Scope and Content Note
The Theodore Presser Company Archive spans from 1814 to 2019, the bulk of which dates from 1870 to 1980. The collection consists of two series, Music and Business Papers. Within the Music series, notable composers include Amy Beach, Charles Ives, George Rochberg, Ruth Crawford Seeger, John Philip Sousa, William Schuman, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. With the Theodore Presser's Company roots in music education, there are collection materials related to that topic, including books about pedagogy, method books, and compilations of excerpts. There are gaps in the collection due to several factors. Water leaks in Theodore Presser Company storage facilities damaged some materials beyond repair. Also, manuscript originals were sometimes returned to the composer.
Holograph and manuscript music is most likely encountered in the Publication Packets subseries, as well as annotated galley proofs, contracts, correspondence, notes, and information about the publication of the work, such as invoices, estimates, deadlines, copies printed, and so forth. Occasionally there is no music present, only documents about the publication. In some cases, published versions of original submissions and galley proofs are found in the Printed Music subseries.
The Printed Music subseries consists of Bound Volumes and Loose Titles. The Bound Volumes contain works published by the Theodore Presser Company, Oliver Ditson Company, and John Church Company in catalog number order. While the Loose Titles primarily contain printed piano and piano-vocal scores as well as scores and parts for band, orchestra, and chamber ensembles, the occasional annotated galley proof may be present. As well, there are printed versions of manuscript music found in the Publication Packet subseries. Loose Titles not only includes music published by the three primary publishers found in this collection, but also many of the smaller publishing houses and catalogs they each acquired, such as C. Bradlee; C. M. Cady; F. A. North; Firth, Hall, & Pond; George Willig; James L. Hewitt; John Ellis; Lee & Walker; and William Hall & Son.
Dating from 1846 to 2004, the Business Records contain material related to every aspect of running the Theodore Presser Company including the advertising, organization, and sale of printed music. This series also includes materials on the John Church Company and Oliver Ditson Company as well as other publishers later acquired by the Theodore Presser Company. Material types include catalogs, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, photographs, sales records, card catalogs, and information on specific composers who worked with or were represented by the Theodore Presser Company.
Please note that some words typically used in song titles do not match the language preferred by members of the communities to which they refer.