144 · Representative Documents: Finding Aids and Guides
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
American Musicological Society records
http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/ead/ead.html?q=american%20musicological%20society&id=EAD_
upenn_rbml_MsColl221&%23ref8
American Musicological Society records, 1934-1992
http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/ead/ead.html?q=american%20musicological%20society&id=EAD_upenn_rbml_MsColl221&%23ref8[6/23/15, 2:33:45 PM]
well. Isabel Pope was one of the only prominent female members of the AMS in the
1940s, along with Helen Hewitt and Helen Heffron Roberts. Helen Roberts wrote to
Secretary Gustave Reese in 1934 to propose that the American Society for
Comparative Musicology, of which she was Secretary, merge with the AMS as a
recognized branch. Alfred Einstein was one of the most prominent immigrant
members of the young society. His daughter Eva established an award in his honor
after his death.
Some of the earliest correspondence relates to the 1939 International Congress in
New York. Noah Greenberg of New York’s Pro Musica also wrote about performances
for the Congress. Knud Jeppesen first had contact with the AMS in 1939 when he
came to New York as a delegate. He was later elected to Corresponding membership
in the society. Romain Rolland, French novelist and musicologist, was forced to
decline an invitation. His letter of regret was presented at the opening of the
Congress and was quoted widely in daily newspapers. Albert Schweitzer also sent a
letter of regret. Other eminent musicologists who wrote regarding their attendance
at the Congress were Johannes Wolf, Albert Smijers, Francisco Curt Lange and Otto
Gombosi. The 1961 Congress was also a stimulus for correspondence, including
Boris Goldovsky, who wrote to discuss a performance of Paisiello’s King Theodore, as
did Arthur Schoep. Mantle Hood, also active on AMS committees, was an key figure
in the organization of the Congress, as well as a prominent ethnomusicologist.
Emanuel Winternitz, of the Metropolitan Museum, worked on performance
arrangements for the Congress and was also a Council member.
Often individuals who served on the Council or had completed terms as officers or
Board members wrote to advise or to offer constructive criticism. Margaret Bent and
Larry Bernstein, both active members and administrators of the AMS, wrote with
various proposals for the goals and organization of AMS. Additional correspondence
from them, as well as from David Boyden, may be found throughout the collection.
H. Wiley Hitchcock, later AMS president, writes in 1970 with a brief bibliography on
early American music. Harold Spivacke was a member of the board and council, and
occasionally communicated on library issues. Denis Stevens, musicologist and
conductor, as well as AMS council member, wrote to comment on the 1968 Annual
Meeting. Though he never served as its president, Edward Lowinsky served on many
of the Society’s committees and was especially involved in the establishment of
prizes and awards, and had a clear concept of the importance of the AMS in national
educational issues. Dragan Plamenac, a member of the board and honorary
member, was until his death the editor of the Ockeghem Volumes, a long term AMS
publications project (see also Publications, Ockeghem).
Other members, even if they never served as officers, made a career-long
commitment to the AMS through their service on committees and their work on
special projects. Martin Picker was primarily involved in publications and also served
as editor of the Journal. He writes to comment on the feasibility of a library research
center in Italy. Manfred Bukofzer was active on many committees in the Society and
eventually gave a substantial bequest to the Society’s publications endowment (see
Treasurer, Funds and Bequests). Helen Hewitt, a board member of the AMS and
compiler of the early versions of the Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology, wrote
primarily concerning her professional projects (see also Board Correspondence and
Publications, Special Projects, DDM). Cynthia Hoover, a librarian at the Smithsonian
Institute, was active member of the U.S. Bicentennial Committee and the Committee
on the Publication of American Music, in particular the Billings project (see also
Publications). Irving Lowens, a notable music critic, was involved in such AMS
projects as the Kennedy Center Festivals and in 1975 wrote to explain his position
on AMS involvement in the events.
Other members wrote to promote issues in which they had an vested interest, to ask
the AMS to endorse their projects, or to incite political action by the AMS. Barry
Brook was a frequent correspondent regarding his inventory projects (see also
Affiliations, RILM). Malcolm Brown had close ties with Soviet Musicologists as well as
IREX and wrote to sponsor various exchange trips (see also Affiliations, IREX).
Vincent Duckles of the Music Library Association was concerned with the research
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