John Franceschina papers, circa 1875-2017

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Summary

Creators:
Franceschina, John Charles, 1947-
Abstract:
The collection consists of materials from author and theater history scholar John Franceschina relating to four of his publications, Incidental and Dance Music in the American Theatre from 1786 to 1923, Hermes Pan: The Man Who Danced with Fred Astaire, Ross Alexander: The Life and Death of a Contract Player, and The Musical Theatre of Charles Dibdin. His personal musical compositions and plays as well as those of other composers and musicians are also included. Items in the collection include research files, musical scores, programs, photographs, news clippings, edited and unedited play scripts, publications, and videos.
Extent:
38.52 linear feet (41 boxes, 2 flat file folders)
Language:
The collection is in English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. John Franceschina papers (MS 422). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of materials from author and theater history scholar John Franceschina relating to two of his publications, Incidental and Dance Music in the American Theatre from 1786 to 1923, and Hermes Pan: The Man Who Danced with Fred Astaire. Items in the collection include research files, musical scores, programs, photographs, news clippings, publications, and videos. Much of the material within the Incidental and Dance Music series contains information and sheet music by composer Rudolph Friml. The series consisting of musical and theatrical compositions houses play scripts, audio/visual recordings of songs, and sheet music both handwritten and printed. Much of this piece of the collection holds sheet music composed by the donor Mr. John Franceschina in his work as a professor and musician. Some of the original folders contained notes on which school the donor used the pieces for or which theaters they were performed at. These notes were placed at the item level.

The collection also includes unprocessed accruals, containing more original compositions, scores, and arrangements by Franceschina, and research materials from Franceschina's books Ross Alexander: The Life and Death of a Contract Player, and The Musical Theatre of Charles Dibdin. Those research materials include articles and reviews, screenplays, scripts, scores, notes, and drafts of Franceschina's works.

Books, DVDs, and VHS tapes apart of the original collection are cataloged in UCR's Special Collections. Any folders with a bracket were provided by the finding aid author and not the creator.

Acquisition information:
Gifts of John Franceschina, 2018, 2021, 2023.
Processing information:

Processed by Serena Rodholm, Student Processing Assistant, 2018.

Processing of the John Franceschina papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series as follows:

  • Series 1. Incidental and dance music, circa 1875-2017
  • Series 2. Hermes Pan, circa 1882-2011
  • Series 3. Musical and theatrical compositions, circa 1929-2012
  • Series 4. Unprocessed accruals, circa 1750-2023
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is partially processed. Please contact Special Collections & University Archives regarding the availability of materials for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. John Franceschina papers (MS 422). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Riverside - Special Collections and University Archives
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside, CA 92517-5900, US
Contact:
(951) 827-3233
specialcollections@ucr.edu
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