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Guide to the Alice Barnett Stevenson Papers
MS 63
MS 63
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Table of contents
Title: Alice Barnett Stevenson Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS 63
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5.5 Linear feet
(9 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1839-2007
Abstract: The collection contains documents related to the life, travels, and musical work of Alice Barnett Stevenson, a prominent San
Diego composer.
creator:
Stevenson, Alice Barnett
This collection is open for research.
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession numbers 751101, 761029, 801220B.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Diary of Emeline Gibbs Barnett is very fragile; pages are brittle and spine is partially detached. Front and back cover are
detached from binding of Alice Barnett Stevenson's journal (Box 1 folder 4). (June 15, 2012)
The collection is arranged into six series:
Series I: Personal Papers
Series II: Personal Correspondence
Series III: Music
Series IV: Associations
Series V: Scrapbooks
Series VI: Miscellanea
Items within each series are arranged by subject.
Collection processed by Lauren Rasmussen on June 13, 2012.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Alice Barnett Stevenson Papers, MS 63, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Biographical / Historical Notes
Alice Barnett Stevenson was born in 1886 in Lewiston, Illinois. Her father, Orrin Barnett, was a pianist and music teacher.
Having grown up in a musical family, she excelled in her musical endeavors and went on to graduate from the Chicago Musical
College in 1904 with highest honors. Her studies included piano with Rudolph Ganz, composition with Felix Borowski, and theory
with Dr. Louis Falk, among others. After college she traveled to Berlin, Germany to continue her studies under the famous
composer Hugo Ludwig Kaun, accompanied by Minnie Fish Griffin, a well-known and accomplished singer from Chicago. While in
Berlin, she met Samuel H. Price, a violin student from San Diego. The two were married shortly after. After a lengthy tour
of Europe, the couple returned to the United States in 1910, making their home in San Diego, where their two sons were born.
The marriage did not last long and four years later, the couple divorced.
The divorce revived her musical career as she supported her young family. She taught music appreciation, theory, harmony,
and history at San Diego High School while composing her own music. Between 1906 and 1932, Barnett composed 110 pieces. Fifty
of these American art songs were published, including the popular “Trio”, “In the Time of Saffron Moons”, and “In a Gondola”.
In 1926, she wed Dr. George Roy Stevenson. Dr. Stevenson was highly supportive of his wife’s career and her heavy involvement
with multiple musical associations. She was founder and a life member of the Music Makers. In 1927, she founded the San Diego
Symphony Orchestra association and was a member of the board of the Amphion Club from 1920 until 1948. She also served as
patroness for many local organizations and served as a charter member of the Opera Guild. The Stevensons hosted numerous recitals,
activities, and visiting musicians in their Mission Hills home. In later years, she and Dr. Stevenson traveled extensively
until his death in 1965. Barnett died at age 89 on August 28, 1975.
This collection consists of materials related to the life and work of Alice Barnett Stevenson. Her personal papers include
legal documents, such as her marriage license, family papers, and non-music related notebooks, as well as some family papers.
Stevenson’s personal correspondence covers her studies abroad in Europe, her return to the United States, and her later world
travels with Dr. Stevenson. Her composition notebooks, original and published sheet music, and four audio recordings of her
work are also included. Documents of her professional relationships include correspondence and administrative materials for
the San Diego Opera Guild and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Also present in the collection are several scrapbooks compiled
after her death by her daughter-in-law, Margaret Price, as well as sheet music by other musicians and a graduate thesis about
Barnett’s work. Items of particular interest include her composition notebooks from her college and Berlin years, as well
as the journal of Emeline Gibbs Barnett, Stevenson’s maternal grandmother, that dates back to 1839.
Original photographs separated to SDHC Photograph Collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Barnett, Emeline Gibbs
Kaun, Hugo, 1863-1932
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Price, Eugene
Price, Hubert
Price, Samuel
San Diego Opera Guild.
San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Stevenson, Alice Barnett
Stevenson, George Roy
Wednesday Club of San Diego .
Arrangers (Musicians)
Berkeley (Calif.)
Composers
Concerts
Correspondence
Music
Musicians
Opera
San Diego (Calif.)
Sheet music
Symphonies
Women -- Societies and clubs
Women composers
Women musicians