Jay T. Last Sheet Music Collection: Finding Aid priJLC_SMUS
Nichole L. Manlove
The Huntington Library
Online finding aid last updated 2025 February 13.
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Jay T. Last sheet music collection
Identifier/Call Number: priJLC_SMUS
Physical Description:
319 Linear Feet
(264 boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1794-approximately 1960s
Date (bulk): approximately 1820-approximately 1899
Abstract: The Jay T. Last collection of sheet music began with the collecting efforts of physicist and Silicon Valley pioneer, Jay T.
Last. It contains around 37,419 musical scores related to various aspects of life in nineteenth and early twentieth century
America, and to a lesser degree Britain and Europe. The collection is comprised of musical scores dedicated to entertainment,
industry and professions, the military, people and culture, travel, politics, science, sports and leisure, transportation,
and miscellaneous songs. The collection contains American popular music and materials that document changes in American graphic
design from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries. It also serves as a significant record of visual culture within the
Last Collection.
Language of Material: Materials are mostly in English, with some French, Italian, and Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
IN PROCESS COLLECTION. The twentieth century materials are undergoing processing and are unavailable until further notice.
Please contact Reader Services for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item]. Jay T. Last sheet music collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2005; 2010-2019; and 2023.
Biographical / Historical
Jay Taylor Last (October 18, 1929-November 11, 2021) was an American physicist and a pioneering figure in Silicon Valley.
He was a connoisseur of African art and California watercolor art and possessed a profound interest in the history of lithography.
Born in Butler, Pennsylvania to Frank and Sarah Last, Jay displayed a fascination for both the humanities and sciences from
an early age. Subsequently, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Rochester in New York, where he obtained
his bachelor's degree in Optics in 1951.
He earned a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in 1956, then went west to work at Shockley
Semiconductor Laboratory, a pioneering high tech company near Palo Alto, California founded by Nobel prize-winning physicist
Dr. William Shockley. In 1957, Last and seven of his lab partners, known as the "Traitorous Eight," defected from Shockley
to establish Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation in San Jose.
Last retired from the technology sector in 1974 but continued to advise tech companies while focusing more time on collecting
art and ephemera. His fascination with color and optics inspired him to collect citrus box labels he discovered at flea markets
starting in the late 1960s, which kindled his interest in the history of commercial lithography. His passion for the arts
and sciences was evident in his support of the Huntington Library through investments in digitization projects and professional
development opportunities for staff. Last passed away in Los Angeles, California at the age of ninety-two.
Scope and Contents
The Jay T. Last sheet music collection consists of approximately 37,419 scores dating from 1794 to the 1960s. It includes
a wide range of American popular music styles, as well as some British and European popular music. The collection encompasses
ballads, comic songs, minstrel scores, military scores, patriotic melodies, ragtime compositions, Broadway tunes, rhythm and
blues hits, and 1960s surf music. The scores comprise various editions of lyrical and instrumental compositions, some of which
have ornately lithographed covers and bear the signatures of composers, performers, and artists, as well as sellers' marks.
It's important to note that this collection contains historical images and language that some library users may find harmful,
offensive, or inappropriate.
The Jay T. Last collection is an archive of printed paper artifacts that documents American lithographic, social, and business
history. The collection began in the early 1970s when physicist and Silicon Valley pioneer, Jay T. Last moved to Southern
California and started collecting citrus box labels he found at local flea markets and rummage sales. As his collection grew,
Last realized that these labels conveyed important information about commercial printing, graphic design, and social history,
and he expanded his collection to include other forms of American visual culture. Today this collection contains more than
250,000 prints, posters, and ephemera of nineteenth and twentieth century American origin and represents works by more than
five hundred lithographic companies.
Processing Information
Processed by Nichole L. Manlove in September 2024.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series I. Nineteenth century, approximately 1794-approximately 1900; bulk (approximately 1820-approximately 1899)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Engravers
Entertainers
Industries
Leisure
Lithography
Military history
Music printing
Music publishing
Musical settings
People and culture
Popular music
Popular music -- United States -- to 1901
Science
Scores
Sheet music
Songs
Sports
Transportation
Travel
Nineteenth century
approximately 1794-approximately 1900, bulk approximately 1820-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 321.42 Linear Feet (264 boxes)
Organized into eleven subseries:
- Subseries I. British and European, approximately 1816-approximately 1898
- Subseries II. Entertainment, approximately 1794-approximately 1899; bulk approximately 1840-approximately 1899
- Subseries III. Industry and professions, approximately 1813-approximately 1899; bulk approximately 1830s-approximately 1897
- Subseries IV. Military, approximately 1820-approximately 1900; bulk approximately 1861-approximately 1865
- Subseries V. People and culture, approximately 1817-approximately 1899; bulk approximately 1830's-approximately 1899
- Subseries VI. Travel, approximately 1824-approximately 1899
- Subseries VII. Politics, approximately 1825-approximately 1893
- Subseries VIII. Science, approximately 1819-approximately 1899
- Subseries IX. Sports and leisure, approximately 1829-approximately 1899
- Subseries X. Transportation, approximately 1828-approximately 1899
- Subseries XI. Miscellaneous songs, approximately 1802-approximately 1896; bulk approximately 1820s-approximately 1888
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected items from this series have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the Huntington Digital Library:
Huntington Digital Library.
Scope and Contents
The 19th-century series consists of around 13,350 scores dated between 1794 and 1900. The collection represents various styles
of popular American music, including pieces dedicated to entertainment, industry and professions, the military, people and
culture, travel, politics, science, sports and leisure, transportation, and miscellaneous songs. It also includes a small
number of scores published in Britain and Europe.
While a substantial portion of the scores are intact, many are missing cover pages. In some cases, only the cover page is
available. Among those with cover pages, a considerable number are ornately lithographed. Some are autographed or are stamped
with the seller's mark. The scores feature lyrical or instrumental compositions, primarily in cake walks, galops, marches,
mazurkas, polkas, schottisches, two-steps, quadrilles, redowas, and waltzes, and in some instances, there are multiple editions.
Throughout the collection users will find notable creators, engravers, performers, printers, publishers, and productions associated
with the scores. Please note that this collection contains historical images and language that library users may find harmful,
offensive, or inappropriate.
British and European
approximately 1816-approximately 1898
Physical Description: 10.88 Linear Feet (9 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by title. Scores published in Britain and Europe are in boxes 48 through 56.
Scope and Contents
The British and European subseries is primarily comprised of musical scores published in London, England, with some published
elsewhere in Great Britain and Germany, and which date from 1816 through 1898. The majority of the scores are comedic or romantic
in nature, touching on British life and culture, some minstrelsy (includes stereotypical vernacular and images, as well as
offensive language), and everyday people. A generous portion were issued by prominent British publishers Francis Brothers
and Day; Francis, Day, and Hunter; Hopwood and Crew; Charles Sheard and Company; Howard and Company; and E. Ascherberg and
Company.
Entertainment
approximately 1794-approximately 1899, bulk approximately 1840-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 66.46 Linear Feet (61 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by subject, title, name, or performer.
Existence and Location of Originals
Scope and Contents
The Entertainment subseries is comprised of sheet music published in the United States between 1794 and 1899, with the bulk
of materials dated between 1840 and 1899. Materials cover a broad range of subject areas including performers (actors, actresses,
minstrels, musicians, singers, singing groups, and duets), fetes (balls, carnivals, circuses, fairs, and expositions, including
the 1876 Centennial), magic, comic songs, composers and lyricists, social and performance dances (polkas, mazurkas, quadrilles,
schottisches, and waltzes, some concerning Austrian ballet dancer Fanny Elssler). Also included are scores about musical
instruments (guitar, lute, mandolin, harp, piano, and organ), music stores, patriotism (foreign and domestic), and productions
(theatrical and concert). The latter includes a 1794 version of See Brother See which was performed in the opera The Children
in the Wood. A sizable portion of this subseries contains comic songs and minstrelsy that use stereotypical vernacular, offensive
language, and reinforce racial stereotypes that audiences of the time found acceptable and agreeable (such as Blackface).
Prominent Nineteenth century performers in the subseries include the Alleghanians, Sara Bernhardt, Charlotte Mignon "Lotta" Crabtree,
the Hutchinson Family Singers, Henry Irving, May Irwin, Jenny Lind, Margaret (Maggie) Julia Mitchell, the Rainer Family, Lillian
Russell (the Queen of Song), William J. Scanlan, and Lydia Yeamans (the New Jenny Lind).
Prominent minstrel troupes in the subseries include Buckley's Serenaders (established by James Buckley, 1803-1872), Christy's
Minstrels (led by Edwin P. Christy, 1815-1852), and Bryant's Minstrels (led by Dan Bryant, 1833-1875). Both Christy's and
Bryant's Minstrels were the longest-lasting troupes to have formed before the American Civil War. Other troupes include the
Virginia Minstrels (led by Daniel Decatur Emmett, 1815-1904). Also included are scores by Emerson, Allen and Manning (founded
by Billy Emerson, 1846-1902); the Ethiopian Serenaders; the Harmoneons; Kunkel's Nightingale Opera Troupe (founded by George
Kunkel, one of the first promoters of nineteenth-century American Minstrelsy, 1822 or 1823-1885); and the San Francisco Minstrels.
Prominent composers and lyricists found throughout the subseries include Basile Bares (1845-1902), formerly enslaved in Louisiana
and the first African American to copyright his music; Mrs. L. L. Deming; Emma Edwards; Jennie Engel; Stephen Collins Foster
(1826-1864), composer of household and Minstrel songs; Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (1829-1892), composer and early creator of
Big Band music; Charles Grobe; Edward Harrigan (1844-1911), a member of comedy teams of Harrigan and Braham, and Harrigan
and Hart. Also included are Charles (1840-1923) and Jacob Kunkel (1846–1882); Dan Lewis, African American composer and minstrel
performer; Stephen Charnak Massett (1820-1898); John Philip Sousa (1854-1932); Johann Baptist Strauss II (1825-1899); and
Theo Von La Hache (1822-1869), composer of Confederate songs.
Throughout the subseries are scores for notable productions including Aladdin; Amelie or, The Love Test; The Black Crook;
The Bohemian Girl; The Barber of Seville; and Cinderella. Other productions include Der Freischutz; Faust; Fra Diavolo; The Huguenots; Il Travatore;
La Sonnambul; The Merry Wives of Windsor; and Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Box 58
Balls, carnivals, and magic
Box 1
Comic songs: A-L by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 1 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 2
Comic songs: M-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within box 2 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 27
Comic Songs: A-L and M-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within box 27 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 60
Composers and lyricists: A-G by name
Box 61
Composers and lyricists: H-M by name
Box 101
Composers and Lyricists: N-Z by name
Box 62
Composers and lyricists: S. Massett
Box 65
Dance: Performance dances, A-Z by title
Box 66
Dance: Performance dances-Fanny Elssler
Box 67
Fairs and expositions: 1876 Centennial
Box 69
Foster, Stephen: A-L by title
Box 70
Foster, Stephen: M-N by title
Box 71
Foster, Stephen: O-Z by title
Box 3, Box 30, Box 47
Minstrels: A-C by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 3, 30, and 47 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 5, Box 31
Minstrels: D-F by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 5 and 31 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 6, Box 32
Minstrels: G-H by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 6 and 32 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 7, Box 32
Minstrels: I-R by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 7 and 32 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 8, Box 33
Minstrels: S-U by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 8 and 33 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 9, Box 33
Minstrels: V-Z by performer
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 9 and 33 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 4, Box 31
Minstrels: Christy
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within boxes 4 and 31 are located on the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 72
Musical Instruments: Banjos, bells, misc.
Box 73
Musical Instruments: Guitar, lute, and mandolin
Box 74
Musical Instruments: Harp
Box 75
Musical Instruments: Piano and organs
Box 78
Patriotic: U.S., A-L by title
Box 79
Patriotic: U.S., M-Z by title
Box 82
Productions: Ba-Bl by title
Box 83
Productions: Bo-Br by title
Box 85
Productions: D-E by title
Box 87
Productions: G-Lo by title
Box 88
Productions: Lu-M by title
Box 89
Productions: N-R by title
Box 90
Productions: S-T by title
Box 91
Productions: U-Z by title
Box 94
Singers: Duets and groups, A-Bak by name
Box 95
Singers: Duets and groups, Bar-G by name
Box 96
Singers: Duets and groups-H by name
Box 97
Singers: Duets and groups, I-Z by name
Box 98
Singers: Jenny Lind, A-G by title
Box 99
Singers: Jenny Lind, H-N by title
Box 100
Singers: Jenny Lind, O-Z by title
Industry and professions
approximately 1813-approximately 1899, bulk approximately 1830s-approximately 1897
Physical Description: 31.42 Linear Feet (26 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by subject and title.
Scope and Contents
The Industry and professions subseries is comprised of sheet music published between 1813 and 1899. Materials cover a broad
range of topics including education, fashion, finance, firefighting, horticulture, household, maritime, photography, printing
and publishing, and industry. Topics to note include odes to Cornell, Harvard, Yale, New York University, and the United States
Military Academy West Point. There are also scores dedicated to fashion highlighting a variety of trendy clothing styles worn
during the 1800s, such as bloomers, crinolines, Grecian bends, and petticoats. Others call attention to popular nineteenth-century
fashion accessories, hairstyles, and retail stores. Included are several versions of the score "Dolly Varden" - dedicated
to a fashionable woman's outfit named after a character in the 1841 Charles Dickens novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots
of Eighty.
The scores devoted to finance and firefighting focus on currency, firehouses throughout the United States, the Great Chicago
Fire of 1871, the Great Boston Fire of 1872, and the Brooklyn Theatre Fire of 1876. Scores about horticulture and the household
focus on flowers, plants, and household items and comprise of colorfully lithographed sheet music covers. The maritime scores
featured in this subseries place emphasis on seafaring life and steamships. Included are the scores "A Life On The Ocean Wave"
composed by Henry Russell, "The Light Bark" composed by J.T. Craven, and "Rocked In The Cradle Of The Deep" composed by J.P.
Knight.
Notable steamships and liners highlighted are the Atlantic, the American Line, the Oceanic, the White Star Line, and the Great
Western Steamship Company. The scores centering on printing, publishing, and photography highlight notable printers, publishers,
photographers, and innovative printing and photography techniques of the day - the latter are adorned with photographic prints.
Lastly, the collection incorporates a sizeable number of scores relating to agricultural, beverage, food, and petroleum production,
as well as the cultivation and sale of tobacco.
Box 106
Firefighting: A-F by title
Box 107
Firefighting: G-Z by title
Box 108
Horticulture: A-E by title
Box 109
Horticulture: F-H by title
Box 110
Horticulture: I-O by title
Box 111
Horticulture: P-T by title
Box 112
Horticulture: U-Z by title
Box 22
Maritime: Steamships, A-L by title
Box 23
Maritime: Steamships, M-Z by title
Box 114
Photography: A-K by title (photographs attached)
Box 115
Photography: L-Z by title (photographs attached)
Box 116
Photography: Photo plate printing
Military
approximately 1820-approximately 1900, bulk approximately 1861-approximately 1865
Physical Description: 39.88 Linear Feet (33 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by subject, date, title, and officer names.
Scope and Contents
The Military subseries comprises sheet music published in the United States between 1820 and 1900, with the bulk of materials
dated between 1861 and 1865. The scores, most of which are marches and quicksteps, shed light on the key military campaigns
and players from the American Revolutionary War, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, foreign wars, and other
United States military endeavors spanning the 1820s to 1900. A portion of scores though military-related, are also patriotic
in nature.
Scores about the American Revolution touch upon the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill; Generals Henry Knox, George
Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Also included are scores about Revolutionary War patriots Paul Revere and Sergeant
Andrew Wallace. The category focusing on the Mexican-American War highlights the military endeavors of key figures including
Generals Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Zachary Taylor. Also included are scores about Henry Clay a lawyer and statesman,
and Major Samuel B. Ringgold the "father of modern artillery." The definitive battles addressed are the battles of Buena Vista,
Cerro Gordo, and Vera Cruz. Some notable scores within this category are "Smith's March," and "Rough and Ready." Also found
are scores dedicated to the crossing of the Rio Grande River.
The scores within the American Civil War category were published between 1853 and 1888 and focus on the Confederacy, Union
officers, key battles, and camp life. Found within this category are scores about Confederate President Jefferson Davis and
United States President Abraham Lincoln. Some of the Confederate officers highlighted are Pierre G. T. Beauregard, Thomas
Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. A few of the Union officers highlighted are Generals Ambrose Everett Burnside,
Ulysses S. Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman. Also included are scores dedicated to Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, the first
Union officer to die in the Civil War. The significant military campaigns covered in this category are the battles of Fort
Sumter, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. Also included are Confederate and Union anthems and rallying songs "All quiet along
the Potomac To-Night," "The Battle Cry of Freedom," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "The Bonnie Blue Flag," "God Save the
South," "I Wish I was in Dixie's Land," "Maryland, My Maryland," and "When this cruel war is over." Other noteworthy scores
include "Jeff In Petticoats," and "Manassas" by African American composer Thomas 'Blind Tom' Wiggins.
The patriotic scores span the decades between 1851 and 1891 and focus on patriotism as it relates to the United States military.
Included are odes to the United States Navy, the American flag, the American eagle, and the concept of American union. This
section also consists of scores focusing on the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War Unionist Barbara Fritchie, and a
medley of national hymns such as "Hail Columbia," "Red, White, and Blue," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and "Yankee Doodle."
The scores within the Foreign Wars category span the decades between 1820 and 1871 and focus on military campaigns and political
figures throughout Africa, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom. The notable figures featured in this category
are Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Victoria, George Washington, and Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington. The military campaigns
highlighted here include the Crusades, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Napoleonic Wars. Notable scores within
this category include "The Battle of Prague" and "The Captive Knight."
The materials related to other US military endeavors highlight notable military figures, entities, and campaigns including
Generals Samuel Houston, Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, Winfield Scott, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Also included are scores
about the United States Military Academy West Point, the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), and various infantry units such
as the New York Light Guard. Some of the notable scores featured in this category are "Jeannette and Jeannot," "The Minstrels
returned from the war," and "Hewitt's Quick Step." A small portion of the material is devoted to the Spanish-American War
and focuses on United States Navy Admiral George Dewey, the First United States Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders), the
USS Maine, and the siege of Santiago Bay (Cuba).
Existence and Location of Originals
Box 24
Military: American Revolution
Box 25
Military: 1820s-1830s by title
Box 26
Military: 1840s A-M by title
Box 46
Military: 1840s A-N by title
Box 120
Military: 1840s N-Z by title
Box 17
Military: Mexican-American War A-F by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 17 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 18
Military: Mexican-American War G-M by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 18 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 19
Military: Mexican-American War N-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 19 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 29
Military: Mexican-American War A-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 29 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 12
Military: 1861-1865 Confederate Era A-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 12 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 37
Military: 1861-1865 Confederate Era A-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 37 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 13
Military: 1861-1865 Union officers A-K by name
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 13 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 14
Military: 1861-1865 Union officers L-Z by name
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 14 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 38
Military: 1861-1865 Union officers A-Z by name
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 38 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 15
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. A-G by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 15 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 16
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. H-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 16 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 39
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. A-B by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 39 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 40
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. C-G by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 40 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 34
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. H-L by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 34 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 35
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. M-N by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 35 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 36
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. O by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 36 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 41
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. P-S by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 41 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 42
Military: 1861 1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. T-Wa by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 42 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 43
Military: 1861-1865 Union battles, camp life, misc. We-Z by title
Existence and Location of Copies
Digitized materials within this box 43 are located in the Huntington Digital Library.
Box 125
Military: 1861-1865 Patriotic A-D by title
Box 126
Military: 1861-1865 Patriotic E-K by title
Box 127
Military: 1861-1865 Patriotic L-R by title
Box 128
Military: 1861-1865 Patriotic S-T by title
Box 129
Military: 1861-1865 Patriotic U-Z by title
Box 122
Military: Late 1860s-1899
Box 123
Military: Foreign A-E by title
Box 124
Military: Foreign F-Z by title
People and culture
approximately 1817-approximately 1899, bulk approximately 1830s-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 68.88 Linear Feet (57 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by subject, then title.
Scope and Contents
The People and culture subseries consists of sheet music published between 1817 and 1899, covering diverse topics such as
African Americans, children, couples, groups, immigrants, death and mourning, holidays, marriage, men, Native Americans, organizations,
religion, and women. Please note that this subseries contains language and stereotypical imagery that some library users may
find harmful or offensive.
The section about African Americans contains comic songs, "Coon" songs, minstrel scores, plantation melodies, and ragtime
tunes, depicting aspects of African American life in the 19th century, including plantation life, contraband life, and the
Jim Crow era. This section includes scores by African American composers and performers such as Blind Tom, James Allen Bland,
Brewer and Suttle's Ragtime Four, Bob Cole, Gussie Lord Davis, Peter Devonear, Billy Johnson, Irving Jones, Sam Lucas, and
Bert A. Williams. Additionally, it includes scores by European American composers and performers including E. P. Christy,
Press Eldridge, George "Honey Boy" Evans, Charles Kunkel, the Virginia Serenaders, Lew Dockstader, Lotta Crabtree, Flo Irwin,
May Irwin, and John Philip Sousa. Notably, "A Trip To Coontown" by Bert A. Williams, Bob Cole, and Billy Johnson, the first
musical in New York written, produced, and performed by African Americans, is part of this collection.
Additional scores to note focus on the experiences of immigrants to the United States (such as the Chinese, English, Irish,
Italian, Japanese, Jewish, and Scottish) and Native American characters and tribes including Chief Keokuk of the Sauk Nation,
the mythical figure Minnehaha, "Old Bets," Chief Osceola of the Seminole, Chief Ossahinta of the Onondaga, Chief Paxinosa
of the Shawnee, Pocahontas, as well as the Dakota, Narragansett, Nez Perce, and the Sioux nations. To note is the rare score
"Wakona Waltz" published in 1837 by Fred Munson, Jr. There are also scores dedicated to significant fraternal orders and nonprofit
organizations including the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, and the American Red Cross.
Box 130
People and culture: African Americans A-D by title
Box 131
People and culture: African Americans G-J by title
Box 132
People and culture: African Americans K-P by title
Box 133
People and culture: African Americans Q-Z by title
Box 134
People and culture: African Americans A-B by title
Box 135
People and culture: African Americans C by title
Box 136
People and culture: African Americans D by title
Box 137
People and culture: African Americans E-G by title
Box 138
People and culture: African Americans H by title
Box 139
People and culture: African Americans I-ILL by title
Box 140
People and culture: African Americans I'm-K by title
Box 141
People and culture: African Americans L-Ma by title
Box 142
People and culture: African Americans Mag-My by title
Box 143
People and culture: African Americans N-P by title
Box 144
People and culture: African Americans R-S by title
Box 145
People and culture: African Americans T-Wha by title
Box 146
People and culture: African Americans Whe-Z by title
Box 147
People and culture: Children A-H by title
Box 148
People and culture: Children I-O by title
Box 149
People and culture: Children P-Z by title
Box 150
People and culture: Couples A-L by title
Box 151
People and culture: Couples M-Z by title
Box 152
People and culture: Groups A-L by title
Box 153
People and culture: Groups M-Z by title
Box 154
People and culture: Immigrants
Box 155
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning A-B by title
Box 156
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning C by title
Box 157
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning D-E by title
Box 158
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning F-G by title
Box 159
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning H-K by title
Box 160
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning L by title
Box 161
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning M-N by title
Box 162
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning O-Q by title
Box 163
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning R by title
Box 164
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning S by title
Box 165
People and culture: Manners and customs-Death and mourning T-Z by title
Box 166
People and culture: Manners and customs-Holidays A-L by title
Box 167
People and culture: Manners and customs-Holidays M-Z by title
Box 168
People and culture: Manners and customs-Marriage A-K by title
Box 169
People and culture: Manners and customs-Marriage L-Z by title
Box 170
People and culture: Men A-M by title
Box 171
People and culture: Men N-Z by title
Box 172
People and culture: Native Americans
Box 173
People and culture: Organizations
Box 174
People and culture: Religion A-F by title
Box 175
People and culture: Religion G-H by title
Box 176
People and culture: Religion I-N by title
Box 177
People and culture: Religion O-S by title
Box 178
People and culture: Religion T- by title
Box 179
People and culture: Women A-C by title
Box 180
People and culture: Women D-G by title
Box 181
People and culture: Women H-J by title
Box 182
People and culture: Women K-L by title
Box 183
People and culture: Women M-N by title
Box 184
People and culture: Women O-R by title
Box 185
People and culture: Women S-T by title
Box 186
People and culture: Women U-Z by title
Politics
approximately 1825-approximately 1893
Physical Description: 7.25 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Arrangement
Scores are loosely arranged in alphabetical order by subject, title, or names of U.S. presidents.
Scope and Contents
The Politics subseries holds sheet music dating from 1825 to 1893, and mainly contains sheet music dedicated to the legal,
political, and social landscapes of 19th-century America with some focus on foreign legal, political, and social landscapes
as well. Many of the scores focus on the Democratic, Republican, and Whig parties, U.S. Congress, governors, and presidents
such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, James A. Garfield,
Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and William McKinley. Other notable figures include Henry Clay, Governor Silas Wright of
New York, and Daniel Webster. The subseries also includes scores dedicated to foreign affairs and dignitaries from Canada,
Europe, Great Britain, the Middle East, and South America, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, Prince
Albert, Prince Edward II, King Charles I, and Abdul Assiz the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Lastly, there is a small section
of scores dedicated to the Reconstruction era, the temperance movement, and poverty, along with a small representation of
police forces and postal workers throughout the U.S. Key scores to note are "Get Off The Track!" an emancipation song performed
by the Hutchinson Family Singers, and "The Prize Banner Quick Step," a Whig Party campaign score composed and arranged by
D.H. Haskell.
Box 203
Politics: United States-Law, government, and social issues
Box 204
Politics: United States, Presidents A-H by name
Box 205
Politics: United States, Presidents I-L by name
Box 206
Politics: United States, Presidents M-Z by name
Science
approximately 1819-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 6.04 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by subject, then title.
Scope and Contents
The Science subseries holds sheet music dating from 1819 to 1899 and is dedicated to various land animals, marine animals,
and insects. This includes amphibians, birds, butterflies, domestic animals, farm animals, and forest dwellers. The subseries
also consists of five issues of "Pop Goes the Weasel," printed between 1853 and 1864 by various publishers. Additionally,
a small section of scores is dedicated to the rise of technological innovations and other areas of scientific study. This
encompasses the use of electricity, the invention of telegraphy, the study of astronomy, and Darwinism.
Box 208
Science: Animals, Birds A-M by title
Box 209
Science: Animals, Birds M-Z by title
Box 210
Science: Animals: Including fish, insects, and reptiles A-Z by title
Box 211
Science: Animals: Excluding fish, insects, and reptiles A-Z by title
Sports and leisure
approximately 1829-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 6.04 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are loosely arranged in alphabetical order by subject, then title.
Scope and Contents
The Sports and leisure subseries comprises sheet music published between 1829 and 1899 and is specifically dedicated to sporting
and leisurely activities popular in nineteenth century America. Among the scores are pieces dedicated to archery, baseball,
boating, billiards, gambling, croquet, equestrianism, fireworks, fishing, hunting, rowing, shooting, skating, and trapping.
Notable scores within this subseries include "Minnesota Boat Club March," published in 1893 and composed by Emile Oberhoffer;
seven copies of "Light may the Boat row," published between 1836 and 1841 and arranged by John Watson; and six copies of "The
Mellow Horn," published between 1830 and 1855 and composed and performed by Mr. Jones.
Box 213
Sports and leisure: A-G by subject
Box 214
Sports and leisure: I-Z by subject
Box 215
Sports and leisure: Boating and sailing
Box 216
Sports and leisure: Horseracing, hunting and trapping
Box 217
Sports and leisure: Rowing
Transportation
approximately 1828-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 4.83 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by subject, then title.
Scope and Contents
The Transportation subseries comprises sheet music published between 1828 and 1899 and focuses on innovative modes of transportation
in nineteenth century America. This includes airships, balloons, bicycles, carriages, coaches, railroads, street cars, sleighs,
and wagons. Included is the rare piece "Special Express Galop," published circa 1870 and composed by M.C. Barter. This score
is considered rare as it was published for the author, more than likely at his own expense, the result was the publication
of a small edition.
Box 218
Transportation: Railroads and streetcars, A-L by title
Box 219
Transportation: Railroads and streetcars, M-Z by title
Box 220
Transportation: Airships, balloons, sleighs, carriages, coaches and wagons
Travel
approximately 1824-approximately 1899
Physical Description: 18.13 Linear Feet (15 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by location, or title.
Scope and Contents
The Travel subseries is comprised of sheet music dating from 1824 to 1899 and is
dedicated to travel within the United States (U.S.) and abroad. Numerous scores focus on U.S. travel destinations like California,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Additionally, there are scores dedicated
to foreign travel destinations such as Canada, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Switzerland.
The collection also includes multiple scores dedicated to New York State and City, featuring a first edition copy of "New
York, or Oh! What a Charming City!" published in 1831 by G.M. Bourne in New York. The cover of this edition showcases one
of the earliest American lithographs of the city. Lastly, there is a small section of scores dedicated to historic hotels,
primarily in Massachusetts, Missouri, and New York (The Astor House), along with a small representation of hotels in Canada.
Box 187
Travel: United States, A-G by state
Box 188
Travel: United States, H-Mar by state
Box 189
Travel: United States, Mas-Mo by state
Box 190
Travel: United States, N-W by state, and Washington D.C.
Box 191
Travel: United States-New York state A-E by title
Box 192
Travel: United States-New York state F-P by title
Box 193
Travel: United States-New York state R-Si by title
Box 194
Travel: United States, New York state So-Z by title
Box 195
Travel: United States-New York state Niagara Falls by title
Box 196
Travel: United States-New York City, and Long Island by title
Box 197
Travel: Foreign, A-L by title
Box 198
Travel: Foreign, M-Z, and Canada by title
Box 199
Travel: Hotels, A-Z by state
Box 200
Travel: Unidentified, A-O by title
Box 201
Travel: Unidentified, P-Z, also beaches and seashores by title
Miscellaneous songs
approximately 1802-approximately 1896, bulk approximately 1820s-approximately 1888
Physical Description: 54.38 Linear Feet (45 boxes)
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in loose order by title.
Scope and Contents
The Miscellaneous subseries comprises scores published between 1802 and 1896
whose subject matter may not fall neatly within the previous ten subseries.
