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Inventory of the American Sheet Music Collection, 1797-1982
ephSMC
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Table of contents
Title: American Sheet Music Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1797-1982
Collection number: ephSMC
Creator:
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Prints and Ephemera Division
Extent: ca. 3814 items
Repository: The Huntington Library
San Marino, California 91108
Language:
English.
Collection is open to qualified researches by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information
please go to the following
URL .
Appended to the collection is a small number (48) of British titles. This portion of the collection is closed and will not
be added to in future.
The Collection has been developed gradually since 1923 through donations of single items and donations and purchases of scrapbook
volumes containing sheet music.
In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission
from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical
property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights In some instances,
the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate
curator for further information.
Permission to reproduce portions (including illustrated covers) or all of item(s) must be requested of the Prints and Ephemera
curator.
[Identification of item], American Sheet Music Collection, 1797-1982, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
The American Sheet Music Collection illustrates the physical and thematic development of sheet music printed in the United
States from the late eighteenth century through the early twentieth century. The collection includes over
3814 items, the bulk of which spans the years
1820-1920. Musical genres included are English and American theatre music, comic opera, patriotic songs, Scottish and Irish melodies,
"Englished" versions of Italian opera, contemporary topical themes (such as the Civil War, including a small number of Confederate
imprints), and modern Broadway music. Subjects and themes covered include sentimental songs, especially courtship and maternal
relationships; songs offered in tribute (e.g. to Washington, Lincoln, Bonaparte; Jenny Lind, etc.); and patriotic songs, especially
of the Civil War. Major and minor publishers are represented. Cities most prominently featured as publishing centers include
Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore; there are also imprints from Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco,
St. Louis, and New Orleans. A significant portion of the collection is illustrated which, along with the themes and lyrics
of the songs themselves, provides further insight into the attitudes and values of the American people over time.
The collection consists of individual pieces arranged chronologically by publication date within folders, and then alphabetically
by song title. These are stored flat in boxes. A portion of the items have been bound into numbered scrapbooks, reflecting
the tastes and musical interests of various compilers.
Items without a date are arranged alphabetically by song title in a "n.d." (no date) sequence. These are housed in a separate
"no date" box.
The container list reflects the physical arrangement of the collection. It is arranged chronologically, and then alphabetically
within each year. Items should be requested bearing the following scheme in mind:
- I. cite the information in the date and title columns.
- II. the date column reflects three different kinds of access.
- 1) 1898 (single date. This represents a boxed item).
- 2) 1898: v.18/36 (date followed by colon). This represents an item from the year 1898 that can be located as a bound item. In this case, the item would be contained in scrapbook number 18, and numbered item 36.
- 3) 1898 + v.18/17 (date followed by plus sign). This represents an item from the year 1898 that can be located as a single piece of sheet music within the chronological boxes and a second copy in scrapbook number 18, item 17.
When an item on the list is not designated by a specific year, but rather a decade (e.g. "1860's"), its date of publication
has been estimated to roughly that ten year period. The item should be requested in the same manner as the others, citing
the estimated date.
Beyond the American Sheet Music Collection which is housed in the Prints and Ephemera Division of the Rare Book Department,
sheet music has also been catalogued in numerous locations in the Rare Book Department.
Cf: "Collections - Sheet Music" in the Official Catalog. Other catalogued material include: Librettos, Song Books, Song Sheets, and Broadsides.
- 1. Dichter, Harry and Elliot Shapiro, Early American Sheet Music: Its Lure and Its Lore, 1768-1889.
- 2. Krummel, Donald W., Guide for Dating Early Published Music: A Manual of Bibliographical Practices.
- 3. Sonneck, Oscar George, A Bibliography of Early Secular American Music
- 4. Wolfe, Richard J., Secular Music in America 1801-1825: A Bibliography;