The Herman Langinger Music Publishing Files contain materials accrued from 1927 to 1955 while Langinger worked as an engraver and publisher at his own Golden West Music Press in Hollywood, Calif. Most of the materials are related to the production of Henry Cowell's quarterly publication New Music . The collection includes holograph manuscript scores, edited score paste-ups, negative and positive proof copies, printed editions of New Music , financial receipts, notes/corrections, and correspondence (often from major composers) relating to publication. Similar materials exist for Langinger's other engraving commitments, notably Delkas Music Publishing Company and Affiliated Musicians, Inc., both in Los Angeles, Calif. The files contain works by many leading 20th century composers, such as John Cage, Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Ernst Toch, Edgar Varèse, and Arnold Schoenberg. Represented as well are Latin American composers, namely Carlos Chávez (stemming from Cowell's interest in pan-American music) and various European and Soviet composers.

Langinger's collection of holograph manuscript scores, often annotated by the composers, is substantial and spans the entire period that New Music was published. The plate and/or transfer proofs and paste-ups represent the largest components of the files and provide evidence of Langinger's intricate engraving process. Although the published edition file copies of New Music rarely are annotated, they form a comprehensive collection of the quarterly's total production. Correspondence interspersed within the files generally pertains to the music submitted for publication and provides insights as to the working partnership between composer, editor, and publisher. A large percentage of this correspondence is from members of New Music's editorial board, which included notable composers Elliott Carter, Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, Nicolas Slonimsky, Vladimir Ussachevsky, and Frank Wigglesworth. A handful of related publishing materials, mostly shop tickets, rounds out the collection.