Wilfrid Mellers Collection

Approximately sixteen hundred items relating to music, comprising books, scores, and CDs.

Included in the collection are some books and scores written or annotated by Mellers himself.

How to access the collection

You can explore the collection via YorSearch. The items in the collection are mostly borrowable and are located in the Fairhurst building. A small quantity of books and scores are in the Rare Books collection and may be consulted at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.

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About the collection

The collector

Wilfrid Howard Mellers OBE (1914– 2008) was an eminent English music critic, musicologist and composer.

From 1964 until 1981 he was founding professor and head of the Music Department at the University of York, where he remained emeritus professor until his death. The 2004 York Late Music Festival opened with a weekend tribute to Mellers, who celebrated his 90th birthday that year.

He was an expert on 20th-century composers Vaughan Williams and Percy Grainger, and also published works on the Beatles.

Acquisition

The collection was donated to the University by Wilfrid Mellers' family after his death.