Grand Library Interior: Ornate Ceiling and Bookshelves

Underneath an intricately painted ceiling, towering bookshelves stretch towards the heavens. This is the interior of the Vienna Musikverein library, which is lavishly decorated. Its distinctive look emerges from the combination of ornate ceiling and the bookshelves. While many of the books look historical, they are in fact modern reproductions. The library is a meticulously curated space: the books are given a layer of dust to give an aged look, and the books are even fanned to have the book covers appear to be wide open. Vienna Musikverein is not a publicly accessible library. Instead, its grand interior has been used to set the stage for many concerts, opera, and ballet performances.

The Haus des Buches: A Monument to Musical Scholarship

The Haus des Buches music library holds a huge collection of musical literature, including manuscripts, concert programs, and early printed music. The collection contains a large number of rare items, including early editions of musical works, concert programs and annual reports, and manuscripts. The musical literature is preserved. Housed in the Musikverein, many of these books present the same appearance to the public without ever being opened. This library not only contains a lot of books but special books which are in reality facsimiles of music collected in the library. The ceiling features frescoes that are breathtaking. The architectural work features ornate designs, masks, and medallions. The bookshelves are covered in intricate carvings. The space is adorned with giant urns and statues. It creates a feeling of being in an old, historical library. But the books are actually fake books.

The Musical Library as a Part of a Cultural Heritage Institution

The Musikverein library is part of the larger Musicological Institute of the Academy of Sciences and the musicological aspect of the University of Vienna. This is meant to symbolize and highlight how the study of music is a part of the academic culture and history of Vienna. The front door opens to a hallway, which leads to a back room that contains books that are ultimately what you see in the library. While the books themselves are fake, the experience of the library and the physical items inside the library itself really help to convey the history of music. The Musical aspect of the library serves as a lesson about how important music is in a city's culture and history.

Design ### Luxury and History

“This room is here to convey the history of the Music Institute of the Academy of Sciences," says Michael Haberlik (although it is worth noting that this quote could have been spoken for the benefit of the camera). "There’s a brief pause at the door and then everyone goes 'Wow'". It’s clear that the library has been meticulously designed to recreate a look and feel of a historic library, even though the books are actually facsimiles. The library is not a library, but rather a room, with a special door that looks like a library door. This design makes the room all the more impressive. The use of the library as a room in the Musikverein is not only remarkable in that it's filled with something of incredible value to music. The room is a room of history, which is an important aspect of the city of Vienna.

Architecture

The room has two main parts to it: a spacious room that has shelves for books, and the "library". The room that fills the shelves is what visitors see first, and the "library" is revealed as a back room. Not only is the entire room designed to hold a large quantity of books, but it also creates a special atmosphere for when the door is revealed. The purpose is to present an imposing, historical-looking space to visitors. This room has a vaulted ceiling which is designed to look like a cove.

The Books

The books themselves are specifically designed to feature the history of Vienna. The books are usually found in volumes of large size with gold edges and leather bindings. "The books that are found in this Library have been collected over time and have been collected from the Vienna Musicological Institute of the Academy of Sciences Vienna, Vienna University," From the transcripts it seems they are facsimiles, intended to give the library a true historic look.

The Design’s Practical Purpose ### Private Access

To most, it may seem like a real library that stores a collection of books and has a sense of history. While most of the books in the library are mere facsimiles, the room is actually a stage used for concerts and performances. The library has been used in many movies, television shows, and concerts. However, it’s not open to the public unless in a prearranged tour.

Imagining the Grandeur

Visit a major city, or at least the city of Vienna, and head to the House of Music. Bring a camera and take a tour of this place that once held a collection of music-related texts in the House of Music. Take time to study the architecture, the history, and the specific design elements, such as the ornate ceiling which is painted to look like a fresco. Observe the huge books and the realistic impression of a historic library. Take a look at the incredible books, and study the way that the books are placed and styled. Think about how a space like this would be used, and what kind of atmosphere a designer would want to create.