The Library of Congress >  Researchers >  Search Finding Aids  >  John Secrist Jr. papers, 1919-1973
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1949 December 3 - 1958 September 9, and undated
.1 linear feet
RPA 00332 (box 1)
Series 1 consists of correspondence to John Secrist from collectors and performers. An index to correspondence with dates and summaries is available in Folder 1. The most frequent subjects addressed include Secrist's discographies, requests for information on recordings and artists, and recordings or catalogs offered for sale or trade. Prominent or frequent correspondents include Rosa Ponselle, Harold John Drummond, Geraldine Farrar, Lloyd Garrison, and George Keating.
Materials are arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent.
BOX 1 FOLDER 1 Index to correspondence, undated
The index is ordered by name; entries include date and summary.
BOX 1 FOLDER 2 Alda, F. - Drummond, Harold John, 1949 December 3 - 1958 August
BOX 1 FOLDER 3 Farrar, Geraldine - O'Harra, R., 1950 February 2 - 1958 July 14
BOX 1 FOLDER 4 Park, B. - Zussman, H., 1950 June 24 - 1958 September
Series 2. Discographic Materials and Collection Notes, circa 1941-1958, and undated
.32 linear feet
RPA 00332 (box 1)
Series 2 consists of notes on Secrist's record and catalog collections as well as discographies and other biographical information regarding opera singers such as Enrico Caruso, Rosa Ponselle, John McCormack, and John Charles Thomas. A notebook containing an inventory of Secrist's collection arranged by artist is included here as are a variety of lists of recordings and catalogs. Also available in this series are various publications, many of which have been annotated by Secrist, including Julian Morton Moses's Collectors' Guide to American Recordings, 1895-1925 (1949). One folder of song and aria lyrics can also be found here.
Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by description.
BOX 1 FOLDER 5 Caruso, Enrico: biography and record lists, circa 1950
BOX 1 FOLDER 6 Caruso Discography, by John Secrist, circa 1951
Typescript and photocopy.
BOX 1 FOLDER 7 Caruso Discography, by John Secrist, circa 1957
Printers proofs with introductory page to Caruso: His Life in Pictures by Francis Robinson.
BOX 1 FOLDER 8 Catalog lists, circa 1951-1958
BOX 1 FOLDER 9-10 Collection inventory notebook, indexed by artist, circa 1941-1958
With one set of photocopies of the notebook.
BOX 1 FOLDER 11 The Finest Voices on Record, Bulletins 1-3, circa 1953-1958
From the Connoisseurs Record Club.
BOX 1 FOLDER 12 Collector's Guide to American Recordings, 1895-1925, by Julian Morton Moses, 1949
Includes Secrist's handwritten collection notes.
BOX 1 FOLDER 13 McCormack, John: John McCormack: The Complete Discography, by L.F.X. McDermott Roe, 1956
Signed by the author. Includes Secrist's handwritten collection notes.
BOX 1 FOLDER 14 McCormack, John: recording lists, undated
BOX 1 FOLDER 15 Ponselle, Rosa, circa 1953-1958
BOX 1 FOLDER 16 Song and aria lyrics, miscellaneous, undated
BOX 1 FOLDER 17 Thomas, John: recording list and notes, circa 1948-1958
BOX 1 FOLDER 18 Miscellaneous and unidentified writings and recording lists, undated
Series 3. Photographs, 1919-1932, and undated
.42 linear feet
RPA 00333 (box 2)
Photographs of Rosa Ponselle are primarily publicity portraits for operas in which she performed. Secrist has labeled the verso of the majority of these photographs with the title of each opera as well as where and when the photograph was published, if known. Two folders of group photographs are filed at the end of the series. Most of the photographs are later copy prints (probably dating from the 1950s), but some originals are included.
The individual publicity portraits of Rosa Ponselle in costume are arranged alphabetically by opera name.
BOX 2 FOLDER 19 L'Africaine, circa 1922, and undated
3 photographs
Three of the photos are copies of 1922-1923 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 20 L'Amore dei Tre Re, 1928, and undated
14 photographs
Most are copies of 1928-1930 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 21 Andrea Chénier, undated
5 photographs
Copies of 1923-1925 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 22 Carmen, undated
34 photographs
Copies of 1935-1936 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 23 Cavalleria Rusticana, undated
7 photographs
Copies of 1934,1937 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 24 Don Carlos, undated
8 photographs
Copies of 1921-1924 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 25 Ernani, undated
9 photographs
Copies of 1921-circa 1929 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 26 La Forza del Destino, 1927, and undated
4 photographs
Most are copies of circa 1927 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 27 Luisa Miller, undated
3 photographs
Copies from 1929-1930 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 28 Oberon, 1919, and undated
3 photographs
Three of the photographs are copies of 1919-1920 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 29 Le Roi d'Ys, 1922
3 photographs
BOX 2 FOLDER 30 La Traviata, undated
10 photographs
Copies from 1930-1931 and 1934 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 31 Il Trovatore, undated
4 photographs
Copies from circa 1933 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 32 La Vestale, 1925-1926, 1933
10 photographs
Some are copies from 1925-1926 and 1933.
BOX 2 FOLDER 33 William Tell (Guillaume Tell), 1923, and undated
11 photographs
Some are copies of 1923 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 34 Miscellaneous and unidentified, 1925, and undated
12 photographs
Most are copies from 1917-1927 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 35-36 Group photographs, undated
57 photographs
Most are copies of 1925-1952 originals.
BOX 2 FOLDER 37 Negatives, undated
4 photographs
BOX 3 Series 4. Scrapbooks, circa 1955-1973
.42 linear feet
RPA 00334 (box 3)
This series consists of three leather-bound scrapbooks compiled by John Secrist's parents, Florence and John B. Secrist, Sr., after his death. The scrapbooks include clippings, correspondence, photographs, and other miscellaneous items relating to John Secrist, Jr., and his collection. Many of the letters and clippings concern the donation of the John Secrist Jr. Collection to the Library of Congress and the resulting publicity.
Series 5. Record Label Photographs, undated
4.25 linear feet
RPA 00335-00349 (boxes 4-18)
This series consists of over 3,000 black-and-white, 4 x 6-inch photographs of record labels displaying the title, composer, performers, record company, and catalog number of each record in Secrist's collection. Matrix numbers for each recording are indicated also. Record labels include Victor, Victrola, Columbia, Gramophone, Pathé, Brunswick, Odeon, and HMV, among others.
The label photographs are arranged in alphabetical order by the performer's last name.
BOX 4 Abendroth, Irene - Caruso, Enrico, undated
BOX 5 Caruso, Enrico, undated
BOX 6 Caruso, Enrico - Chamlee, Mario, undated
BOX 7 Clemént, Edmond - Fabbri, Guerrina, undated
BOX 8 Farrar, Geraldine - Koshetz, Nina, undated
BOX 9 Kruszelnicka, Salomeja - McCormack, John, undated
BOX 10 McCormack, John, undated
BOX 11 McCormack, John - Muzio, Claudia, undated
BOX 12 Muzio, Claudia - Ponselle, Rosa, undated
BOX 13 Ponselle, Rosa - Ruffo, Titta, undated
BOX 14 Ruffo, Titta - Sembrich, Marcella, undated
BOX 15 Slezak, Leo - Tauber, Richard, undated
BOX 16 Tetrazzini, Luisa - Zenatello, Giovanni, undated
BOX 17 Duplicates, undated
BOX 18 Duplicates and microfilm, undated

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