Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- Collection of 19th and 20th century American sheet music and song books, much of which organized by subject.
- Extent:
- 47 Linear Feet (68 boxes)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item] William R. and Louise Fielder Sheet Music Collection, M701, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Fielder Sheet Music Collection represents the fruit of the collecting labors of William R. and Louise Fielder. The collection consists of over 2,532 individual pieces of sheet music, sheet music lithographs, and music-related broadsides from the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Accompanying the sheet music are eighty files of correspondence, ephemera, and photocopies of the collection. The collection is arranged into 43 series. Every effort has been made to preserve the provenance of the collection's series which Mr. and Mrs. Fielder utilized during their years of collecting.
The series are arranged by subject, by lithographic images, by geographical region, and by the era of origin. Series 43 consists of a later accession; material here was not interfiled with the first sequence of series. Within the individual series, individual pieces were not sequentially arranged. Series titles are not necessarily fully representative of their contents.
The collection's strengths lie in several areas. Among these are the collections of imprints dating before 1840, the 19th century imprints from the northeastern United States, and the mid-19th century imprints from California and Hawaii. Of particular note in this collection are the imprints of war-related themes, which scan American history from the arrival of General LaFayette, to Confederate imprints printed during the Civil War and continuing through the first and second World Wars. Of equal importance is the representation of daily life in the 19th century and the extensive collection of early-American lithography which this collection contains.
The finding aid for the Fielder Sheet Music Collection documents most available information about the individual pieces of sheet music. To enable the researcher easier access to the collection, the finding aid can be searched by title, composer, arranger, performer, lithographer, by city of origin and publishing house, as well as by date of origin.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchased, 1994; accession 1994-093. Additional material received 2004, accession 2004-097.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Music
Sheet music.
Songbooks.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. Some materials are believed to be in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use of public domain materials.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item] William R. and Louise Fielder Sheet Music Collection, M701, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022