrey Libraries can reserve scores up to six months in advance of their first rehearsal and, if the scores are not required, they will become available to choirs all over the UK through their local library service. The service is currently managed by Surrey Libraries and, pending the transfer of the SPAL collection to NewSPAL later in 2019, NewSPAL has no responsibility for the management of the collection or for any changes to the service that Surrey Libraries may introduce in the interim.
Reservations can be placed in person, by email, on the phone or using the online set request form.
- Scores - The scores collection suits the needs of instrumentalists and singers of all standards and includes extensive collections of full, miniature and study scores for quartets, concert bands, chamber and symphony orchestras, choirs and singing groups of a range of sizes and abilities.
- For orchestras there are over 1,300 sets in stock covering a wide range of music and all levels of ability.
The spreadsheet below lists all the sets in stock where the collection is currently held (at Ewell Library) for full, string, band and school orchestra (on different tabs). Ewell Library and the collection are still part of Surrey Libraries for the time being.
If you are a group member, please contact Ewell Library if you would like to borrow a set, or use the online set request form.
Orchestral sets January 2019 (250.0 KB) - For singers and choirs there are over 2,000 vocal sets of anything from 'South Pacific' to the 'Messiah', and a large section of music to suit smaller groups, such as partsongs and madrigals.
The spreadsheet below lists all of the vocal sets in stock at Ewell Library, including operas, musicals, collections, music suitable for upper voices and men's voices, and librettos (on different tabs). If you are a group member then please contact the Library if you would like to borrow a set, or use the online set request form.- Vocal sets January 2019 (463.0 KB)
A list of all the vocal sets in stock at Surrey Performing Arts Library, last updated November 2017
- Vocal sets January 2019 (463.0 KB)
- For orchestras there are over 1,300 sets in stock covering a wide range of music and all levels of ability.
- Plays - The play collection covers the standards, modern plays, monologues, plays for children, plus older and rarer plays, with a good selection of foreign playscripts.
- For drama groups there is a choice of over 3,200 playsets. You'll find one-acters, plays for children and sets of libretti. For the festive season there is a selection of pantomimes, too.
The spreadsheet below lists all of the playsets in the SPAL collection at Ewell Library, including one-act plays, pantomimes, librettos, plays for Christmas, children, female cast and male cast (on different tabs). If you are a group member then please contact the Library if you would like to borrow a set, or use the online set request form.- Playsets list January 2019 (305.8 KB)
- For drama groups there is a choice of over 3,200 playsets. You'll find one-acters, plays for children and sets of libretti. For the festive season there is a selection of pantomimes, too.
- Books - The book collection provides in-depth material covering all aspects of music, dance, theatre and cinema.
- Audio-visual - The extensive collection of CDs and DVDs covers music, dance, theatre, cinema, sound effects and tutorials.
- Other Resources
- Dictionaries, encyclopedias and catalogues for reference (printed and digital).
- Naxos Music Library (streaming service) and Oxford Music Online (including Grove) available via
the Adult online reference shelf. - Internet computer and free wi-fi.
- Personal listening facilities for cassettes, CDs and vinyl.
MAKING MUSIC KIRBY COLLECTION
About the collection
Making Music is the UK's primary organisation for voluntary music, helping over 3,000 music groups to flourish in their music making. Its members include choirs, orchestras, music promoters, jazz and wind bands, community festivals, samba groups, sitar ensembles, barbershop choruses and brass bands. These groups come to Making Music for the expert help they need to set up, run and grow music in their communities.
The Making Music Kirby Collection was launched in August 2011 thanks to a generous legacy from Alan Kirby, Making Music's first Chairman. He was a leading figure in choral singing in Surrey and, together with his wife Ethel, was keen to ensure the continued success of choral singing in Surrey. The Making Music Board decided to use the £148,000 legacy to purchase a collection of printed music for choirs. This is now kept at Surrey Performing Arts Library, where the music has its own distinctive label and is shelved alongside the other music for choirs. This is currently held with the SPAL collection at Ewell Library, where the music has its own distinctive label and is shelved alongside the other music for choirs.
This extensive collection was developed between 2011-2015 and offers a wide range of many choral favourites, as well as some more unusual works. Please see below for a list of the stock in the collection, updated with the final new titles as of October 2015.
How to reserve items
Group members of Surrey Libraries can reserve scores up to six months in advance of their first rehearsal and, if the scores are not required, they will become available to choirs all over the UK through their local library service. The service is currently managed by Surrey Libraries and, pending the transfer of the SPAL collection to NewSPAL later in 2019, NewSPAL has no responsibility for the management of the collection or for any changes to the service that Surrey Libraries may introduce in the interim.
Reservations can be placed in person, by email, on the phone or using the online set request form.
- Kirby Collection scores list (163.8 KB)
A collection of printed music of contemporary and standard repertoire, including choral favourites, created in 2011.
