Title: Mark A. Selivan Balalaika and Domra Society of New York Music, 1922-1970
ID: 12/9/164
Primary Creator: Selivan, Mark A.
Extent: 3.25 cubic feet
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by title, starting with individual pieces and ending with anthologies and the essay booklet. Whenever possible, an identification of the format of the music for each title (i.e., full score, condensed score, piano score, and parts) has been identified with the corresponding abbreviations, FS, CS, PS, P. Untitled materials have been placed at the end of the series. There was no original order to the materials upon receiving them.
Date Acquired: 07/18/0018
Subjects: American folk music, Balalaika music, Barry, Phillips, 1880-1937, Folk music, Russian Folk Orchestra, Russian Folk Songs
Formats/Genres: Sheet music
Languages: English, Russian, German, Italian, French, Spanish;Castilian
Consists of original manuscripts and published arrangements for balalaika orchestra (prima, secunda, alto, bass balalaika and prima, secunda, alto, and contra bass domra), Russian and American folk music anthologies, and a booklet of collected essays by Phillips Barry. Original arrangements are by Mark A. Selivan, Nicholas Kovac, Alexander Ivanoff, Walter Lachowski, Emil Grimshaw, Sergei Larionoff, Vladimir Nasonov, N. Fomin, F. Nieman, Y. Yungmann, Peter Mikhailoff, Samuel Firstman, and Walter J. Kasura. Of particular note are arrangements for original pieces by Vassily Andreyev.
Mark A. Selivan began his musical studies as a youth by learning the mandolin, balalaika, and domra along with the violin. Selivan played the vaudeville circuit with several balalaika orchestras in New York at the Capitol, Strand, and Roxy Theatres. Under the tutelage of the domra player Nicholas Kovac, he began to concentrate his efforts on the domra and beginning to research music, transcribing and adapting it for domra solos.
In 1961, Selivan founded the Balalaika and Domra Society of New York along with Alexander Kuchma and Jack Raymond. Selivan also served as the Director for the Andreyev Balalaika Ensemble, which was the professional arm of the Balalaika and Domra Society of New York. Under his direction, the ensemble recorded two albums entitled Around the Samovar and Play, My Balalaika in addition to regularly performing in New York and its nearby communities. The aim of the society was to encourage and advance interest in balalaika music and revive the balalaika orchestra as envisioned by Vassily Andreyev, who discovered the balalaika in Russia in the 1880s and established it as a concert instrument through virtuoso solo performances and the ensemble he created. The society kickstarted the balalaika orchestra revival in the United States, as a number of different orchestras and performers appeared throughout the country by the late 1970s, leading to the creation of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America in 1978. During this time, the famous balalaika soloist Leonard Davis served as the President of the Balalaika and Domra Society of New York and Walter J. Kasura served as the Music Director in addition to the principal conductor and arranger of the Andreyev Balalaika Ensemble.
Repository:
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Acquisition Source:
Music and Performing Arts Library
Acquisition Method:
Transfer