Fannie Charles Dillon music manuscripts, 1881-1961

Finding aid prepared by UCLA Library Special Collections staff. Reprocessed in 2015 by Lori Dedeyan, machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
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©2002 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Title: Fannie Charles Dillon music manuscripts
Collection number: PASC-M 15
Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 12.0 linear ft. (25 flat boxes and 2 oversize flat boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1881-1961
Abstract: This collection consists primarily of sheet music manuscripts and manuscript reproductions belonging to the American pianist, composer, and music educator, Fannie Charles Dillon. Included are sketches, full scores, parts, vocal scores, lead sheets and some printed scores for Dillon's vocal, choral, orchestral, piano, and chamber music. Also included are some personal materials, such as photographs, clippings, concert programs, and correspondence.
Language of Materials: Materials are primarily in English, with a small fraction in German.
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator: Dillon, Fannie Charles, 1881-1947

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Gift of Alymer and Ann Dillon Thompson, 4 August 1954.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Fannie Charles Dillon Papers (Collection PASC-M 15). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 4232941 

Biography

Fannie Charles Dillon (born 16 March 1881) was an American pianist, composer, and music educator. Born in Denver, Colorado, Dillon moved with her family to Long Beach, California in 1890. After graduating from Pomona College, she moved to Berlin, where she studied the piano with Leopold Godovsky and composition with Heinrich Urban and Hugo Kaun, from 1900-1906. She later studied composition with Rubin Goldmark in New York, before returning to Los Angeles in 1908 and working as a pianist, teacher, performer and composer. She taught at Pomona College from 1910 to 1913 and in the Los Angeles high school system from 1918 to 1941. She was in residence at the MacDowell Colony in 1921, 1923, and 1933. She founded Woodland Theater in Big Bear Lake, California in 1924 and served as its general manager from 1926 to 1929. Dillon died in Altadena, California on 21 February 1947.

Scope and Content

This collection consists primarily of sheet music manuscripts and manuscript reproductions representing about 140 compositions by Dillon. Included are sketches, full scores, parts, vocal scores, lead sheets and some printed scores for Dillon's vocal, choral, orchestral, piano, and chamber music. Though these apply mainly to Dillon's mature and finished pieces, there are also a few works from childhood, various untitled or unfinished pieces, and research material and works by other composers. Also included are some personal material, such as photographs, clippings, concert programs, and correspondence. For further personal material, see the Fannie Charles Dillon papers (Collection 626) in UCLA Library Special Collections.
Dillon, herself, assigned opus numbers to her works; they have been included after the work titles. A few opus numbers have been attached to more than one work in Dillon's manuscripts.

Organization and Arrangement

This collection has been arranged in the following series:
  • Series 1. Songs for voice and piano
  • Series 2. Choral music
  • Series 3. Orchestral music
  • Series 4. Music for piano
  • Series 5. Chamber music
  • Series 6. Personal material
  • Series 7. Early, unnumbered, and research material

Related Material

Fannie Charles Dillon Papers (Collection 626).  Available at Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Dillon, Fannie Charles, 1881-1947--Archives.
Sheet music.
Women composers--California--Archives.
Women music teachers--California, Southern--Archives.

 

Series 1. Songs for voice and piano. 1917-1938.

Scope and Content

This series includes manuscripts and manuscript reproductions for Dillon's works for voice and piano. These include songs, hymns, and dramatic recitations to piano accompaniment. Manuscripts include sketches and finished scores; also included are a few published works.
Box 1, Folder 1

American Indian “Dreamer Songs”, Op. 95. undated.

Box 1, Folder 2

Atonement (Sacred Song for Soprano), Op. 7. undated.

Box 1, Folder 3

Berceuse, Op. 29, No. 2. undated.

Box 1, Folder 4

The Cost: A Postwar Ballad, Op.58. undated.

Box 1, Folder 5

Cry Heart, Cry!, Op. 103. undated.

Box 1, Folder 6

Forest Fables, Op. 82. 1932-1934.

Box 1, Folder 7

Hiawatha’s Wooing, Op. 115. undated.

Box 1, Folder 8

In the Forest, Op. 60. 1926-1927.

Box 1, Folder 9

A Legend of Monadnock Mountain, Op. 56, No. 3. 1928-1929.

Box 2, Folder 1

A Love Song, Op.36, No.2. undated.

Box 2, Folder 2

Melodic Moods of the Mountains, Op.69/76. undated.

Box 2, Folder 3

Message of the Bells, Op. 38. 1917.

Box 2, Folder 4

Moloch, Op. 74. 1929-1930.

Box 2, Folder 5

Mother, I Am Near to Thee, Op. 76. undated.

Box 2, Folder 6

Music from a Jade Flute, Op. 92. circa 1934.

Box 2, Folder 7

Nocturne of Night, Op. 114. undated.

Box 3, Folder 1

Op.33

No.1: Evening

No.2: She Walks in Beauty.
undated.

Box 3, Folder 2

Op.41

No.1: The Meadowlark

No.2: In My Dreams

Unnumbered: Laddie.
undated.

Box 3, Folder 3

Op.43

No.1: Liberty, the Right of All!

No.2: Celebration of Victory.
1918.

Box 3, Folder 4

Op.73

No.1: In the Light of the Dawn

No.2: The Little Green God

No.3: Song Celestial.
1928.

Box 3, Folder 5

Op. 83

No.1: A Nature Soliloquy

No.2: The White Warrior.
undated.

Box 3, Folder 6

Op.105

No.1: Raindrop Melodies

No.6: Dreamy Lake

Unnumbered: Indian Cradle Song.
1938.

Box 3, Folder 7-9

Saul, Op. 14. undated.

Box 4, Folder 1

Sea Chanty, Op. 89. undated.

Box 4, Folder 2

She Walks in Beauty (A Reverie), Op. 33/39. undated.

Box 4, Folder 3

Six Children's Songs, Op. 65. undated.

Box 4, Folder 4

Skylines and Silences, Op. 59. undated.

Box 4, Folder 5

Songs for High Voice, Op.86

No.1: Awakening

No.2: Irish Poetry.
undated.

Box 5, Folder 1

Songs for Soprano, Op. 61. 1932.

Box 4, Folder 6

A Song from the West, Op. 34, No. 2. undated.

Box 5, Folder 2

Springtime Songs, Op. 70. undated.

Box 5, Folder 3

A Star Song, Op. 85. undated.

Box 5, Folder 4

Two Duets for Soprano and Tenor, Op. 98. undated.

Box 5, Folder 5

Two Poems, Op. 42. 1927.

Box 5, Folder 6

Two Scriptural Songs, Op. 40. circa 1924.

Box 5, Folder 7

When the Sun Goes Low, Op.87. undated.

 

Series 2. Choral music. circa 1931-1932.

Scope and Content

This series contains manuscripts and manuscript reproductions for Dillon's choral works. Manuscripts include sketches and finished pieces.
Box 5, Folder 8

Inverness, Op. 102. undated.

Box 6, Folders 1-5

Op. 35

No. 1: Sunset

No.2: The Dawn.
1932.

Box 5, Folder 9

Op.112

No.1: A Swiss Lullaby

No.2: A Song of Holland

No.3: Our Colors Triumphant.
undated.

Box 5, Folder 10

Robe of a King, Op. 101. undated.

Box 6, Folder 6

The Wreath, Op. 98. 1931-1932.

 

Series 3. Orchestral music. circa 1930-1945.

Scope and Content

This series includes manuscripts and manuscript reproductions of vocal scores, full scores, and instrumental parts for Dillon's orchestral works. Included are sketches, finished scores, and a some printed sheet music. Orchestral works include symphonies, operas, and concertos.
Box 7, Folder 1

The Cloud (Symphonic Poem), Op. 30. undated.

Box 8, Folders 2-5, Box 9

The Desert Calls, Op. 79. circa 1930.

Box 19, Folders 1-2

In A Mission Garden, Op. 52. undated.

Box 7, Folders 2-4

Indian Woodland Idyll, Op. 99. 1937.

Box 23

Letter from the Southland, Op. 51. undated.

Box 7, Folder 5

Message of the Bells, Op. 38. undated.

Box 7, Folder 6

Moonlit Trails, Op. 47. undated.

Box 22

Nevertheless- Old Glory, Op. 78. circa 1930.

Box 27, Folder 4, Box 18

Prince Su Ming Wang (Chinese Symphonic Suite), Op. 96. 1937-1944.

Box 7, Folder 6

Saul, Op. 49. undated.

Box 20, Folder 1

Songs of a Loved Shepherd, Symphonic Suite in Four Movements, Op. 49. undated.

Box 19, Folders 3-4

Symphony (Pastoral) Suite in Three Movements, Op. 26. undated.

Box 8, Folder 1

Tahquitz, The Desert Play of Palm Springs, Op. 80. undated.

Boxes 10-11

Twilight Silhouettes, Op. 104. undated.

Box 20, Folders 2-4, Box 21

A Western Saga, Op. 117. 1945.

 

Series 4. Music for piano. 1898-1944.

Scope and Content

This series contains manuscripts and manuscript reproductions for Dillon's piano works. Included are sketches and finished scores, as well as some printed sheet music. Piano works include both full compositions and instructional pieces for students.
Box 24, Folder 1

Ballade, Op. 71. undated.

Box 24, Folder 2

Concert Etude, Op. 77. undated.

Box 24, Folder 3

Die Jagd, Op. 16. undated.

Box 24, Folder 4

Eight Descriptive Pieces, Op. 20. 1917.

Box 24, Folder 5

Etude in A Flat Major, Op. 5. undated.

Box 24, Folder 6

Fantasie, Op.15. undated.

Box 24, Folder 7

From Mountain Muses, Op. 45. undated.

Box 24, Folder 8

From the Chinese, Op. 93. 1944.

Box 24, Folder 9

From the Far West (Two Indian Impressions), Op. 81. undated.

Box 24, Folder 10

Hillcrest Poems, Op. 55. undated.

Box 24, Folder 11

Jack and the Beanstalk, Op. 57. undated.

Box 24, Folder 12

Kleine Suite, Op. 1. undated.

Box 25, Folder 1

A Medieval Minstrelsy, Op. 90 (organ music). undated.

Box 25, Folder 2

Melodious Pieces for Children, Op. 109. 1939.

Box 25, Folder 3

Melodic Poems of the Mountains, Op. 44. circa 1920.

Box 25, Folder 4

Minuet, Op. 3. undated.

Box 25, Folder 5

Moonsprites, Op. 111. undated.

Box 25, Folder 6

Mystical Pathways, Op. 113. 1941.

Box 25, Folder 7

Nocturne, Op. 10. undated.

Box 25, Folders 8-9

Op.107. undated.

Box 26, Folder 1

A Promethean Conqueror, Op. 31. circa 1914.

Box 26, Folder 2

A Scene from Hungary, Op. 13. undated.

Box 25, Folder 10

Seven Preludes for Piano, Op. 110. undated.

Box 26, Folder 3

Six Preludes, Op. 8. 1908.

Box 26, Folders 4-6

Sonata in B minor, Op. 27. undated.

Box 12, Folder 1

A Sonata of the West, Op. 84. undated.

Box 12, Folder 2

A Song from Robin’s Wold, Op. 72. undated.

Box 12, Folder 3

A Song of Life (Fantasy Sonata for Piano), Op. 108. undated.

Box 12, Folder 4

Songs of the Seven Hills, Op. 65. circa 1927.

Box 12, Folder 5

A Story from Dreamland, Op. 97 (organ music). circa 1935.

Box 12, Folder 6

The Story of Cinderella, Op. 63. undated.

Box 12, Folder 7

The Story of Sleeping Beauty, Op. 64. undated.

Box 12, Folder 8

Story of the Cradle (Sleeping Babe Slumber Song), Op. 9. undated.

Box 12, Folder 9

Suite for Piano, Op. 91

No.1: Forest Fables

No.4: Vista San Giorgino.
undated.

Box 27, Folder 1

Twelve Variations for Piano, Op. 12. undated.

Box 27, Folder 2

Zwei Stucke, Op. 2. undated.

Box 27, Folder 3

Notebooks/ various. 1898-1899.

Scope and Content

This folder contains various intermixed early compositions, including Albumblatt, Berglied, Dedication (Op. 29), Die Jagd (Op.15), Fantasia (Op.21), Fantasie (Op.20), Fruhlinslied (Op. 34), Impromptu- Novellette, Ode to a Harp (Op.32), Pastoral (Op.19), Pastoral (Wooddove) (Op.30), Prelude (Op. 33), and Sonnette (Op.31).
 

Series 5. Chamber music. undated.

Scope and Content

This series contains manuscripts and manuscript reproductions for Dillon's chamber music pieces. Manuscripts include sketches and finished pieces.
Box 13, Folder 1

Six Violin Solos, Op.53. undated.

Box 13, Folders 2-4

String Quartette in F Major (Mountain Idyll), Op. 50. undated.

Box 14

Trio in D minor for Violin, Cello and Piano, Op. 118. undated.

 

Series 6. Personal material. 1881-1961.

Scope and Content

This series contains correspondence; photographs; writing by and biographical information about Dillon; newspaper clippings of concert reviews, announcements, and articles about Dillon; concert programs for Dillon, her students, or others; and material related to the MacDowell Colony, at which she was in residence.
Box 15, Folder 1

Correspondence. 1936-1937.

Box 15, Folder 2

Photographs. 1881-1942.

Box 15, Folder 3

Writing. undated.

Box 15, Folder 4

Concert programs: performances by Dillon or of Dillon's works. 1934-1939.

Box 15, Folder 5

Concert programs: performances by Dillon's students. 1934-1937.

Box 15, Folder 6

Concert programs: performances by others. 1935-1938.

Box 15, Folder 7

Concert programs: Federal Music Project. circa 1936.

Box 15, Folder 8

MacDowell Colony materials. 1932-1937.

Box 15, Folder 9

Biographical material. undated.

Box 15, Folder 10

Clippings. 1908-1938.

Box 15, Folder 11

Receipts, brochures, and catalogs. 1934-1961.

 

Series 7. Early, unnumbered, and research material. 1892-1940s.

Scope and Content

This series includes compositions created by Dillon as a child, untitled or incomplete manuscript, unnumbered manuscripts, and research material, in the form of works by other composers. The works by others largely include published compositions; there are also compositions by others that have been transcribed in manuscript form, as well as manuscript compositions by several of Dillon's high school students.
Unnumbered manuscripts include all of the genres specified in the previous series. Due to intermixing, these manuscripts were not separated. Several of the compositions bear the same or similar titles to works listed in the series above; however, they cannot be conclusively tied to those works.
Box 16, Folder 1

Unnumbered manuscripts: A-L. 1898-1938.

Scope and Content

Includes: Ayatala (opera), Ballade (piano), Berceuse (piano), The Brook (voice and piano), Daffodils (piano), A Desert Pastoral (orchestral), Dream Garden (piano), Dream- Tryst (piano), Etude (piano), Fantasia (piano), Hellas (orchestral), In Balsam Shades (piano), Intermezzo (piano), In the MacDowell Woods (voice and piano), and various canons and fugues.
Box 16, Folder 2

Unnumbered manuscripts: M-Z. 1898-1938.

Scope and Content

Includes: Mazurka (piano), A Midsummer Day's Dream (voice and piano), Misty Clouds (voice and piano), Moon Goddess (piano), "Nacher" and "The Bootlegger's Farewell" (saxophone and piano), Morceaux Caracteristique (piano), Nocturne (piano), Novellette (piano), Pastoral (piano), Prelude (piano), Porphyria's Love (voice and piano), The Prophet, Rhapsody (piano), The Rivulet (piano), Rondo (piano), Scherzo (piano), Sonata (violin and piano), Sonata in A flat Major (piano), Sonnette (piano), A Song from "Pippa Passes" by Robert Browning (voice and piano), Summer (piano), Taliesin (voice and piano), Valse (piano), Variationen (piano), Walking Through a Garden (voice and piano), and other untitled pieces.
Box 17, Folder 1

"Unfinished songs": untitled sketches. undated.

Box 17, Folder 2

Early compositions by Dillon. 1892-1896.

Box 17, Folder 3

Research material. 1930s-1940s.

Scope and Content

Includes published and manuscript reproductions of pieces by other composers.
Box 17, Folder 4

Compositions by students. 1930s.