March 6, 2006
By Thuli Ntuli
WHETHER you prefer your music to be Afro-centric or Euro-centric, jazz, soul or opera, the City's Performing Arts Library is bound to have what you are looking for.
Situated on the second floor of the Johannesburg Public Library at Beyers Naude Square, it is a mecca for aspiring filmmakers, musicians and dancers. And it is stocked with DVDs and videos, about 5 000 CDs and 200 000 books on the various performing arts.
Books include biographies of musicians, musicals, opera, house, rock, chamber, jazz, country and sheet music and on instruments such as piano, violin and viola. It also has a section on the history of music, tracing the art from way back in time, through the 1920s, to today.
Other books in the library are devoted to film and theatre.
"The Performing Arts Library targets anyone who is interested in music, theatre, dance, film, television – any performing art," says librarian Gail Bessinger.
People who use the library include students, teachers and other Joburgers simply interested in music, dance and film. "Not only students come to the library; teachers from various institutions also do their research on film, dance and music. It depends on their profession," explains Rhulani Sebopetsa, another librarian.
As a bonus, it occasionally hosts performances by various musicians – and usually the concerts are free. Bessinger says it tries to have three concerts a year featuring professional musicians.
On the right-hand side of the reading room there is an old piano, adding to the musical atmosphere, which is continued in the posters of musical instruments on the walls.
In the library's CD collection are albums from legendary South African musicians like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, from their first albums to their recent releases.
It caters for all genres of music, except ever-changing kwaito. It no longer stocks kwaito music CDs, because people do not return them, Sebopetsa says.
A music researcher's dream, the library has books on national and international instruments and musicians, as well as on isiZulu, Afrikaans, English, German and French music, among other foreign languages.
"Lots of students from the University of the Witwatersrand come in groups when they have projects to work on. For example, last week their lecturers gave them a project on South African musicians and instruments, and the library was full," Sebopetsa says.
People learn about the library through word of mouth, the librarian adds, as it is not able to advertise. However, there are about 50 visitors a day.
Only affiliated members may borrow CDs, DVDs, videos and books, which they may take out for two weeks. There is also a CD player at the library, for visitors who want to listen a particular track. Non-members may use the resources in the library, but may not borrow them.
The Performing Arts Library set up shop in 1906, and split from a joint venture with the Michaelis Arts Library in the 1960s when it opened the first official music library on 20 April 1964.
Although it is a City project, part of the Johannesburg Public Library, it does occasionally receive sponsorships. "The last time we had a donation was a year before last, from Accent Music Company, which donated books," Bessinger says.
The Performing Arts Library is on the second floor of the Johannesburg Public Library, Beyers Naude Square, in central Joburg. It is open on Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm. For more information, call librarians Rhulani Sebopetsa or Pamela Makamo on 011 870 1247.
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