Scope and Content Note
The papers of Laurindo Almeida span the years 1912-1995, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1930s to 1995. The collection contains manuscript and printed music, correspondence, publicity materials, programs, subject files, scrapbooks, and realia. Almeida was a prolific composer and arranger of music for both classical Spanish guitar and popular guitar. Nearly his entire musical output is represented in the collection, which includes holograph scores, lead sheets, sketches, and parts for hundreds of compositions for solo guitar or instrumental ensembles. These are organized into six subseries: original compositions; arrangements and transcriptions; music writing books; part books; instructional materials; and music by others. Scattered among these are film scores, arrangements for Almeida's L.A. 4 quartet, and commercial jingles. Although Almeida's scores for arrangements often credit original composers and lyricists, it is certainly possible that some works believed to be original compositions are in fact arrangements and vice versa.
Correspondence in the collection consists mostly of letters and business papers from record companies, publishers, and other organizations. Almeida's musical engagements, however, are more easily discernable through the publicity materials and programs. These include posters, fliers, magazine articles, newsletters, and clippings. The subject files round up a variety of personal documents and miscellaneous materials, namely writings by or about Almeida, financial and biographical documents, and iconography. Photographs and scrapbooks provide further visual documentation of Almeida's career. Among these images are studio headshots, performances, and photographs of Almeida with various musical figures, including his wife, Deltra "Didi" Almeida, Andrés Segovia, and members of the L.A. 4. The remaining collection materials, chiefly awards and other realia, further attest to Almeida's vibrant career as a recording artist.