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Twentieth century

Description

The Twentieth century series contains approximately 21,600 scores dated between 1900 and 1998. The collection represents several styles of American music, such as blues, jazz, minstrel, pop, religious, rhythm and blues, showtunes, and soul music. These scores cover topics including entertainment, industry and professions, the military, people and culture, science and technology, sports and leisure, transportation, travel, and miscellaneous songs. A small number are published outside the United States, including works from Australia, Britain, Europe, Mexico, and Chile.

While many of the scores are intact, several are fragile or loose at the seam, and in some cases, only the cover page remains. Most available cover pages are ornately designed and may contain photographic images of the creators and performers, inserted notes, or autographs. The scores feature lyrical or instrumental compositions, in the form of cake walks, the Charleston, marches, polkas, quadrilles, shuffles, two-steps, and waltzes. Multiple editions exist for some titles. Notable actors, composers, directors, lithographers, lyricists, performers, producers, and publishers are frequently involved, often serving in more than one role.

Overlaps can be found between subseries. For example, certain scores suitable for the European American Creators and performers boxes are located in the People and culture boxes because of their stereotypical representations of people of color. Some of the scores that were created by people of color but performed by European Americans will be found among the boxes for creators and performers of color. The Minstrels boxes contain scores created, and, or performed by European American men. As such, minstrel scores created by people of color or European American women are located in the People and culture boxes pertaining to those two groups. Productions scores created or performed by people of color are located in the Creators and performers boxes pertaining to people of color. The productions scores created or performed by prominent European American women creators and performers are located in the creators and performers boxes pertaining to European American women.

Please note that the collection may contain historical images and language that users could find harmful, offensive, or inappropriate.

Type
Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Date
approximately 1900-1998, bulk 1900-1979
Call number
priJLC_SMUS
Creator
Last, Jay T(Opens in new tab)
Provenance
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2005.
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2010-2019.
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2023.
Restrictions
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights
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 permission rests with the researcher.
Find out more
View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

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