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Forsythe (Harold Bruce) Papers
mssHM 59571-59825
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Harold Bruce Forsythe papers
creator:
Forsythe, Harold Bruce
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 59571-59825
Physical Description:
22.16 Linear Feet
(15 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1903-1997
Date (bulk): 1924-1935
Abstract: Harold Bruce Forsythe was an
African-American composer, author, and poet. This collection consists of manuscripts of
Forsythe's musical scores, poems, short stories, essays, and a novel from
1903-1997.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department.
For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Harold Bruce Forsythe papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Harold Sumner Forsythe, 1995 and 1997.
Harold Bruce Forsythe was an African-American composer, author, and poet of the 1920s and
1930s. Born in 1908, he grew up in Los Angeles, attended Manual Arts High School, and later
studied classical piano and composition at Julliard Graduate School from 1927 to 1928. He
collaborated with composer William Grant Still in composing the operas "The Sorcerer" and
"Blue Steel." By 1940, Forsythe's advancing deafness ended his career as a musician and
composer. He died in 1976.
The Harold Bruce Forsythe papers consists of manuscripts of Forsythe's musical scores,
poems, short stories, essays, and a novel. Included in the correspondence are six letters
from Forsythe to long-time friend Verna Arvey, who later married composer William Grant
Still. Included in the manuscripts are several essays by Forsythe about William Grant Still
and about several of Still's works, particularly his ballet "Sahdji." There are also audio
cassette tape recordings of the Forsythe program at the Huntington Library, February
1997.
Processed by Rebecca Tuttle, February 2000. In 2020, Gina C Giang created a finding aid
derived from a legacy summary report.
Issues of "Flash", an African American magazine published in Los Angeles in the 1920s and
1930s, to which Forsythe frequently contributed, were transferred to the Rare Books
Department of the Huntington Library: 499532.
Organized in the following series: 1. Manuscript musical scores; 2. Manuscripts; 3.
Correspondence; 4. Ephemera.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African American authors -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
-- Archives
African American composers -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
-- Archives
African American musicians -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
-- Archives
Composition (Music)
Audiotapes -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Ephemera -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Essays -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th
century
Manuscripts for publication -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th
century
Novels -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Poems -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Photographs -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Scores -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Arvey, Verna, 1910-1987
Forsythe, Harold
Bruce
Still, William Grant, 1895-1978