Notes for Notes

The International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM), part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library at the University of Maryland, has acquired an extensive collection of materials documenting the professional activity of New York composer, pianist, critic, entrepreneur, and radio personality, Jed Distler. A Virgil Thomson/Deems Taylor ASCAP Award recipient and a MacDowell Colony fellow, Mr. Distler has donated audio and video recordings of his concerts and recording sessions, airchecks of his radio broadcasts, complete documentation of his output as composer, his correspondence, photos, programs and clippings, as well as materials relating to his organization ComposersCollaborative, of which he is a cofounder.

During the 2015–16 academic year, IPAM celebrated its fiftieth anniversary as the only institutional archive devoted specifically to the history and performance of classical piano music. Founded in Cleveland and originally established independently in New York, IPAM became part of the University of Maryland Libraries in 1977. The collection offers comprehensive holdings of recordings in all formats from 1889 to the present, scores both published and unpublished, and documents covering the careers of thousands of concert pianists.

Donald Manildi
University of Maryland

The Michigan State University Music Manuscript Collections have moved from their previous home in the MSU Libraries’ Special Collections to the MSU Archives and Historical Collections. The collections include works of emeritus faculty H. Owen Reed, Jere Hutcheson, James Nib-lock, Ernst Victor Wolff, Merrill Sherburn, and Paul Harder. Also contained in the collections are the commissioned music of the Verdehr Trio, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr’s clarinet music collection, the compositions of alumni Wallace De Pue and Eloy Fominaya, and the saxophone orchestra collection donated by alumnus Dick Charles. Music together with theater and dance are represented in the collection of choreographer, dancer, and alumnus Forrest Coggan. The Joe Cappo Band and the Floyd von Richter Orchestra (donated by Roger Grove) comprise popular music of the twentieth century. Several of the collections are still being developed, and new donations sought. Finding aids are available at the library Web site http://www.lib.msu.edu/branches/fal/musicmancoll/, and at the University Archives Web site http://archives@msu.edu.

Mary Black Junttonen
Michigan State University

The University of North Texas Music Library has acquired several noteworthy collections in recent months. Received as a gift from Al and Anna Julian in November 2015, the Woody Herman Society Collection consists of the official records of the Woody Herman Society; it also includes an extensive set of photo albums, scrapbooks, and memorabilia (as well as Woody Herman’s music stand). In that same month, the library purchased a small collection music manuscripts and dye-line copies of music by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Cat Anderson, Lou Carter, and Paul Gonsalves from J&J Lubrano Music Antiquarians.

In March of 2016, composer and former UNT College of Music faculty member Larry Austin donated his extensive collection (comprising personal papers, compositions, and sound recordings) to the Music Library. In April, the library received the band library of Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians as a gift of director Al Pierson. Most recently, the library received donations from Mrs. Madeleine Forte, widow of the late music theorist Allen Forte, which complement the existing Forte collection and focus on Mrs. Forte’s own performing career, and that of her aunt, Sonia Chalon. In June, the UNT Music Library purchased additional correspondence and other materials from Chalon via J&J Lubrano.

Maristella Feustle
University of North Texas

As tradition has it, Notes column “Prices of Music Monographs and Scores” appears in the December issue of each volume. This issue is no different—save for the fact that we are bidding Kerri Baunach Scannell adieu with this, her last installment on the topic, and we welcome Peter Munstedt, who will take the reins from Kerri for future issues. Thank you, Kerri, for your contributions as part of the Notes staff, and welcome, Peter!

The “Prices” column provides a snapshot of how our music collection funds were spent. We have grown accustomed to working with dedicated vendors, honing collection development plans, and observing...