Finding Aid for Edna Phillips Papers, 1930-1970 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Noah Lenstra and Maia Perez

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Collection Overview

Title: Edna Phillips Papers, 1930-1970

ID: 12/9/122

Primary Creator: Phillips, Edna (1907-2003)

Extent: 1.75 cubic feet

Arrangement: Arranged in one series, consisting of published and manuscript music, and a recording. The series is arranged alphabetically by composer, with oversized materials in boxes 4 and 5.

Date Acquired: 01/15/2004. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Compositions-Music, Harps

Formats/Genres: Sound Recordings

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of published and unpublished music that was either played by or commissioned by Edna Phillips during her career as a harpist between 1930 and 1970. Many of the pieces include Phillips' hand-written performance annotations. The collection also includes the October 12, 1945 sound recording of Phillips performing Paul White's "Sea Chanty" with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the conductor, Eugene Ormandy.

Biographical Note

Edna Phillips (January 7, 1907 - December 2, 2003) was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and became first woman to occupy a principal position with a major American symphony when she joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as first harp in 1930. At the age of seventeen she began studying harp with Florence Wightman in 1924, and three years later enrolled as a piano and harp student at the Curtis Institute of Music in the fall of 1927. The following year she began her private studies with Carlos Salzedo who taught harp at Curtis and was one of Wightman's teachers. In 1929 Phillips joined the Philadelphia Orchestra shortly after graduation from Curtis at the age of 22.

Phillips began teaching harp at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music in 1933 and remain with that instituion until 1972 when she retired. Concerned with the meagerness of solo music repertoire for harp, she commissioned numerious works for harp from such composers as Harl McDonald, Paul White, Alberto Ginastera, Nicolai Berezowsky, Ernst Krenek, and Erno von Dohnanyi. Her most famous commission was Ginastera's Concerto for Harp which was premiered by Nicanor Zabaleta and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1965.

Phillips married Samuel Rosenbaum, a prominent attorney and board member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, in 1933. However she never changed her professional name and was always referred to as "Miss Phillips" throughout the remainder of her career.

Subject/Index Terms

Compositions-Music
Harps

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: First additional donation was made on December. 23, 2019 by Clinton Niewig, and a second addition was made by Joan Solaun on January 30, 2021.

Acquisition Source: Joan Solaun, Phillips' daughter, Urbana, Illinois

Acquisition Method: Gift

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Music and Recordings, 1906-1969],
[All]

Series 1: Music and Recordings, 1906-1969

Arranged alphabetically by composer, with oversized materials in boxes 4 and 5.

Box 1

Folder 1: Salvador Bacarisse,"Concerto in Eb Major for Harp and Wind Instruments, op. 92, undated: Score of a transcription for harp and piano, ink manuscript on onionskin paper (48 pp).
Folder 2: Nicholas Berezowsky, "I. Salzedo," from Concerto for Harp and Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, undated: Solo harp part (8 pp) with performance annotations by Edna Phillips
Folder 3: Joseph Castaldo, Concertante for harp and string quartet, 1957: Score, pencil manuscript, (31 pp) with annotation at end "Philadelphia, Nov. 23, 1957."
Folder 4: Henry Cowell, Triple Rondo for Flute and Harp, 1964: Published parts.
Folder 5: Paul Csonka, Concierto de Navidad for harp and female chorus, August 1953: Contains: 1) ink manuscript on onionskin paper (22 pp), "revised full score with both Spanish words & English, Catherine Wright translator, Havana 2) Ink manuscript on onionskin paper (16 pp), 3) ozalid manuscriptm and 4) published score.
Folder 6: Jean-Michel Damase, Sonate pour flute et harpe, 1964: Published score and parts.
Folder 7: Claude Debussey, Danse Sacree et Danse Profane, 1910: Conductor's score.
Folder 8: Claude Debussy (revised edition by Carlos Salzedo; transcription for harp by H. Renie) En Bateau, 1908 (1921): Published solo harp part with handwritten changes by Salzedo.
Folder 9: Claude Debussy, Six Sonates for flute, alto and harp and Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, 1916: Score and alto part with copyright by Durand and Company and performance annotations markings; facismilie.
Folder 10: Manuel de Falla, "Asturiana", undated: Transcribed by Carlos Chavez.
Folder 11: Gabriel Faure, Impromptu pour la Harpe, 1904: Harp part.
Folder 12: F. Gonzalez Gamarra, Paisajes Musicales, undated: Piano part with harp performance notations.
Folder 13: Alberto Ginastera, Concierto para arpa e orquestra, op. 25, 1956-65, rev. 1968: Solo harp part with annotation "Composed for and dedicated to Edna Phillips," (44 pp), draft score with pencil notes.

Box 2

Folder 1: Ray Green - Rhapsody for Harp and Orchestra (1 of 2), undated: Parts.
Folder 2: Ray Green - Rhapsody for Harp and Orchestra (2 of 2), undated: Parts.
Folder 3: Ernst Krenek - Concerto for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, undated: Score and parts.

Box 3

Folder 1: Marcel Laisne - Suite pour Harpes et duex Violonelles , undated: Manuscript score and parts.
Folder 2: Ernest Macmillan - Six Berguettes from lower Canada, 1935: Published score.
Folder 3: Harl McDonald, Concerto for Harp and Orchestra: 'Suite from Childhood', ca. 1942: Manuscript solo harp part with pasteovers (7 pp), published score.
Folder 4: Vincent Persichetti, Serenade no. 10, for flute and harp, 1957: Score (25 pp).
Folder 5: Maurice Ravel, Introduction et allegro for harp, string quartet, flute, and clarinet, 1906: Parts: one flute part, one clarinet part, six violin I parts, seven violin II part, five viola part, four cello part with performance markings (Paris: Durand)
Folder 6: Maurice Ravel, Piece en forme de habanera for instrument and piano, 1926: Score with copyright of Paris: Alphonse Leduc and performance annotations.
Folder 7: Casper Reardon - Nocturne, undated: Harp part.
Folder 8: [Paul] Rousing, Nouba for harp, opus 44, 1960: Solo harp part (6 pp).
Folder 9: Carlos Salzedo - Second Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, 1966: Published score.
Folder 10: John Thomas, Published harp solos, undated: 1) Dewis Dethol oymarferiadau Telyn (SELECTED STUDIES for the Harp) (Abergavenny, Gwent: Adlais, n.d.) and 2) Ffarwel y telynor i'w enedigol Wlad (The Minstrel's Adieu To His Native Land) (Abergavenny, Gwent: Adlais, undated)
Folder 11: Paul White - Sea Chanty Quintet, undated: Parts.

Box 4

Folder 1: Salvador Bacarisse, Concierto para Arpa e instrumentos de viento, op. 92, undated: Parts with annotation "dedicated to Edna Phillips"
Folder 2: Nicolai Berezowsky - Concerto for Harp, 1944: Full score.
Folder 3: Paul Csonka - Concierto de Navidad , 1953: Full score.
Folder 4: Ray Green, Rhapsody for Harp and Orchestra, July 25, 1950: Based on the Appalachian mountain ballad "You got to cross that lonesome valley." Contains: 1)Score with conductor's markings (66 pp) and 2) Solo harp part (ink manuscript, 16 pp) with markings by Edna Phillips
Folder 5: Alexei Haieff, Eclogue 'La Nouvelle Heloise' for Harp and String Orchestra, 1963: Published score and parts with hand-written annotations

Box 5

Folder 1: Ernst Krenek - Concerto for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, undated: Full score.
Folder 2: Ami Maayani, Two Madrigals for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and harp, April 1969: Score (23 pp) with annotation on last page "New York, April 1969."
Folder 3: Paul White, Sea Chanty Quintet, 1941: Pencil manuscript score.
Folder 4: Paul White, Sea Chanty, Sound recording (two 78 discs), October 24, 1945: Columbia Masterworks mx-259. Edna Phillips - harp, with Alexander Hilsberg and Sol Ruden, violins; Samuel Roens, viola; Samuel Mayes, cello; and Anton Torello, bass. Recorded under the direction of Eugene Ormandy.

Box 6

Folder 1: Danse Sacree, Danse Profane (Debussy), April 4, 1931: Recorded by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Studio 1 of the Church Studio Building in Camden, New Jersey. Solo harp: Edna Phillips
Folder 2: Danse Profane (Debussy), April 4, 1931: Recorded by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Studio 1 of the Church Studio Building in Camden, New Jersey. Solo harp: Edna Phillips

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