Collection inventory

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Sheet Music Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: WKZ
Date: 6 May 2010

Biographical History

Most composers' biographies are easily available from other sources; therefore, the biographical history is limited to persons of note whose signatures appear on various items throughout this collection.

Thomas Mott Osborne (1859-1925) was a prison reformer and political reformer from Auburn, New York. In addition to his own signatures, those of his mother (Emily Osborne), sister (Eliza Osborne), and sons (David Munson Osborne II and Arthur Lithgow Osborne), appear on various items throughout this collection.

Winifred Seely Myers Love (1895-1994) was an alumna of Syracuse University who graduated with a degree in vocal performance from Crouse College. During her summers away from college she would teach music to high school students in Berwick, Pennsylvania. While her fiancé Frank Love was away serving during World War I, she served locally with the Red Cross and continued working to help soldiers throughout the rest of her life, hosting (with her husband) a recreation camp for soldiers on leave due to injuries in Thousand Island Park, New York. In 1990, she endowed a chair in the School of Arts & Sciences of Syracuse University, the first endowed chair in that school.

Frank Love (1889-1981), Winifred Love's husband, was also an alumnus of Syracuse University and its law school. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Syracuse University from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s. He was a charter member of American Legion Syracuse Post 41 and became State Commander in the American Legion in 1938.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Sheet Music Collection consists of musical works and publications from many different sources, including printed sheet music, bound collections of music, books on music, books of music, opera programs, libretti, opera scores, church bulletins and announcements concerning musical performances, catalogues of music, and periodicals concerning music.

Sheet music is limited to published sheet music with works by one composer or arranger within one opus or work. Bound collections of music are publisher-bound multiple-work or multiple-composer groupings of music. Books are publisher-bound books of music with specific purposes, whether instructionally- or institutionally-based. Opera items include opera programs, opera libretti, and scores from opera or large vocal works. Owner-bound sheet music is limited to sheet music items bound post-publication by the owners. Miscellaneous items include church bulletins, catalogues, periodicals, and other items which cannot otherwise be classified in this collection. Composer notoriety was determined by a poll of select music students, faculty, and librarians at Syracuse University and Gettysburg College.

Publishers represented in the collection include Boosey and Company, Edition Peters, C. F. Peters, Edward B. Marks Music Corporation, Theatre Magazine Company, Fred. Rullman, G. Ricordi and Company, Charles F. Tretbar, G. Schiermer, Oliver Ditson and Company, John W. Tufts, D. Appleton and Company, Root and Cady, White-Smith Music Publishing Company, Silver Burdett and Company, J. W. Smith, Jr., Maurice Schlesinger, J. Rieter-Biedermann, Universal-Edition, M. Witmark and Company, Theodore Presser Company, Uniôn Musical Española, R. H. Macy and Company, Leo Feist Incorporated, John Church Company, Carl Fischer, Thompson and Odell, Horace Waters, Au Ménestrel, Richard A. Saalfield, Harry Dichter, Ella Southwork Clark, Lee and Walkter, Boston Music Company, William A. Pond and Company, S. T. Gordon, J. F. Browne, E. H. Wade, Jaques and Brother, Clayton F. Summy Company, McKinley Music Company, L. D. Westfeldt, Daniels and Russell, E. T. Paull Music Company, Firth Pond and Company, F. A. North and Company, Lorenz Publishing Company, Abr. Lundquists, S. C. Jollie, Arthur P. Schmidt Company, Charivari, Belwin Incorporated, Novello and Company, Breitkopf and Härtel, N. Simrock, Jobin and Company, T. B. Harms, Johann Cappi, Offenbach a/M, Carl Rühle's Music-Verlag, and Irving Berlin Incorporated (among others).

Arrangement of the Collection

Materials are arranged by format initially and further arranged differently for each of the series. Sheet music is arranged by composer, separated by current notoriety (into well-known and lesser-known composers) and then arranged alphabetically. Bound collections of music are arranged by whether they are works mainly from one composer or multiple composers, with the single composers arranged by composer notoriety (into well-known and lesser-known composers) and further alphabetically and the multiple composers are arranged by instrument. Books are arranged by purpose (whether they are instructional or institutional e.g. hymnbooks), opera items are arranged by format again (whether they are programs, libretti, or scores), owner-bound sheet music is arranged by attribution alphabetically with unattributed items located at the end. Miscellaneous items are arranged by format.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Items printed in the Central New York area, some items concerning the portrayal of African-Americans, a published piece of sheet music from the original Wizard of Oz stage play by L. Frank Baum, and books of music reflective of specific cultures and times have been removed from this collection for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.

For more about the Osborne family, see the Osborne Family Papers. For more about the Clark Music Company, see the Clark Music Company Records.

Subject Headings

Persons

Love, Frank C., 1889-1981.
Love, Winifred Seely Myers, 1895-1994.
Osborne, Arthur Lithgow.
Osborne, David Munson II.
Osborne, Eliza Wright.
Osborne, Thomas Mott, 1859-1926.

Corporate Bodies

Boosey & Co.
Boston Music Co.
Breitkopf & Härtel.
C. F. Peters (firm)
Carl Fischer Inc.
E. T. Paull Music Co.
Edition Peters.
G. Schirmer, Inc.
Irving Berlin, Inc.
John Church Company.
M. Witmark & Sons.
Novello & Co.
Oliver Ditson Company.
Ricordi (firm)
Silver Burdett Company.
Theodore Presser Company.
William A. Pond & Co.

Subjects

Instrumental music.
Operas -- Librettos.
Sheet music -- Specimens.
Vocal music.

Places

United States -- Songs and music.

Genres and Forms

Librettos (documents for music)
Music books.
Music text-books.
Programs (documents)
Scores.
Sheet music.
Songbooks.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Sheet Music Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Unspecified.

Table of Contents

Sheet music

Bound collections of music

Books

Opera items

Owner-bound sheet music

Miscellaneous

Inventory