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Title: Chicago Sheet Music Collection, 1845-1871

ID: 01/01/MSS00115

Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Library

Extent: 6.0 Cubic Feet. More info below.

Arrangement:

Arrangement reflects original ordering by the University Library in 15 volumes, which is primary ordered chronologically by acquisition date, then alphabetically by composer last name and title of the composition within volumes.

Volume 1: ordered alphabetically by composer last name then title.

Volumes 2-5: ordered chronologically by publication date across volumes (v. 2 1849-1861, v. 3 1862-1865, v. 4 1865-1871, v. 5 1871- no date) then alphabetically by composer and title within each volume.

Volumes 6-7, 9-11 contain imprints ordered alphabetically by composer last name and title across volumes in the following order: v.6 (A-E), v. 7 (F-K), v. 11 (L-O), v. 9 (R-V), v. 10 (W).

Volume 8 and volumes 12-15 are ordered alphabetically by composer last name and title within each volume.

The physical collection has been rehoused into 20 boxes, ordered continuously by item based off of the original call and volume numbers. See finding aid for item list.

Date Acquired: 08/01/1939

Languages: English [eng], French [fre], German [ger], Italian [ita]

A collection of 19th century sheet music printed in Chicago, Illinois before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

A collection of 19th century sheet music printed in Chicago, Illinois before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It consists of a wide range of popular music from the time including popular vocal and piano pieces, songs, ballads, waltzes, polkas, marches, comic pieces, opera selections, and parlour music. Thematic strengths include music relating to the Civil War, songs associated with specific performances in stage shows by comic actors, musical theatre and opera stars, and by traveling family singing troupes and minstrel shows. Thre is also music related to local Chicago businesses and social organizations as well as social issues such as temperance, abolition, and women's suffrage. The items in the collection were predominantly published by the Chicago firms Root & Cady, H. M. Higgins, Lyon & Healy, and the DeMotte Brothers and their associated national imprints.  Consisting of approximately 850 items, the collection was assembled by the University of Illinois Library between 1939-1943.  Volumes 1-5, 8, 12, 14 and 15 contain music published and printed in Chicago, while volumes 6-7, 9-11, 13, and 15 contain imprints published in other American cities with Chicago distributors.

Alternate Extent Statement: 20 boxes (853 items)

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

The RBML reproductions policies can be found here:

http://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/collections/reproduction-services/

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would damage materials or involve violation of copyright law.

Acquisition Source: Purchased

Acquisition Method: Acquired between 1939-1943 through purchase installments from various rare book dealers including Edward H. Terry, L. E. Dicke, Fred Lockley, Wellman and Harry Dichter.

Related Materials: For more information please see https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/rbmlsfa/MSS00115_Chicago_Sheet_Music_Collection.pdf.

Related Publications: Epstein, Dena J. Polacheck. Music Publishing in Chicago before 1871: the Firm of Root & Cady, 1858-1871. Detroit: Information Coordinators, 1969.

Other URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/rbmlsfa/MSS00115_Chicago_Sheet_Music_Collection.pdf