Skip to main content

Donald Jay Grout papers

 Collection
Identifier: 14-20-998

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Includes professional correspondence with William W. Austin, Andrea della Corte, Archibald Davison, D. Keith Falkner, Scott Goldthwaite, Otto Kinkeldey, Jan LaRue, Zofia Lissa, Rey Longyear, Rosamond McGuinness, Arthur Mendel, A. Tillman Merritt, Robert U. Nelson, Nino Pirrotta, Eduard Reeser, Walter Rubsamen, Leo Schrade, Denis Stevens, Oliver Strunk, Peter Gram Swing, Robert Tangeman, Frederic Tillotson, Henry Woodward, G. Wallace Woodworth, and Columbia University Press; and applications and recommendations for grants and university positions. Also, personal correspondence with his parents while studying in Europe and teaching at Mills College (1933-1936) and with a friend and former student, Jonathan Schiller (1943-1982); worksheets, photographs and galley proofs for History of Western Music and both editions of A Short History of the Opera; notes and notebooks on "Early Opèra Comique" (ca.1936-1941), "Molière's Comèdie-Ballets" (ca.1937-1942), "Gherardi's Music" (1939), and "Parodies in Opèra Comique" (1939); his dissertation manuscript (1939); a manuscript on West Indian Music (1942); lecture notes; musical tapes; annotated programs; and a typescript of an article "How to Tell Good Music from Bad" (1955) with comment by William W. Austin; alphabetical correspondence file, correspondence with W. W. Norton; and correspondence relating to A Short History of the Opera and to The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti.

"Grout Films Index" (3 ring binders) listing microfilms in the Music Library collected by Grout; "Grout Films Index Supplement" (folder); "Scarlatti Catalog," compiled by Michael Keller under the guidance of Donald J. Grout, cataloging the Scarlatti materials collected by Grout and held in the Music Library; and Grout address book containing information about libraries throughout Europe and a brief listing of some of the microfilms.

Dates

  • 1929-2002.

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Donald Jay Grout was a professor of musicology at Cornell, where he held the Given Foundation Chair of Musicology from 1962-1970. Grout is best known for his widely used textbook A History of Western Music. An expert in opera, he also wrote A Short History of Opera and organized the first published editions of several operas by Alessandro Scarlatti. Grout received his AB in philosophy from Syracuse University in 1923 before matriculating at Harvard. After studies in Europe with Gérold, Prod'homme and R.M. Haas, he received his PhD from Harvard in 1939, and was appointed associate professor at the University of Texas in 1942. In 1945, Grout became professor at Cornell University. He remained at Cornell until his retirement, with the exception of visiting professorships at Carleton College (1955), the University of Utrecht (1959–60) and the University of California at Berkeley (1975–6). Grout served as president of the American Musicological Society (1952–4; 1960–62), and was the recipient of many awards, including Fulbright and Guggenheim research fellowships (Italy, 1951–2), Fulbright fellowships (Utrecht, 1959–60; Belgium, 1965–6), the Archibald Thompson Davison Medal for Musicology (1962), and the George Arents Pioneer Medal from Syracuse University (1965).

Extent

46.4 cubic feet. (46.4 cubic feet.)

Abstract

Includes professional correspondence and applications and recommendations for grants and university positions. Also, personal correspondence with his parents while studying in Europe and teaching at Mills College and with a friend, Jonathan Schiller; worksheets, photographs and galley proofs for A HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC and both editions of A SHORT HISTORY OF OPERA; notes and notebooks on "Early Opèra Comique" and others, his dissertation manuscript; a manuscript on West Indian Music; lecture notes; musical tapes; annotated programs; and a typescript of an article "How to Tell Good Music from Bad;" alphabetical correspondence file, correspondence with W. W. Norton.

SERIES LIST

Series I. Correspondence Boxes 1-10, 51-55

Correspondence 1929-1936 Largely personal, primarily related to Grout's early career in music, his doctoral research in Europe, and his teaching at Mills College. Correspondence 1940-1945 Mainly related to Grout's career at Harvard and the University of Texas. Correspondence 1950-1967 Related to Grout's career at Cornell. Correspondence 1942-1958 With Columbia University Press. Correspondence 1961-1980 With individuals. Correspondence 1961-1974 Related to International Musicological Society (1%) and International Music Librarians Association (IMLA). Correspondence 1970-1974 Related to International Josquin Festival Conference. Correspondence 1958-1976 Related to Repertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM) (Inventory of Musical Sources). Correspondence 1966-1970 Related to Utrecht (Institute voor muziekwetenschap der rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht) (Institute of Musicology). Correspondence 1926-2002Additional Correspondence. Primarily from period of Grout's retirement (1970-1987)and following his death

Series II. Short History of Opera Boxes 10-14, 26-28

Correspondence Related to first and second editions Correspondence With Columbia University Press Notes and other items Related to opera, opéra comique, the music of Gherardi, Molière's comedie-ballets, vaudevilles, parodies, musical examples, and a manuscript copy of Grout's doctoral thesis on opéra comique. Work sheets for first edition Work sheets for second edition Printer's copy and material related to the publications Proofread copy with changes Partial printed copy of revised edition Galleys Bibliography cards

Series III. History of Western Music Boxes 14-17, 29-42

Work sheets Partial copy with revision tabs Printer's copy Miscellaneous examples of music systems, etc. Multilith copy Material related to the second (1973) and third (1980) editions Including notes, opinions, and comments. Galleys

Series IV. The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti Boxes 18-24, 56-57, 59-75

Eraclea Vol. I of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Marco Attilio Regolo Vol. II of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Griselda Vol. III of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. The Faithful Princess Vol. IV of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Massimo Pupieno Vol. V of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. La caduta de'Decemviri Vol. VI of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Unpublished manuscript scores, libretti and notes. Other material Related to all volumes of The Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Introduction to the Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti Berkeley Lectures 1977-1978 On the Operas of Alessandro ScarlattiThe Operas of Alessandro Scarlatti Editorial Correspondence

Series V. Reviews, articles, lectures, and papers Boxes 24, 25, 46, 49, 50

Series VI. Norton Historical Anthology of Music (NOHAM) Edited by Claude V. Paliska. Box 25

Series VII. Photographs Boxes 44, 81-82

Short History of Opera Scarlatti operas Other photographs

Series VIII. Collected concert and opera programs Box 45

Series IX. Wire and tape recordings Box 47

Series X. PhD. Dissertation, "The Origins of the Opera Comique" Box 48

Series XI. Inventories of Grout's Score Collection and Miscellaneous Copies of Manuscript Scores Boxes 58,75-77, 80

Physical Description

Correspondence, Photographs, Printed Materials

General

Contact Information:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524 rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:
Compiled by A. KiejmentM. Warren E. EngstTom Schneller
Date completed:
1976198219822013
EAD encoding:
Evan Fay Earle, May 2008, November 2013 Tom Schneller, December 2013
Date modified:
Marcie Farwell, July 2018
Status
Completed
Author
Compiled by A. KiejmentM. Warren E. Engst
Date
May 2008
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository

Contact:
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)