The Wighton Database

The Database contains over 1000 records describing Dundee’s Wighton Collection one of the world’s finest repositories of Scottish music.

The Wighton also includes a goodly selection of rare English, Irish and Welsh volumes, with RISM entries in abundance, and many unique items. John and Henry Playford’s “Dancing Masters” and “Apollo’s Banquets” are a particular delight.

The Collection is housed in the Local Studies Suite of Dundee’s Central Library, along with a wealth of primary material from Dundee’s past, including extensive records relating to personalities such as Mary Slessor, Sir James Ivory, William McGonagall, and James Bowman Lindsay.

Search the database by entering key words as a string e.g. “air for autumn”, or use Boolean operators (and, or, not) e.g. “air and autumn”. Synonyms have been added to facilitate searching for archaic and variant spellings. In some cases however, a certain amount of experimentation will be required. The unique subject index, thought to have been devised by H. M. Willsher in the 1950s, may prove of limited assistance with some searches.

In March 2000, the United Kingdom Heritage Lottery Fund awarded £162,000 towards the construction of “The Wighton Heritage Centre for the Study and Appreciation of Scottish Music”.