Guide to the Bessie Bartlett Frankel Papers
Finding aid was created by Russell Michalak, 2009
Ella Strong Denison Library
Scripps College
1090 Columbia Avenue
Claremont, California 91711
Phone: (909) 607-3941
Fax: (909) 607-1548
Email: denison@libraries.claremont.edu
October 2009
Descriptive Summary
Title: Bessie Bartlett Frankel Papers
Creator:
Frankel, Bessie Bartlett
Dates: 1854-1972
Extent: 16 boxes
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library.
1090 Columbia Avenue
Claremont, California 91711
Abstract: Bessie Herbert (Bartlett) Frankel was a founder of the California Federation of Music Clubs and established the Chamber of
Music Series at Scripps College. She was also active in various music organizations in Southern California, such as the Friday
Morning Club and Young People Concerts and a founder of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hollywood Community
Chorus. The collection consists of photographs, music, and scrapbooks.
Collection Number: d1959.2
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English
Physical Location: Ella Strong Denison Library, Scripps College, Claremont University Consortium.
Information for Researchers
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research with permission from Ella Strong Denison Library staff.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with Scripps College. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact Ella Strong Denison
Library staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Bessie Bartlett Frankel Papers. Ella Strong Denison Library, Scripps College, Claremont, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Bessie Bartlett Frankel, 1959 or 1967.
Processing Information
Processed by Jennifer Bicknell for Archival Studies 311, Claremont Graduate University, Spring 2009.
Accruals
No addition to the collection is anticipated.
Biography of Bessie Bartlett Frankel
Bessie Bartlett Frankel was born in an unknown year. At home she studied voice, piano and composition and dramatics at the
Cumnock School. In 1909, she went to New York to study voice with David Bispham and Herbert Witherspoon. Later she underwent
two years of study in Europe, specifically oratorio in England and opera in Italy under Carlo Sbastaino. In 1912 she married
Cecil Frankel, an insurance executive associated with Equitable Life and also known to be an accomplished cellist. Mrs. Frankel
went on to become a music composer, vocalist, music patron, business executive, and dramatic narrator.
Her father, Albert Griffith Bartlett, established the Bartlett Music Store, which later became the Southern California Music
Company. Her father brought to Los Angeles such well-known musicians as, Adelina Patti, Rosenthal and de Pachmann. Today the
Pantages Theater stands where the Bartlett Family's home used to be.
Throughout her life Bessie Frankel was active in the Arts and was a member of such groups as, the Friday Morning Club, the
Women's Committee for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles, Young Peoples' Concerts, and many others. She founded the
California Federation of Music Clubs and became Vice-President of the National Federation of Music Clubs. She also instituted
the Hollywood Community Chorus and in memory of her father, Mrs. Frankel founded the Bartlett-Frankel String Quartet. Having
established the Chamber of Music Series at Scripps College, Bessie Bartlett Frankel was made an honorary alumna of the College
in 1931. She died in 1959. In her will she left a sizeable gift to Scripps College, which was used to build the Bessie Bartlett
Frankel and Cecil Frankel Hall.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Collection contains scrapbooks, photographs, notebooks, postcards, correspondence, music, compositions, and ephemera related
to her travels abroad and her career as a musician, composer, and philanthropic work in the world of music.
Series Arrangement
Series 1 Notebooks, Albums, and Scrapbooks
Series 2 Publications
Series 3 Blank Postcards
Series 4 Music
Series 5 Photographs
Series 6 Education and Philanthropic Work
Related Material
Bessie Herbert Frankel Papers, 1905-1959, (Collection 447). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library,
UCLA. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/data/13030/1h/kt0v19q11h/files/kt0v19q11h.pdf
Subject Headings
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection
Frankel, Bessie Bartlett
music
Women's studies
Western Americana -- 1900-1999
musical scores
Series 1
Notebooks, Albums, and Scrapbooks,
1869-1972
Scope and Content Note
Contains notebooks used during Mrs. Frankel's studies, philanthropic work, and time spent as a homemaker and hostess; scrapbooks
with newspaper clippings, photographs, and a postcard collection; albums that belonged to Mrs. Frankel's mother, Mamie McKeeby;
and one folder of correspondence.
Box 1, folder 1
Notebook,
1939-1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains typed and hand written recipes and recipes from newspapers and magazines.
Box 1, folder 2
Notebook,
1934-1950
Scope and Content Note
Contains recipe clippings from newspapers and magazines, along with some handwritten and typed recipes.
Box 1, folder 3
"Mental Photographs: an Album for Confessions of Tastes, Habits, and Convictions", 1869, 1874. Includes a series of surveys
in which individuals answer questions regarding their tastes and habits, questions includes "Your Favorite object in Nature"
and "Favorite name in History."
Box 1, folder 4
"Leaves of Friendship",
1873-1877
Scope and Content Note
Belonged to Mamie McKeeby and was a gift from her brother Charlie McKeeby. The Album is a collection of letters from Mamie
McKeeby's classmates and teachers from Washington College, interspersed amongst various drawings.
Box 1, folder 4
"Leaves of Friendship",
1873-1877
Scope and Content Note
Belonged to Mamie McKeeby and was a gift from her brother Charlie McKeeby. The Album is a collection of letters from Mamie
McKeeby's classmates and teachers from Washington College, interspersed amongst various drawings.
Box 2, folder 1
Includes 32 postcards, 1 Christmas card, and 1 letter from Mrs. Frankel's friends and acquaintances,
1900-1916 and 1932, 1937, undated
Box 3, folder 1
Education-Notebooks,
1972 and undated
Scope and Content Note
Bessie Bartlett Frankel's Notebooks from the Chicago School of Music and a notebook titled "Folkdance Notebook".
Box 4, folder 1
Notebook-Young People's Concerts,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The notebook has the inscription "Mrs., Cecil Frankel Los Angles Cal." in the lower right hand corner. Inside the notebook
are the names and addresses of the founding members of the Young People's Concerts society.
Box 7, folder 1
Scrapbook,
1951-1952
Scope and Content Note
Includes newspaper clippings that mostly pertain to religious topics such as "Grace for Today".
Box 7, folder 2
Scrapbook,
Undated
Scope and Content Note
Has handwritten title "History" on first page. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings of poems, pictures, and stories
of which the creator felt held a historical nature.
Box 8, folder 3
Scrapbook of blank postcards mostly from Europe,
Undated
Box 8, folder 4
"Alaska Views",
Undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains scenic photographs from a trip to Alaska.
Series 2
Publications
1904-1935
Scope and Content Note
Contains journal publications including Masters in Music and Sigma Alpha Iota: National Music Fraternity, and published work
including Postcards: The World in Miniature by Watson Cole, Mona Lisa by Max Schillings and L'Amore Dei Tre Re by Sem Benelli.
Box 3, folder 2
Journal Publications-Masters in Music,
1904-1905
Box 3, folder 3
Journal Publications-Sigma Alpha Iota: National Music Fraternity,
1933
Box 4, folder 8
Journal Publications-Sigma Alpha Iota: National Music Fraternity,
1933
Series 3
Blank Postcards,
Undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains blank postcards from Mrs. Frankel's travels, mostly spanning the European and American continents.
Box 6, folder 32
United States-Grand Canyon
Box 6, folder 33
United States-New Hampshire
Box 6, folder 34
United States-Massachusetts
Box 6, folder 36
United States-Miscellaneous
Box 6, folder 37
United States-Mount Vernon
Box 6, folder 38
United States-Washington, D.C.
Box 6, folder 39
United States-Yosemite National Park
Series 4
Music,
1854-1959
Scope and Content Note
Contains an assortment of published instrumental music, vocal music, foreign language music, musical recitations and the work
of Mrs. Frankel and J.C. Bartlett. Also contains manuscript and sheet music.
Box 11, folder 1
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1901
Box 11, folder 2
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1893
Box 11, folder 3
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1911
Box 11, folder 4
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1901, 1905, 1923, and undated
Box 11, folder 5
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1854, 1897, 1904, 1959, undated.
Box 11, folder 6
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1900, 1908
Box 11, folder 7
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1904, undated
Box 11, folder 8
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1909, 1912, undated
Box 11, folder 9
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1906, 1909, 1911
Box 11, folder 10
Assortment of Published Instrumental Music,
1910
Box 12, folder 1.1
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1898, 1915, 1917
Box 12, folder 1
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1911, 1918
Box 12, folder 2
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1906, 1911
Box 12, folder 3
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1904, 1910, 1920
Box 12, folder 4
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1902-1904, 1914, 1920
Box 12, folder 5
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1905, 1911, 1913
Box 12, folder 6
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1898, 1905, 1913, 1917, undated
Box 12, folder 7
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1900, 1906, 1909, 1912
Box 12, folder 8
Assortment of Published Musical Recitations,
1900, 1906, 1909, 1912
Box 12, folder 9
Manuscript Music by Abbie Norton Jamison,
Undated
Box 13, folder 1
Manuscript Music by Arthur Koermer,
Undated
Box 13, folder 2
Manuscript Music by Arthur Koermer,
Undated
Box 13, folder 3
Manuscript Music by Arthur Koermer,
1916 and Undated
Box 13, folder 4
Manuscript Music by Arthur Koermer,
1913 and Undated
Box 13, folder 5
Miscellaneous Manuscript Music,
Undated
Box 13, folder 6
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1897,1898, 1913, 1914
Scope and Content Note
Includes, "Well-Beloved California," "Scriptural Songs," "Cycle of Songs from Tennyson's Maud," and "Anthems for Mixed Voices."
Box 13, folder 7
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1878, 1895, 1924
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Christ Went Up into the Hills," "Canciones del Pais de California," and "A Collection of the Most Favorite Italian
Songs with English Translations."
Box 13, folder 8
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1905, 1907, 1910, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes "I'll Sing Thee Songs of Araby," "Gems of German Songs," "G. Schirmer's Collection of Part-Songs and Choruses for
Men's Voices," and "Miniatures: A Series of Little Songs."
Box 13, folder 9
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1896
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Richard Strauss: Song Album."
Box 13, folder 10
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1909
Scope and Content Note
Includes, "Lasca."
Box 13, folder 11
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1900, 1904, 1905, 1909, 1910
Scope and Content Note
Includes, "G. Pfeifer Melodies," "Kate Vannah Songs," "Frederick Stevenson Secular Songs," "I Once Loved A Boy," "Favorite
Songs by Franz Liszo."
Box 14, folder 1
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1869, 1903, 1904, 1908, 1929
Scope and Content Note
Includes "The Friend of You," "O Perfect Love," "The Day When You'll Forget Me," "Songs by James G. MacDermid," "They Shall
Hunger No More," "Songs by H.J. Stewart."
Box 14, folder 2
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1907, 1914
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Gitanjali," "James Lee's Wife."
Box 14, folder 3
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1888, 1923
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Gitanjali," "James Lee's Wife."
Box 14, folder 4
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1909
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Soprano Songs."
Box 14, folder 5
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1901
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Opera Songs."
Box 14, folder 6
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1905
Scope and Content Note
Includes "Anthology of Sacred Songs."
Box 14, folder 7
Miscellaneous Published Vocal Music,
1904
Scope and Content Note
Includes "La Savoyarde."
Box 15, folder 2
Music in French,
1884, 1897, undated
Box 15, folder 3
Music in German,
1900, undated
Box 15, folder 4
Music in German,
1936, undated
Box 15, folder 6
Music in German,
1895, 1905
Box 15, folder 7
Music Related Ephemera,
1865, 1910, undated
Box 15, folder 8
Music in Spanish,
1897, 1898
Box 15, folder 9
Published Music - Bessie Bartlett Frankel,
1932
Box 15, folder 10
Published Music - J.C. Bartlett,
1895
Box 16, folder 1
Published Music - Other Authors,
1904, 1912
Box 16, folder 2
Published Music - Other Authors,
1902
Box 16, folder 3
Published Music - Other Authors,
1912
Box 16, folder 4
Published Music - Other Authors,
1924, undated
Box 16, folder 5
Published Music - Other Authors,
1907
Box 16, folder 6
Published Music - Other Authors,
1884, 1898, 1907, 1912, 1915, undated
Series 5
Photographs,
1873-1876, 1902-1949, 1962
Scope and Content Note
Contains photographs of Mrs. Frankel and various members of her family as well as autographed portraits of musicians from
the United States and various European countries.
Box 9, folder 3
Bond, Carrie Jacobs,
1919, 1931
Box 9, folder 4
Cadman, Charles Wakefeild,
undated
Box 9, folder 6
Clark, William Andrew (Jr.),
1928
Box 9, folder 11
Fernandez, Arbos Enrique,
undated
Box 9, folder 13
Galfrui (?), Kath,
undated
Box 9, folder 15
Giannini, Dusolina,
undated
Box 9, folder 16
Gunster, Frederick,
undated
Box 9, folder 19
Hertz, Alfred and Lily (Mr. and Mrs.),
1922, 1924
Box 9, folder 22
Johnston-Bishop, Genevra,
1907
Box 9, folder 23
Klemperer, Otto,
1933-1934
Box 9, folder 25
Landowska, Wanda, (?),
1930
Box 9, folder 27
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Trip to Mexico,
undated
Box 9, folder 28
Lummis, Charles Flecther,
undated
Box 9, folder 29
Lyons, Lucile M.,
undated
Box 9, folder 31
McKeeby, Griffin B.,
undated
Box 9, folder 33
Mills, R. Watkin,
1909-1910, undated
Box 9, folder 36
Molinari, Bernardino,
1929, 1933
Box 9, folder 37
Prokofieff, Serge,
1929, 1933
Box 9, folder 40
Rubenstein, Artur,
undated
Box 9, folder 42
Sessious, Archibald W.,
1908
Box 9, folder 43
Sylva, Marguerita,
undated
Box 9, folder 45
Tibbett, Lawrence,
undated
Box 9, folder 46
Ventura, California,
undated
Box 9, folder 47
Wallenstein, Alfred,
1941
Box 10, folder 1
Frankel, Bessie Bartlett,
undated
Box 10, folder 7
Moore, Mary Carr,
1949, undated
Box 10, folder 8
Piatigorsky
, Gregor,
1929
Box 10, folder 11
Schneevoight, Sigrid,
1928
Box 10, folder 14
Thomas, John Charles,
undated
Box 10, folder 16
Unidentified-Children,
undated
Box 10, folder 17
Unidentified-Children,
undated
Box 10, folder 18
Unidentified-Men,
1909, 1930, 1944,1962, undated
Box 10, folder 19
Unidentified-Men,
undated
Box 10, folder 20
Unidentified-Men,
undated
Box 10, folder 21
Unidentified-Women,
1873, 1876, undated
Box 10, folder 22
Unidentified-Women,
undated
Box 10, folder 23
Yalkousky, Isabelle,
1930
Series 6
Education and Philanthropic Work,
1891-1948
Scope and Content Note
Contains materials pertaining to Mrs. Frankel's education and philanthropic work with organizations such as, Ebell of Los
Angeles, American Legion, The Friday Morning Club, the Historical Society of Southern California and the Women's Committee
for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles.
Box 2, folder 3
Education-Transcribed Works,
1913
Scope and Content Note
Song of the Bell by Worden
Box 4, folder 9
Education-Published Works,
undated
Scope and Content Note
No Room In the Inn by Patterson Green work contains handwritten annotations.
Box 2, folder 2
Education-Notes,
undated
Scope and Content Note
No Room In the Inn by Patterson Green work contains handwritten annotations.
Box 4, folder 2
American Legion Pamphlets,
1932, undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains two pamphlets.
Box 4, folder 3
Ebell of Los Angeles Yearbook,
1947-1948
Box 4, folder 4
Historical Society of Southern California Roster,
1950
Box 4, folder 5
Friday Morning Club Materials,
1891-1945, undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains programs, bulletins, directory, roster, and a yearbook.
Box 4, folder 7
Women's Committee for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles Program,
1945
Box 5, folder 1
Friday Morning Club Gavel presented to Frankel,
ca. 1939
Scope and Content Note
Inscribed "Mrs. Cecil Frankel President The Friday Morning Club 1935-1939".
Box 8, folder 1
Small leather book cover,
undated
Box 8, folder 2
Large leather book cover,
undated
