Scope and Content Note
The Roy Harris Papers span the period 1893-1998, with the majority of the materials dating from 1933-1979. Included are music manuscripts, published and unpublished writings, correspondence, business papers, financial and legal documents, photographs, scrapbooks, work files, programs, posters, clippings, and biographical materials.
In the Music series, Harris' musical compositions, written principally between 1930 and 1976, are arranged by performing ensemble or genre: orchestra and band, vocal, chamber, dramatic, and others. These works consist almost exclusively of holograph or copyist manuscript scores and sketches. Manuscript photo-reproductions are often annotated by Harris and other (usually unidentified) conductors or performers. Numerous unidentified sketches and fragments are accompanied by original crate inventory lists that describe folder contents in great detail. All sketch materials in the collection are in Harris' hand unless otherwise indicated on the container list. Many of the composer's early manuscript donations to the Library of Congress are cataloged in ML96.H278. Harris also possessed a variety of manuscripts and arrangements by other composers, some of whom were his students. These materials include holograph manuscript scores, sketches, and printed scores inscribed to Harris.
As an author, Harris championed various topics concerning music education and the relationship between music, composer, and American society. Written chiefly between 1934 and 1975, these articles, lectures, scripts, and interviews in the Writings series provide an indication of Harris' passionate (and often controversial) political attitudes toward music and culture. His seminars as the distinguished Patten Lecturer at Indiana University in 1957 provide telling examples of these philosophies. Harris' 1958-1959 articles on music in the former Soviet Union, some of which appeared in International Musician, also received unwanted attention from U.S. authorities for their seemingly praiseworthy portrayal of Soviet musical life. Draft materials for works without finished typescripts are difficult to navigate. Many are undated, extensively annotated, and haphazardly scrawled on oversized or re-used papers. Also included among the writings are a variety of scholarly articles, clippings, and reviews about specific Harris compositions, life events, or related topics.
The Correspondence series chiefly consists of manuscript letters to and from Roy and Johana Harris, acquaintances, and colleagues, as well as greeting cards sent to Harris. Routine correspondence is arranged chronologically, while letters from notable individuals are arranged alphabetically by last name. Included are letters from Nadia Boulanger, John Cage, Lukas Foss, Eugene Ormandy, Vincent Persichetti, János Starker, and others. Additional correspondence is found in the Business Papers series, which also includes subject files related to Harris' professional life as a teacher and organizer of music conferences. He enthusiastically promoted American music abroad and contributed substantially to the organization of the International Convention of Composers (1974), the International String Congress (1958-1970), the La Jolla Music Festival (1962-1963), and the Pittsburgh International Contemporary Music Festival (1952), the latter of which accounts for the bulk of material present in this series. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject and also include teaching materials (notes, lesson plans, exams, and exercises), curriculum vitae, and works lists, among other subjects.
The Musical Composition Files series, prepared by Harris' Pittsburgh colleague and copyist Robert French, contain notes, clippings, and other materials related to specific Harris pieces. Works are arranged alphabetically by title. The Financial and Legal Documents series contains checks, contracts, royalty statements, tax returns, and real estate documents that follow Roy Harris' academic career in the United States and Puerto Rico between 1947 and 1978. Nearly one hundred photographs in the Photographs series capture the composer at various stages in his life. These are loosely arranged by subject and include publicity and candid shots of Harris alone, as well as images of family members, acquaintances, and others. The comprehensive Publicity Files and Programs series span over fifty years and track the performance and public reception of Harris' compositions. Arranged chronologically, these files principally consist of clippings and promotional materials, some of which pertain to Johana Harris' career as a pianist. These materials form the primary contents of the Scrapbooks series as well.
The Roy Harris Archive Society Materials series contains business papers that document the founding of the Roy Harris Archive at California State University, Los Angeles, in 1973 and the subsequent efforts of its members to promote Harris' music. Subjects include meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, publications, and recordings. The final series, Biographical Materials, rounds up an assortment of bio notes, pamphlets, and other miscellaneous materials about Roy and Johana Harris.