Abstract

John Adams (1947-) is an American composer, conductor, and writer. He is the winner of five Grammy Awards and recipient of the 2003 Pultizer Prize for his work On the Transmigration of Souls in tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The collection includes music scores by Adams and others, correspondence, business and financial papers, biographical materials, programs and promotional materials, and clippings.

Abstract The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) was founded by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989). Ailey used Lester Horton and Martha Graham technique and added movement expressive of African American culture and social dance to elevate African American experiences through his work. AAADT became one of the most prolific and celebrated American dance companies. The collection contains documentation of the creation and performance of dances for the AAADT, correspondence and...

Abstract George Antheil was a composer, pianist, author and inventor. The collection consists of materials related to the professional and personal activities of George Antheil and his wife, Elizabeth (Böske) Antheil. It contains holograph music manuscripts, printed scores, published and unpublished writings, business and personal correspondence, subject files, photographs, programs and promotional materials, scrapbooks, artwork, biographical materials, and memorabilia which document the life of this...

Abstract The Arnold Volpe Papers contain letters, photographs, music, scrapbooks, posters, and other materials reflecting Volpe's career, from his student days in Russia to his accomplishments as a conductor, composer, violinist, and mentor in the United States. He was founder and director of the Young Men's Symphony Orchestra of New York (1902-1919) and the Volpe Symphony Orchestra of New York City (1904-1914). He is also credited with founding and conducting the initial Lewisohn Stadium Concerts...

Abstract

Arsis Press was a music publishing company in Washington, D.C., founded by composer Clara Lyle Boone in 1974 to publish music by women composers. The Arsis Press Records include printed music by nearly forty composers, financial records, business papers, and correspondence.

Abstract Pearl Bailey was an American singer and actress who established herself as a prominent nightclub entertainer on the East Coast during the mid-twentieth century. She also appeared in several Broadway productions, including House of Flowers and Hello, Dolly! Bailey also starred as Maria in the 1959 filmed production of Porgy and Bess. She later hosted her own televised variety series, the ...

Abstract Chet Baker was an American jazz trumpeter whose early success in the 1950s was due not only to his musical talents, but also to his model good looks. He rose to prominence as a member of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quartet and later established himself as acclaimed vocalist during the 1950s. Baker began an on-again, off-again relationship with Diane Vavra in 1970 and was with her during the last years of his life. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, and other items...

Abstract Samuel Barber remains one of America’s eminent composers, best known for the "Adagio" from his String Quartet, op. 11 in B minor. He composed large and small-scale works for piano, voice and piano, chorus, and orchestra, as well as three operas. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Barber's compositional style remained decidedly tonal. The collection is comprised of correspondence, music from Barber's personal library, printed music, writings,...

Abstract The Barry Sisters (Merna and Claire Barry) was a popular American Jewish vocal group whose careers as Yiddish jazz singers spanned from the late 1930s through the early 1970s. They made their first recordings on Victor Records, and they performed on the radio and television, at New York's Catskill resort hotels, and toured in the United States and abroad. The collection chiefly documents their musical careers through musical scores, parts, and lead sheets, as well as other related...

Abstract Harold Bauer was an English violinist and pianist, teacher, and music editor who corresponded with many musical luminaries of his day, including Ernest Bloch, Nadia Boulanger, Pablo Casals, Gabriel Fauré, Percy Grainger, Jascha Heifetz, Josef Hofmann, Gustav Holst, Vincent d'Indy, Fritz Kreisler, Charles Martin Loeffler, Pierre Monteux, Moritz Moszkowski, Vladimir de Pachmann, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Isidore Philipp, Henry Prunières, Carl Ruggles, Carlos Salzedo, Gustave Schirmer, Leopold...

Abstract

Milton Berle (1908-2002) was an American vaudevillian, comic, actor, lyricist, producer, and author. Nicknamed "Mr. Television," Berle transitioned from a successful career in radio to become host of NBC's Texaco Star Theatre. The collection contains comedic writings, scripts, correspondence, business papers, photographs, music, and other materials that document his life and career in entertainment.

Abstract Irving Berlin was an American lyricist and composer of over 1,200 songs. He was also a music publisher, theater owner, and a founding member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). The collection, which documents all aspects of his life and career, contains music scores, Berlin's handwritten and typewritten lyric sheets, publicity and promotional materials, personal and professional correspondence, photographs, business papers, legal and financial records,...

Abstract

Ernest Bloch was a Swiss-born composer, violinist, conductor, and photographer. The collection, which documents his life and work, includes manuscripts (music and lecture material), correspondence, business and financial papers, photographs, programs, promotional material, clippings, writings about Ernest Bloch, personal papers, and printed matter.

Abstract

John William "Blind" Boone was a Black composer, concert pianist, and a significant figure in early ragtime music. The collection contains Boone's published works, Charles Dean Humberd's transcriptions of works by or attributed to Boone, and an unfinished biographical article by Humberd.

Abstract

Dudley Buck (born Dudley Buck Jr.) was an American composer, pianist, and organist, as well as founder and director of the Apollo Club, a men's chorus and organization in Brooklyn, New York. This collection consists of correspondence, manuscript and printed music, and biographical materials related to Buck's personal life and career.

Abstract

Herbert L. Kirk (1926-1994) was a writer, editor, and publishing consultant. The collection chiefly consists of material relating to his book, Pablo Casals, a Biography (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974). It includes his extensive research material on Casals, his research notes and business papers, correspondence, photographs, programs, drafts and proofs of the book, clippings, articles, posters, and a scrapbook.

Abstract Harry Chapin (1942-1981) was an American singer-songwriter and philanthropist. Primarily active in the 1970s, he was known for songs written in a narrative style, such as "Cat's in the Cradle" and "Taxi." Chapin was also one of the founders, along with Bill Ayres, of the World Hunger Year organization, now known as WhyHunger. This collection consists of interviews, writings, photographs, song and poetry books, scrapbooks, and clippings pertaining to Chapin's personal...

Abstract

Dr. Cyrilla Barr (1929-2021) was a musicologist, author, and educator. The collection includes articles, correspondence, notes, photographs, and programs for the biography she published in 1998, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge: American Patron of Music .

Abstract The Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Collection documents the life and professional activities of composer, pianist, and patron of music Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (E.S. Coolidge). In 1925, she created the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation (E.S.C.F.) at the Library of Congress in support of chamber music and established the gift to construct the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building. E.S. Coolidge spent her career promoting chamber music and musicians...

Abstract The Aaron Copland Collection consists of published and unpublished music by Copland and other composers, correspondence, writings, biographical material, datebooks, journals, professional papers including legal and financial material, photographs, awards, art work, and books. Of particular interest is the correspondence with Nadia Boulanger, which extent over 50 years, and with his long-time friend, Harold Clurman. Other significant correspondents are Leonard Bernstein, Paul Bowles, Benjamin...

Abstract

Television producer and executive director William Cosel produced Evening at Pops featuring the Boston Pops orchestra on public television station WGBH from 1970 to 2004. The collection contains photographs of performers who appeared on Evening at Pops, as well as production and publicity materials related to the series.

Abstract The Damrosch-Tee Van Collection consists of the papers of violinist, conductor, and composer Leopold Damrosch; his son Frank, who was also a conductor; and and their families. The collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, writings, manuscript and printed music, financial and legal papers, programs, scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs. The papers of Leopold Damrosch consist of correspondence, a few examples of writings, four scores, and biographical materials. The papers of...

Abstract

Mario Davidovsky was an Argentine-American composer, teacher, and pioneer in the field of electro-acoustic music. The collection contains music by Davidovsky and other composers, project and business files, correspondence, teaching materials, biographical information, photographs, clippings, promotional materials, and files related to Composers Conference.

Abstract

Author Burt Boyar is the biographer of American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. The collection contains draft materials for his books Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) and Sammy: An Autobiography (2000), and taped interviews with Davis used in writing the book Why Me?: The Sammy Davis, Jr. Story (1989).

Abstract David Diamond was an award-winning American-Jewish composer and prominent symphonist of the mid-twentieth century. A former student of Roger Sessions and Nadia Boulanger, Diamond ultimately composed eleven symphonies and countless other chamber and vocal works, such as his influential Symphony no. 4 (1945), Elegy in memory of Maurice Ravel (1938), and Rounds (1944). His social circle of musical...