Finding Aid for Music and Performing Arts Library Small Special Collections, 1911-1981 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Noah Lenstra, Nolan Vallier, Jonas Kromer Yela, Sandy Kroeker

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Collection Overview

Title: Music and Performing Arts Library Small Special Collections, 1911-1981

ID: 35/3/81

Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Music and Performing Arts Library (1944-)

Other Creators: Bowen, Dorothy (ca. 1900-1980), Haussermann, John (1909-1986), Howenstein, Marshall (1901-2001), Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960), Lew Williams (1934 -), Magyar, Gabriel (1914-2011), Mickel, Jere C. (1905-1985), Skinner, Frank (1897-1968), Ward, Harriet B. (ca. 1890-1950), Wilkey, Lucille V.

Extent: 4.75 cubic feet

Arrangement: Organized in five series: Series 1, Small Special Collections, Series 2, Lawrence Tibbett Music and Papers, 1919-1929, and Series 3, Jere C. Mickel Scrapbook and Opera Program Collection, 1920-1970. Content of each series is arranged alphabetically. Series 4 is a single item, Robert Delzell's scrapbook, and contains programs from 1940 arranged in no particular order. Series 5 is arranged into 3 subseries: Champaign-Urbana and the University of Illinois, Chicago Metropolitan Area, and Other Cities. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by producing organization and chronologically within each organizational grouping.

Date Acquired: 02/23/2010. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Band Concerts, Band Musicians, Bands (Music), Biography, Cage, John, film music, Films, Jazz, Military Bands, Music, School of, Opera, Orchestra, Photographs, Radio Broadcasting, Sousa, John Philip, Symphony Orchestras, Theater orchestra music

Formats/Genres: Newspaper Clippings, Sheet music

Languages: English, French, Hungarian

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of small collections of newspaper clippings, sheet music, correspondence, concert programs, biographical sketches, photographs, and radio show scripts documenting music performances by School of Music student ensembles and other nineteenth- and twentieth-century performers and composers. Of particular significance is an original published piano-vocal score of A. Dvorak's Stabat Mater with his hand-written dedication to J. Mandel-Merei.

Biographical Note

The University of Illinois Music and Performing Arts Library was initially founded in the memorial room of Smith Hall in 1943. The school's first music librarian was Jay Allen (1943-1960) and his assistant was Virginia Shirley. In 1963, the University of Illinois received a generous gift from Ellnora Krannert (class of 1912). However, the grant arrived just as the School of Music was planning to construct a new educational building for music on campus. Since Krannert's grant was so substantial, the State of Illinois dropped the budget it had planned for two construction projects: a new library (conceived to alleviate the overcrowded music library in Smith) as well as an addition to Smith Hall. At the time, the library was under the direction of Thor E. Wood (1960-1965). While the new Krannert Center (opened in 1969) contained numerous performance spaces, it did not have space to accomodate the vast library of music books and recordings that had been collected by the School of Music. Funding eventually came in the early 1970s and the School of Music moved into its current location in the Music Building 1114 W. Nevada Street in 1972. The library soon followed, opening in 1974. Head librarian William McClellan (1965-1997) resided over the new library space and quickly began expanding the library's holdings to include not only books and audio recordings but also special collections. Wilma Jean Geil (assistant librarian 1965-1996) collected and processed many of the small special collections. In most cases, if a collection contained published music, LPs, or tape cassettes the items were ingested, cataloged, and dispersed among the circulating library collection. Many of the paper records within special collections acquired by the library remained unprocessed until 2015 when the majority of the special collections were transferred to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music.

Subject/Index Terms

Band Concerts
Band Musicians
Bands (Music)
Biography
Cage, John
film music
Films
Jazz
Military Bands
Music, School of
Opera
Orchestra
Photographs
Radio Broadcasting
Sousa, John Philip
Symphony Orchestras
Theater orchestra music

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals:

Ca. 1970 - Dorothy Bowen papers acquired; Ca. 1985 - Hausserman papers acquired from John W. Hausserman, Jr.; 1990 - Marhall Howenstein collection acquired; Ca. 1977 - Gabriel Magyar collection acquired; Ca. 1965 - Songs of France records acquired; Ca. 1980 - Harriet Ward programs acquired; Ca. 1960 - Lucille V. Wilkey music acquired; Ca. 1970 - Lew Williams Jazz Collection acquired. March 20, 2015 - The dePeaux collection (Unisonics score) acquired from Music and Performing Arts Library. May 13, 2015 - The Festival of Contemporary Arts Collection of programs, brochures, and clippings was acquired from the Music and Performing Arts Library.

On July 7, 2019, additional materials were found for the Kitty Cheatham Collection (formerly called the Yolande Oglesby Collection) and one folder was removed from Series 1 to be included within the Kitty Cheatham Collection in order to maintain the provenance of the original body of material.

Access Restrictions: None

Use Restrictions: None

Physical Access Note: None

Technical Access Note: None

Acquisition Source: Music and Performing Arts Library

Acquisition Method: Gift

Related Materials:

The Music Library Administrative Records (35/3/68) contains many of the control files for these small collections.

University of Illinois Festival of Contemporary Arts Music and Sound Recordings (12/5/818) and the School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings, Series 4 Festival of Contemporary Arts (12/5/64) both contain material related to the Festival of Contemporary Arts.

The Gabriel Magyar Papers (12/5/23) contain materials related to the Magyar collection.

Materials from Series 4 and 5 were acquired interfiled with the Allen S. Weller Program Collection (12/1/21) and the materials from Box 1, Folder 5 of the Hunleth Music Store Sheet Music and Photograph Collection (12/9/123).

Processing Information: Based on documents from MPAL's administrative records, the loose programs represented in Series 5 derived from 6 separate collections originally acquired by MPAL: the Harrison Edward Cunningham "Candy Box" Collection, the Hattie F Kaufman Collection, an unnamed collection identified only as "Two Boxes of Photographs," the Radcliffe Collection, the Frank Johnson Collection, and the Prehn Collection. These collections were all interfiled together. It was not possible to separate the programs into their original collections based on the descriptions in MPAL's administrative records.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Small Special Collections],
[Series 2: Lawrence Tibbett Music and Papers, 1919-1929],
[Series 3: Jere C. Mickel Scrapbook and Opera Program Collection, 1920-1970],
[Series 4: Robert F. Delzell Program Scrapbook, 1940],
[Series 5: MPAL Program and Playbill Collection, 1883-1974],
[All]

Series 1: Small Special Collections

Box 1

Folder 1: Dorothy Bowen newspaper clippings, 1926-1960
Folder 2: Dorothy Bowen concert programs, 1926-1960
Folder 3: Dorothy Bowen photographs, 1926-1960: Includes photographs of other performers signed and dedicated to Bowen.
Folder 4: John W. Hausserman biographical sketches, 1979-1981: Includes concert program for the Seventieth Birthday Recital of The Organ Works of John Haussermann, performed by Susan Summerfield, September 7, 1979, First Unitarian Church, San Francisco, as well as other biographical sketches and news paper clippings on the composer.
Folder 5: Marshall Howenstein collection - Maud Powell photograph, undated
Folder 6: Marshall Howenstein collection - Maud Powell newspaper clippings, undated
Folder 7: Marshall Howenstein collection - Maud Powell concert programs and advertisements, 1905-1907/1921/1994
Folder 8: Marshall Howenstein collection - correspondence and photocopy of "Caprice on Dixie" as played by Maud Powell, undated: Correspondence from Maud Powell's cousin Mabel Love to Howenstein
Folder 9: Marshall Howenstein collection - American String Teacher magazine, vol. 24, no. 4, 1974: Features Maud Powell on cover, 1974
Folder 10: Marshall Howenstein Collection - Maud Powell biographical information, undated
Folder 11: Gabriel Magyar collection, ca. 1900-1910: Includes a photograph of J. Mandel-Merei, an autographed portrait of the violinist Amely Heller, along with Mandel-Merei correspondence, including an autographed publication of A. Dvorak's Stabat Mater dedicated to Mandel-Merei.
Folder 12: Lew Williams collection - newspaper and magazine clippings, 1948-1989: Articles from New Yorker and other magazines on jazz
Folder 13: Lew Williams Collection - Star Course concert program with Duke Ellington, 1948: University of Illinois Star Course program, "Duke Ellington and his Orchestra" (Jan 23 and 24, 1948)
Folder 14: Lew Williams collection - Duke Ellington Biographical information and research file, 1950-1989: Includes undated copy of letter from Lew Williams to Crawford concerning loan of Ellington materials
Folder 15: Lew Williams collection - photographs of Duke Ellington and other jazz performers, undated
Folder 16: Lucille V. Wilkey music, 1930-1952: Contains Certificate of Copyright Registration for Wikley's "You'll Never Know;" an article entitled "Music In the Twenties" written by Wilkey; "Sentimental Songs: Words and Music by Lucille Wilkey"; and Wilkey's "Spring's Again in the Heart of Me."
Folder 17: Frank Scheibenreif Photographs, ca. 1930s-1950s
Folder 18: Lawrence King Photographs and autographed opera programs, undated
Folder 19: George Reeves newspaper clipping/photgraphs, 1949-1959: Includes newspaper clipping from 1959 with photo of Reeves and University of Illinois violinist Homer Schmitt and autographed photograph from Ruth Ball, January 25, 1949
Folder 20: Harriet B. Ward University of Illinois Concert Program Collection (Choral Society programs), 1910-1929: Programs of the Choral and Orchestral Society of the University of Illinois (formerly University of Illinois Choral Society) , J. Lawrence Erb, conductor
Folder 21: Harry Partch BMI Brochure, 1968
Folder 22: John Cage Newspaper Clippings, 1952-1973

Box 3

Folder 6: Carleton Smith Photograph and Clipping Collection, c. 1940-1990
Folder 8: Festival of Contemporary Arts Collection - Programs, brochures, and clippings, 1948-1959: Contents: Works performed on U of Ill. Festival, 1948-1956, inclusive; March 1948 Brochure; March 10-14, 1948 Program, 2 copies; February 24, 1949 Brochure; Spring 1949 Brochure; February-March 1949 Program; 1950 Music in Painting Brochure; "British Compose Hails U. of I. Music School" (Irving Sablosky, Chicago Daily News), 1951 article; March-April 1951 Program; "Modernism in Illinois" (VirgilThompson, New York Herald Tribune, April 4, 1951) article; 1952 Brochure; 1953 Brochure; 1954 Brochure; 1955 Brochure, 2 copies; 1959 Brochure; March 1, 1959 program for "The Rape of Lucretia"
Folder 9: Festival of Contemporary Arts Collection - Programs, brochures, and clippings, 1961-1973: Spring 1961 Collection of Concert Programs; 1961 Brochure; 1963 Music Programs and Notes; 1963 Brochure; Spring 1963 Collection of Concert Programs; 1965 Music Programs and Notes; 1965 Brochure; Phoenix 73, includes notes on visiting artists, 1973

Box 5

Folder 1: Stabat Mater fur Soli, Chor, und Orchester, Op. 58 -- Anton Dvorak, 1881: Full score. Published by Simrock in Berlin, 1881. Dedicated and autographed to Mandel-Merei by Antonin Dvorak on May 13, 188-. Evaluation of the score and Dvorak's signature by Donald Krummel can be found in the MPAL Small Special Collections control file. A copy has been placed with the score. Donated by Gabriel Magyar and part of the Gabriel Magyar Collection.

Box 6

Item 1: Frank Skinner Collection - "Music" by Dr. Bruno David Ussher, June 5, 1939: Newspaper article about music at Universal Studios that mentions Skinner.
Folder 2: Frank Skinner Collection - Variety Daily newsletters, undated, 1939-1954: Includes Variety newsletters of January 13, 1939, February 25, 1939, March 17, 1939, November 1, 1939, July 21, 1954, and an undated issue.
Folder 3: Frank Skinner Collection - The Orchestra World newsletter, 1937-1939: Includes The Orchestra World newsletters from October 1937, May 1938, September 1939, and December 1939.
Folder 4: Frank Skinner Collection - The Hollywood Reporter newsletters, 1939-1941: Includes The Hollywood Reporter from January 13, 1939, February 25, 1939, November 1, 1939, and October 23, 1941.
Folder 5: Frank Skinner Collection - Undated clippings, undated: Includes Variety Daily clippings and unknown clippings.
Folder 6: Frank Skinner Collection - Newsletter Clippings, 1939-1963: Includes Tempo from January 1939, Revue Studios Club News from March 1963, and Christian Science Sentinel from October 14, 1939.
Folder 7: Frank Sinner Collection - Mementos from Universal Studios, undated, 1940: Includes dinner program from Universal Pictures Press Preview Dinner of "It's a Date" (March 19th), Studio Club Cafe menu from June 20, 1940.
Folder 8: Frank Skinner Collection - Hollywood Spectator newsletters, 1939-1940: Includes Hollywood Spectator clippings from February 4, 1939, March 18, 1939, June 10, 1939, September 2, 1939, September 30, 1939, October 28, 1939, November 11, 1939, November 25, 1939, January 20, 1940, and March 1, 1940.
Item 9: Frank Skinner Collection - Music Manuscript sketch of "Old Timer", undated
Item 10: Frank Skinner Collection - Scrapbook, 1937-1941: Scrapbook of mostly newsclippings relating to Frank Skinner. Includes a few photographic images of Skinner. Also includes sheet music to "It Happened in Kaloha by Ralph Freed and Frank Skinner, a ticket stub to Gala World Premiere of "100 Men and a Girl" on September 10, 1937, and a Studio Cafe Menu.

Oversize Portfolio Case 2: Richard De Peaux collection -- Unisonics score and artwork, 1978

Portfolio of "Unisonics" for saxophone and piano by Curtis C. Smith, hand printed (serigraphy) score and two pages of artwork depicting the composer. Number 22 of 40 limited edition copies. Printed on 100% rag Stonehenge, deckled edge paper. 19 pages of score, 2 pages of artwork. Includes description of edition by De Peaux. Recording can be found in the Music and Performing Arts Library.