Manuscript Division Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt Papers

Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS24049

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt (1871-1950) span the years 1918-1942 and relate primarily relating to Greenewalt's invention of an art form called Nourathar (also Sarabet, Light-Score) that harmonized projected patterns of colored light with concert music. Included in the collection are correspondence, speeches, legal and financial records, drafts of her book Nourathar, the Fine Art of Light Color Playing , biographical data, printed matter, and annotated photographs. Correspondents include Greenewalt's attorneys in Philadelphia, Howson & Howson and Busser & Harding, and various government agencies.

Dates

Creation: 1918-1942

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

Access and Restrictions

The papers of Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.

Copyright Status

The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).

Biographical Note

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1871, Sept. 8: Born, Beirut, Lebanon, then part of Syria
1882: Arrived in Philadelphia, Pa.
1893: Graduated, Philadelphia Musical Academy, Philadelphia, Pa.
1897: Studied piano with Theodore Leschetizky, Vienna, Austria
1898: Married Frank L. Greenewalt
1905: Began investigation of how gradated colored lighting might enhance the emotional expression of music
1918: Published Light: Fine Art the Sixth; A Running Nomenclature to Underly the Use of Light as a Fine Art. Philadelphia: Westbrook Publishing Co.; Filed her first patent, “Illuminating Means”
1920: Columbia records released her performance of Chopin's Preludes in E Minor, C minor, A Major and Nocturne in G Major
1920 - 1934: Sued for and won infringement of patent cases relating to her invention of a color organ device named "Sarabet" after her mother
1946: Published Nourathar, the Fine Art of Light Color Playing. Philadelphia: Westbrook Publishing Co.
1950, Nov. 26: Died, Wilmington, Del.

Extent

1,000 items
2 containers
1 oversize
8 linear feet

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Additional Description

Abstract

Musician, inventor, and author. Correspondence, speeches, legal and financial records, draft of a book, biographical data, printed matter, and annotated photographs primarily relating to Greenewalt's invention of an art form called Nourathar (also Sarabet, Light-Score) that harmonized projected patterns of colored light with concert music.

Arrangement of the Papers

The papers are organized by type of material.

Catalog Record

https://lccn.loc.gov/mm75024049

Provenance

The papers of Mary Elizabeth Hallock Greenewalt, musician, inventor, and author, were given to the Library of Congress by Greenewalt from 1941 to 1943.

Transfers

A photograph of a portrait of Greenewalt with biographical sketch and a printing plate of an unidentified woman have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.