Scope and arrangement
The Clarence Cameron White Papers, 1901-1940, n.d., consist of biographical information, correspondence, contracts, financial records, programs, newspaper clippings, other printed material, manuscript music, other writings, and photographs, documenting the first thirty years of White's career as composer, violinist, and teacher. These years represent a very fruitful portion of White's life, during which he received his musical training and wrote a great many of his compositions.
The Clarence Cameron White papers are arranged in seven series:
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Ranges from official documents to autobiographical sketches, handwritten by his first wife. Included are his son, William's, birth certificate and college grades, a fragmentary scrapbook for the Hampton Institute School of Music and brochures advertising White as a violinist and composer.
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Divided into two chronological series of incoming and outgoing letters. The majority of the letters were written to White by family, friends and business associates. Regular correspondents included his mother, son, and Ona Talbot and Myra Reynolds Richards in Paris. Richards was a sculptress whose bust of White appears in the photographs in the collection. Letters to Beatrice Warrick White from her father, Thomas Warrick, are also included in this series. It should be noted that a number of incoming dunning letters were discarded before the collection was acquired by the Schomburg Center. For further information on significant correspondents, see the partial index following the Container List.
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Relate largely to White's association with Carl Fisher, Inc., music publishers, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (AMSAC).
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Consist almost entirely of correspondence and charts detailing royalty payments to White from Carl Fisher, Inc. and Theodore Presser Co. The royalty account records list the names of the songs, number of copies sold, number of exempt and free copies, stock on hand, price, and royalty due.
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Includes programs, miscellaneous printed material, and newspaper clippings. The Programs file, 1907-[1938], n.d., is divided into two chronological sequences; programs for White's own performances and performances of his works by others, and programs relating to other artists. The Programs are almost entirely musical in nature, and range from individual recitals to commencement exercises at Hampton Institute. Some programs are autographed by White or other artists. Several programs for Jules Bledsoe are included in the file.
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Include lessons and examinations from Hampton Institute, articles and speeches by White, articles and papers by other authors, and manuscript music. The lessons are numbered consecutively and deal with the history of black music. White's articles and speeches are mostly undated and relate to black music in general and specific compositions such as "Bandanna Sketches" in particular. Articles and Speeches by Other Authors consist mostly of papers written by White's students for his classes at Hampton Institute. Included also in this file is an article from the "Indianapolis Sunday Star" on sculptress Myra Reynolds Richards. Manuscript Music (1905-1939) represents over half the Clarence Cameron White Papers, and has been divided into files on "Ouanga"!, "Cocomacaque", and Miscellaneous Music. Although most of this music is handwritten, a number of printed compositions have been included in this series. Printed items are noted as such on the Container List. The Manuscript Music is largely undated.
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Arranged under the following headings: Clarence Cameron White, Individual Men, Individual Women, Children, Group Portraits, and Places. Most of the photographs are not captioned or identified, and very few have dates. Of particular note is a photograph of Ira Aldridge as Othello (1930). None of the photographs have been microfilmed.