Scope and Content Note
Materials in the Charles Tournemire Collection date from about 1868 to 1962, with the majority of them being from 1900 to 1936. These primarily consist of manuscript and printed scores, a small amount of libretti, and a handful of other annotated or inscribed printed materials. Music contains both original compositions and arrangements by Tournemire and annotated printed scores of works by other composers. The Tournemire materials contain eight holographs, including an arrangement for piano, four hands of his First symphony by Raoul Moreau, three manuscripts, and eight printed scores. Included among these are Tournemire's arrangement of the sixth suite from Johann Jakob Walther's Hortulus chelicus and his transcription of Frescobaldi's Toccata per l'elevazione. The collection also contains printed scores by other composers, many of them annotated, including works from the Ecole classique de l’Orgue series, edited by Alexandre Guilmant.
Libretti consists of two lengthy manuscripts for works by Tournemire and several lyric sheets for the poem Sagesseby Paul Verlaine. The final series, Miscellany, features a scrapbook of articles, letters, and other materials for his prize-winning composition, Le sang de la siréne, and a variety of annotated or inscribed printed items.