Records
This record unit consists of curatorial and staff correspondence and memoranda pertaining to the Tower Concert series, exhibitions at the Hall of Musical Instruments, staff research and publications, organ building, acquisition of musical instruments, and funding for seminars and musical performance recordings. Also included are inquiries from private collectors, musicians …
James Stutsman Band Book Collection
The set consists of nine books with a fragment of a tenth which seems not to be related to the other nine. Eight of the nine books, which are basically intact, offer a complete enough assortment to produce a usable performance set. The 1st althorn is missing, but the 2nd alto is …
Chickering & Sons Piano Company Collection
This collection consists of 51 volumes of Chickering & Sons piano registers, documenting piano production (May 1823-September 1985); correspondence related to the hundredth anniversary of Jonas Chickering's presidency of the Handel and Hayden Society; publications on the history of the Company and sales literature (1854-1984); newspapers articles about the company (1847-1876); photographs (1926-1966); advertising and management …
Adrien-Francois Servais Papers
Servais, Adrien-Francois, 1807-1866 (musician)
Five letters of Adrien-Francois Servais, a nineteenth century cellist, pioneer in the use of the endpin in performance, and owner of the "Servais" Stradivarius cello.
Website Records
This accession consists of the websites of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. The Society, funded by the independent Friends of Music, sponsors performances by the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra in the Hall of Musical Instruments at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) and the Grand Salon in the Renwick Gallery …
Helen May Butler Collection
bulk 1902-1902
The materials cover the career of a woman bandmaster with an all women's traveling military band from 1898-1913, with the bulk of the material ca. 1902. Contents include clippings, photographs, programs, sheet music, hand noted music, posters, post cards, advertising fliers, letters, telegram, biographical article announcing candidacy for U.S. Senate seat in …
Electric Guitar Video Documentation
This week-long event explored the intersection of technology and music in the 20th century; it included oral and video histories, exhibitions, concerts, and a symposium discussing the cultural significance of the electric guitar as instrument, technology, and symbol.
Curatorial Records
This accession consists of the records of Cynthia Adams Hoover (CAH), Curator Emeritus at the National Museum of American History (NMAH), and document her curatorial activities, professional interests, and publications over the years as Assistant Curator of Musical Instruments, 1961-1963; Associate Curator, 1964-1974; and Curator, 1975-2004. During her tenure Hoover was curator in …
Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records
Francais, Jacques, 1923-2004
Jacques Français was a preeminent luthier, violin expert, and dealer in rare stringed instruments. Emil Herrmann was also a violin expert and dealer in rare violins. This collection contains photographic prints, negatives, certificates of authenticity, and sale books related to their business as dealers and authenticators of rare stringed instruments.
J. Scott Odell folk music collection
The J. Scott Odell folk music collection (1945-2016, inclusive) contains AV recordings, photographs, correspondence, writings, and other materials relating to Odell's career at the Smithsonian as a musical instrument conservator and researcher of American music traditions. The collection largely consists of materials relating to Odell's research trips (often combined with personal visits) throughout the Eastern United States. Research strengths of the collection include the history of the Appalachian dulcimer and banjo, the Smithsonian Folkways project "Black Banjo Songsters," musician and poet Burt Porter, and the Bread and Puppet Theater.
