A Preliminary Inventory of His Collection of Edgar Allan Poe-Related Sheet Music at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Koester, William H.
Title:
William H. Koester Collection of Edgar Allan
Poe-Related Sheet Music
Dates:
1865-1929, undated
Extent:
6 oversize boxes (2 linear feet)
Abstract:
The William H. Koester Collection of Edgar
Allan Poe-Related Sheet Music consists of six boxes of sheet music plus a small amount
of
correspondence and newspaper clippings, dating from 1865 to 1929.
Call Number:
Book Collection LI-00002
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to
the
Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information
that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers
are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable
living
individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals
may have
legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy
may
arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be
deemed
highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University
of
Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of
the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder
which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom
Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
William H. Koester Collection of Edgar Allan Poe-Related Sheet Music (Library Collection
LI-00002). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
The William H. Koester Collection of Edgar Allan Poe-Related Sheet Music consists
of six
boxes of sheet music plus a small amount of correspondence and newspaper clippings,
dating
from 1865 to 1929. The sheet music was acquired by the Ransom Center in 1966 from
William H.
Koester as a part of a larger collection of Poe materials.
The bulk of the materials are short musical settings of Poe poems, including "Annabel Lee,"
"The Bells,"
"Eldorado," and "The
Raven." The works are listed by title and remain in their original order as
received from Koester, grouped somewhat, but not entirely, by the particular Poe work
represented. Many of the scores are fragile or damaged and may require special handling.
Works by English composer Joseph Holbrooke (1878-1958) are present in greater numbers
than
any other single composer. All of the works are printed, with the exception of a single
handwritten score by Althea Jewell Rutherford for "Eldorado." Two folders of correspondence document Poe collector J. H. Whitty’s
research regarding a version of "The Raven" set to music
by David Scattergood in 1865. Several of the scores include newspaper clippings about
the
work. Also present are two programs from performances of Poe-related music.
Related Material
The Ransom Center holds additional Poe related materials in its Book Collection, Literary
File Photography Collection, Art Collection, and Manuscript Collection. Some of these
materials were acquired as part of the Koester Collection of Poe and separated at
the time
of acquisition.
