Administrative Information
Provenance
According to accession slips in the collection, the U. S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Music Project (FMP) records were received by the Library of Congress as the WPA L.C. Project, Music Unit, on October 15, 1940.
The George Allen Foster Collection, which consists of approximately 300 items, was given to the Library of Congress Music Division by George T. Foster on September 22, 1992 and pertains to George Allen Foster’s work for the WPA Federal Music Project.
Processing History
The Federal Music Project Collection was processed in 1999 by Wilda M. Heiss. This finding aid was prepared with Corel WordPerfect 9. In 2009 Nancy Seeger coded and edited the finding aid for EAD format. An additional box of material was processed and the finding aid amended by Janet McKinney in 2016.
Transfers
Sound recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division in the Library of Congress.
Other Repositories
Additional Federal Music Project materials are in the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 69, Washington, D.C.
Related Material
In a report dated July 29, 1949, which was compiled by Frances T. Bourne, some records were deposited in the Folklore Division of the Library of Congress and other records were stored in various Library locations. A memo from May 19, 1971 provides a survey and preliminary inventory of WPA materials stored at that time in the Library's warehouse in Middle River, near Baltimore and gives recommendations for the disposition of the WPA materials. As an apparent result of this memo, the different WPA projects (Federal Writers’ Project, Historical Records Survey, Federal Art Project, Federal Theatre Project and the Federal Music Project) were dispersed among appropriate divisions of the Library. Some materials were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). During the summer of 1978 two lists were created that briefly described the Federal Music Project and Federal Theatre Project materials held in the Music Division at that time. These lists do not mention any Federal Writers’ Project or Federal Art Project materials, although a memo dated May 24, 1979 from the Music Division to the Director for Special Collections, includes these other projects in the subject area.
Other Federal Music Project materials can be found in the Federal Writers’ Project which is housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, and in the Federal Theatre Project which is in the Library of Congress Music Division. WPA recordings of performances of various musical groups sponsored by the Federal Music Project are housed in the Recorded Sound Section of the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Materials from the Federal Arts Project are housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. In addition, the Library of Congress Manuscript Division holds the United States Work Projects Administration Records .
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: container number, Federal Music Project Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.