Scope and Content Note
The Harold Rome Papers chiefly contain music, lyric sheets, scripts, correspondence, and other related materials for stage works that Rome worked on from 1937 through 1962. Although he contributed to more than twenty shows throughout his career, the majority of the collection contains materials for four of those titles: Fanny, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Pins and Needles, and Sing Out the News, as well as a collection of songs he wrote titled Harold Rome's Gallery. The works in this collection are among Rome's most significant, and are particularly rich in music manuscripts.
The Music series is the largest in the collection and features material for four of Rome's shows as well as his song collection: Fanny, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Pins and Needles, Sing Out the News, and Harold Rome's Gallery. Items include piano-vocal scores, lead sheets, sketches, and published arrangements for voice, piano, and orchestra. Draft scores and bound editions of piano-vocal scores can also be found in this series. The majority of these items are manuscripts in Rome's hand or that of a copyist or arranger.
The Lyrics series contains both manuscript and typescript sheets for eleven titled projects that Rome either wrote in their entirety or contributed to in a significant way. It also includes miscellaneous lyric sheets and sketches for unidentified projects, as well as lyrics to a tribute song for noted American playwright Moss Hart.
The Scripts series mostly consists of drafts and final scripts for the show I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Also present are English translations for Caesar, Marius, and Fanny, the French plays by Marcel Pagnol on which Fanny is based, as well as an English and German script by Rome.
The Correspondence series includes congratulatory letters and telegrams addressed to Rome, many of which reference his productions Fanny and I Can Get It For You Wholesale. The bulk of this material dates from 1954-1956 and 1961-1962 and focuses on the opening nights for each production. Correspondents include notable individuals in musical theater and the performing arts such as Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Cole Porter, as well as political figures and Rome's personal acquaintances.
The Miscellany series contains a variety of materials related to significant Rome projects, including Fanny, Harold Rome's Gallery, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Pins and Needles, and Sing Out the News. Items include playbills and promotional materials for overseas productions in London and Munich, photographs, and clippings.