The Library of Congress >  Researchers >  Search Finding Aids  >  Jessye Norman papers, 1881-2020
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Music, 1881-2009 (continued)
Opera and Orchestral, 1908-2008 (continued)
BOX-FOLDER 64/2-6 woman.life.song, 2000
Text by Maya Angelou, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and Toni Morrison
Woollen, Russell
BOX-FOLDER 64/8 Under Oak, Ash and Thorn, 1973
Text by Elinor Wylie
Unidentified
BOX-FOLDER 64/7 Unidentified work, undated
Piano-vocal score
Projects, 1982-2013
Scores for recording projects and special events, including Sacred Ellington, concert tours, taped Christmas specials, and arrangements of spirituals for Norman's Great Day in the Morning program.
Arranged alphabetically by composer, then by title therein.
BOX-FOLDER 42/1 Boston Pops concert, undated
Laid in: Correspondence and notes
BOX-FOLDER 42/2 Christmas with Jessye, 2001 December 19
BOX-FOLDER 42/3-4, 43/1-2, 67/1-3 Great Day in the Morning, 1982 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 43/3-4 John Williams Project, 1986
Laid in: Correspondence and notes
BOX-FOLDER 67/4 John Williams proposed recording, 1989
BOX-FOLDER 43/5 Queen Elizabeth II's 60th birthday, 1986
BOX-FOLDER 43/6-7 Recitals: Asia - Japan, 2002 November 10-27
Laid in: Program
BOX-FOLDER 44/1 Recitals: Asia - Korea, 2002 December 7
Laid in: Program
BOX-FOLDER 44/2 Recitals: Asia - Singapore, 2002 November 1
BOX-FOLDER 44/3 Recitals: Italy (Philips proposed), 1984
Laid in: Correspondence
BOX-FOLDER 44/4 Roots: My Life song tour, 2013
BOX-FOLDER 44/5, 45/1-8, 67/5-10 Sacred Ellington, undated
BOX-FOLDER 45/9-20 to 47/3 Sacred Ellington, 1999
Scores; parts; sketches in Norman's hand; set lists; stage directions
BOX-FOLDER 47/4, 48/1 Sacred Ellington, 2000
BOX-FOLDER 48/2-3 Sacred Ellington, 2008
Scores; set list; program
Unsolicited Works, 1949-2004
Works sent to Norman. The extent of her use or interest in these materials is not clear.
Arranged alphabetically by composer, then by title therein.
Allen, John
BOX-FOLDER 49/1 Frühling Grüsst, 1993
Avi-Ram, David
BOX-FOLDER 49/2 Neutral Tones, 1994
Laid in: Lyrics by Thomas Hardy
Brody, Jeffrey
BOX-FOLDER 49/3 Vier Gedichte von Hermann Hesse, 1978
Concilio, Robert
BOX-FOLDER 49/4 Rasputin: a Classipop Opera, 1990
Laid in: Correspondence
Dixon, Ed
BOX-FOLDER 49/5 Three Poems to Elisabeth, 1984
Fax, Mark
BOX-FOLDER 49/6 Night Truths, 1985
Laid in: Correspondence
Ferko, Frank
BOX-FOLDER 49/7 Three Songs, 1985
Laid in: Correspondence
Golphin, Romanieo Nicholas
BOX-FOLDER 49/8 The Stranger of Novgorod, 2004
Gustavino, Carlos
BOX-FOLDER 49/9 La rosa y el sauce, undated
Laid in: Note
Hankerson, William P.
BOX-FOLDER 49/10 Psalm 1, 1985
Laid in: Greeting card
Hermann, Ernest
BOX-FOLDER 49/11 My Brother…!, 1968
Hoiby, Lee
BOX-FOLDER 49/12 The Italian Lesson, 1984
Kuch, Karl
BOX-FOLDER 49/13 Albumblatt, 1992
Laid in: Correspondence
Lavilla, Félix
BOX-FOLDER 50/1 Cão João-Da-Ra-Rão / Nigue-Nigue Ninhas, undated
Lens, Nicholas
BOX-FOLDER 50/2 Amor Aeternum, 2003
Laid in: Correspondence
Liebermann, Lowell
BOX-FOLDER 50/3 Sechs Gesänge, 1985
Luri, Herman
BOX-FOLDER 50/4 Tristan, 1989
Magnan, Carla
BOX-FOLDER 50/5 Amor, dov'é la fe', 2003
BOX-FOLDER 50/6 Diabolikamente Suite, 2002
Laid in: Note
Mavritte, Bernard
BOX-FOLDER 50/7 Miscellaneous works, 1997
McGinnis, Hugh
BOX-FOLDER 50/8 A Page's Road Song, 1987
Laid in: Correspondence
Motley, Byron
BOX-FOLDER 50/9 The Moods of My People, 1993
Arranged by Barbara Sherrill
Nelson, Richard
BOX-FOLDER 50/10 The Carol of the Gray-Brown Bird, 1992
Laid in: Correspondence
Nelson, Richard J.
BOX-FOLDER 50/11 To Jesus on His Birthday, 1988
Rebora, Carla
BOX-FOLDER 50/12 Un gioco di fonosillabe, undated
Swanson, Howard
BOX-FOLDER 50/13 The Negro Speaks of Rivers, 1949
Laid in: Correspondence and notes
Swenson, Warren Michel
BOX-FOLDER 50/14 Miscellaneous works, undated
Laid in: Promotional flier
Swift, Basil
BOX-FOLDER 50/15 Miscellaneous works, 1990
Laid in: Correspondence
Thiel, Andreas
BOX-FOLDER 50/16 Three Songs, undated
Traditional
BOX-FOLDER 50/17 Oh What a Beautiful City, 1990
Arranged by Charles Brown
BOX 3, 41, 70-71, 235-264, Mapcase Folder 1 DF Biographical Materials, 1970-2020
Norman's biographical materials provide information about her life outside of the concert hall. She was an active philanthropist and supported numerous organizations, particularly those located in the New York City area. This series contains correspondence with these entities and details about their fundraising events in which Norman participated. It also contains drafts of Norman’s interviews (most of which were conducted via email or fax) and annotated scripts of speeches she gave as an honoree at university graduations, award ceremonies, philanthropic benefits, or events honoring other artists.
Norman received dozens of awards throughout her lifetime. While this series represents many of them, it is not comprehensive. It includes more than half of the honorary doctorate diplomas she received from major universities, as well as a medal for her Grammy nomination (later won) for Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1991. It is recommended that researchers also check the Correspondence series, which may contain letters or emails from awarding institutions.
Personal Papers comprise a small amount of paperwork and correspondence regarding rental negotiations, insurance, utilities work, and renovations for Norman’s residences in London and New York. Some notebooks from the 1980s contain calendars, notes, and reminders for her assistants, including Doreen Davis, Mark Loftin, Rachel Waltham, and Elaine Spinelli, among others. Others contain ideas for upcoming recital programs. One of these is partially filled with notes for the 1990 Spirituals in Concert event with Kathleen Battle and another with notes for Sacred Ellington. Most of the notebooks from the 1990s belonged to Kevin Bothwell, Elizabeth Froemke, and Elizabeth Schott Sho, Norman’s business manager and assistants. Their notebooks contain telephone logs for L’Orchidee, Inc., to-do lists, and calendars of Norman’s daily events and performances. The notes are in Norman’s hand and are largely undated. They contain information about scheduling performances, ideas for program repertoire, and lists of daily reminders.
The Philanthropy and Personal Papers file units are arranged alphabetically and chronologically therein. The Speaking Engagements and Interviews, Awards, and Notebooks and Notes file units are arranged chronologically.
Philanthropy
BOX-FOLDER 235/1 AHEAD, Inc., 1998
BOX-FOLDER 235/2-4 Balm in Gilead, 1994-1999
BOX-FOLDER 235/5 Blair High School (CA) visit, 2006
BOX-FOLDER 235/6 Boards and committees, 1987-2006
BOX-FOLDER 235/7 Boys and Girls Choirs of Harlem, 1999-2000
see also Turnbull, Walter
BOX-FOLDER 235/8 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, 1993
BOX-FOLDER 235/9 Center for Gender Equality, 1998
BOX-FOLDER 235/10 Children's Defense Fund 35th Anniversary gala host, 2008
BOX-FOLDER 235/11-12 City Meals-on-Wheels, 1994-2004
BOX-FOLDER 236/1 Dance Theatre of Harlem, 1998-2004
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