subj15. Holdings related to Music

Content Description The collection consists of research materials Dr. Josephine Susannah Norton developed during trips to the West Indies, Ghana, and while working on her thesis at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.  The collection is rich with documentation on languages, folklore, and music from the Caribbean and West Africa.  Research materials regarding African American dialects and language are also extensively covered in the collection.  Slides from her trips to Ghana and...

Scope and Contents The bulk of the Robert N. and Lillian Perry papers consist of three years of personal correspondence from Mr. Perry to Lillian, prior to and early in their marriage. The remainder of the collection consists of professional papers, collected items, news clippings, and sheet music. Topics of interest are the histories of Central Congregational United Church of Christ, the Valena C. Jones Normal and Practical School, African American education, the Louisiana Education Association, civil...

Content Description George A. Rhodes was a pianist, music director, composer, and arranger. He studied piano at the Julliard School and went to work for Appollo Records in 1950-1952. He also worked for RCA Victor (1954-1955), King Records (1955-1956) and Ammco Records as a music arranger from 1958-1959. He was the first Black conductor for Golden Boy in 1965 and the first Black orchestra leader at the Coconut Grove in 1971. Between 1975-1976 he was the first and only Black music conductor at the Tropicana...

Content Description The Erwin A. Salk collection on Paul Robeson dates from 1933 to 1976 and consists of 0.80 linear feet of material devoted to actor, singer, scholar and civil rights activist Paul Robeson. Materials include brochures, photographs and audiovisual materials. Of interest are a collection of photographs representing Robeson’s educational accomplishments as a star varsity team member on Rutgers Intercollegiate Debating Association. In addition, images feature Robeson as a star athlete...

Content Description Lloyd H. Smith of New Orleans, Louisiana, was a collector of jazz music and books on the topic. The collection contains approximately 580 phonograph jazz recordings by performers such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Erskine Hawkins, Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, the Ink Spots, Charlie Parker, Artie Shaw, Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, Pete Fountain, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Fletcher Henderson, and others. He also donated 44 books on the topic...

Scope and Contents The Hale Smith papers cover the length of Smith's musical career, documenting his education at the Cleveland Institute of Music; his early career in Cleveland, particularly with the Karamu Theatre; his move to New York where he worked the jazz circuit with Dizzy Gillepsie and Chico Hamilton before he settled into his career as a music editor, an educator, and a copyright specialist; and the relationships he developed over time up to shortly before his death. Hale Smith maintained a...

Content Description

This collection contains magazines, brochures, clippings and other publications and ephemera on folklore, folklife festivals and the folk masters music series. Other materials include audiotapes, news clippings, programs, and various performances recorded live at the Barns of Wolf Trap.

Content Description The papers primarily document the life of Howard Swanson and his contribution to classical music history. The papers are of interest for studying African American composers and more specifically Black scholars of operatic and classical music. Formats in the collection include correspondence, financial records, memorabilia and programs of Swanson’s performances. The bulk of the collection consists of sheet music manuscripts, including several unpublished works. Additionally, the papers...

Scope and Contents The Treme Oral History Project Collection consists of sound recordings of oral history interviews conducted by the Amistad Research Center from 1993 to 1994. It was funded by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. Its purpose was to document the musical heritage of the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, a predominantly African American neighborhood since the early nineteenth century. Interviewees were residents of Treme who had experience the musical heritage of New Orleans from a...

Scope and Contents The William Warfield papers document Warfield's career as a bass baritone singer, actor, narrator, and professor.  The collection consists of correspondence, financial documents, schedules, collected items, newspaper articles, and photographs spanning the years 1948 to 1990. The papers have been arranged into five series, which are arranged as follows: biographical information and correspondence, financial records, itineraries and schedules, collected items, and oversize items. The bulk of...