- unitid
-
{"value"=>"20992", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 306", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23065753", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1882-1989", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1882/1989"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Marion and Clarissa Cumbo papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"41 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"15.0 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Marion and Clarissa Cumbo were a Black married couple based in New York City who worked as musicians and arts fundraisers. Their papers, dating from 1882 to the 1980s, contain materials related to their music careers. The collection holds Professional Files, Correspondence, Printed Matter, and Personal Files that address performances, tours, the lives of the Cumbo family, and their arts organizations, Symphony for the New World and Triad Productions."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Cumbo, Clarissa W.", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The original biographical sketch was written by Christopher Stahling and Miranda-Tarisa Mims in 2014, with some additional writing by Emily P. Dunne in 2023.</p> <p>Marion Warren Cumbo (1899-1990) and Clarissa Wilhelmina Burton, later Cumbo (1903-1988), were Black musicians and art patrons in New York City. The couple were leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance and continued to support musicians into the 1980s. Clarissa Cumbo became a significant arts organizer in the 1960s and 1970s, and founded two non-profits to encourage and support Black musicians. She also served on the board of many arts organizations. Marion Cumbo and Clarissa Burton married in 1924 and had a son, William Burton Cumbo, in 1926.</p> <p>Marion Cumbo was born in New York in 1899, and grew up in an orphanage in the Bronx with his brother Earl. While studying in New York City public schools, Marion Cumbo's musical talent was recognized. Cumbo began studying classical cello at the Martin-Smith School of Music, and during this time he met his mentor, performer Minnie Brown. While studying at the Institute of Musical Art (later the Juilliard School of Music), Cumbo supported himself by performing live concerts in New York City, particularly churches in Harlem. In addition to performing as a soloist, Cumbo played with other musicians and orchestras, including Marion Anderson and Nat King Cole, the New York Chamber Orchestra, the Cosmopolitan Little Symphony, the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and the Harlem Philharmonic Orchestra. Marion also ran a piano tuning business, and would tune pianos at major concert halls and community spaces, including the piano in the listening room of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.</p> <p>Clarissa Wilhelmina Burton was born in Roseau, Dominica in 1903 to Davies Charles Burton and Jane Elizabeth Pinard Burton. Her father was a cathedral organist and choir director. Clarissa and her family moved to New York City in 1917 to further her music career. Trained as an opera singer and pianist, Clarissa toured throughout the 1920s, notably with Josephine Baker in The Chocolate Dandies Revue. In 1946, Clarissa joined her husband Marion as a member of the short-lived group called the State Orchestra, an interracial group of both men and women musicians. Later in her career, Clarissa focused on organizing funding and support for Black musicians. Throughout the 1950s, she participated in and organized several ensembles of Black performers, including the Community Friends of Music.</p> <p>In the 1960s, Clarissa co-organized a charity called Friends of the Symphony of the New World. The charity was created to support the first racially integrated symphony orchestra in the United States, Symphony of the New World. After founding the charity, Clarissa Cumbo became very involved in the symphony, even joining as a board member. Marion Cumbo also played in the cello section of the orchestra. Once securing support for the Symphony of the New World, Clarissa and Marion Cumbo founded a non-profit organization called Triad Presentations in 1970, to aid and encourage Black musicians and artists, which included an annual concert held in Alice Tully Hall.</p> <p>Both died in New York, Clarissa Cumbo in 1988, and Marion Cumbo in 1990.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Marion and Clarissa Cumbo papers date from 1882 through the 1980s, and are organized into four groups, Professional Files; Correspondence; Printed Matter; and Personal Files.</p> <p>Professional Files include materials related to the Cumbos' businesses, arranged by founding date. There are files for Symphony of the New World, Triad Productions, Marion Cumbo's piano tuning work, and various other organizations that the Cumbos were a part of. The Cumbos kept address books and calendars for all of their professional activities.</p> <p>The Symphony of the New World files were compiled and produced while Clarissa Cumbo founded the charity, Friends of the Symphony of the New World, in the 1960s. Included are Administrative Files; Correspondence; and Printed Materials. The Administrative files contain the by-laws, financial materials, and board of directors' meeting minutes. Correspondence consists of letters from musicians who played with the symphony, fundraising letters to supporting members, and administrative conversations between Clarissa Cumbo and other staff. The letters are filed alphabetically by last name. The printed materials are arranged chronologically and contain programs and clippings.</p> <p>The Triad Productions files date from 1908 to the 1980s, and hold materials compiled by Clarissa Cumbo. Most of the files are from 1970 to 1984, when Clarissa Cumbo was president of the organization. Materials include Administrative Files; Correspondence; Performer Subject Files; Programs; and Clippings. Administrative records hold by-laws, financial papers, board minutes, and other official documentation created by the non-profit. The correspondence files include letters from supporters of Triad, and are filed alphabetically by last name. There are subject files for several artists who worked with or wanted to work with Triad. The artist files contain clippings, resumes, and correspondence with the artist or their management. The programs, which are filed chronologically, are contemporary billings organized by Triad in the 1970s and 1980s.</p> <p>Correspondence files date from 1902 through the 1980s. The files are arranged into General and Family correspondence. The material in the general grouping is correspondence that was not with family or directly related to Clarissa Cumbo's work with Symphony of the New World or Triad Productions. Most letters in this group are from friends or other musicians, and are filed alphabetically by the sender's last name.</p> <p>Family Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the sender's last name. Notable correspondence includes letters from Marion's mother, Maggie Cumbo to her sister Lilla [Hurst], shortly before Maggie's death. A letter from Maggie and Lilla Cumbo's mother, who they gave the nickname \"Toma.\" The majority of the material in these files are letters between Marion and Clarissa Cumbo, and dates from early in their marriage while touring or otherwise apart. There are also letters from Marion's father, William Cumbo; siblings; nieces; nephews; and grandchildren located here.</p> <p>Printed Material contains sheet music, programs, and clippings from the 1900s through the 1980s. Sheet music is arranged alphabetically by composer's last name. Programs and clippings are grouped separately, and placed in chronological order. The sheet music was used by Marion and Clarissa Cumbo, and some were annotated or handwritten by Marion Cumbo. Most of the arrangements are classical music to be performed by the cello, but there are some more contemporary arrangements, including some popular American songs with lyrics. Performance Programs are from productions that were not explicitly staged by Symphony of the New World or Triad Productions. This includes performances by Marion Cumbo and friends. The clippings held here are mostly articles about Marion Cumbo and other musicians, but do not relate to the Cumbos' non-profit work.</p> <p>The Personal files date from the 1920s until 1983, and are arranged into files about Marion and Clarissa, and files about their son, William (Bill) Cumbo. Marion and Clarissa Cumbo's files include biographical information, financial documents, and clippings. Biographical files include their marriage certificate and various official documents. William Cumbo's files contain schoolwork and notes from his traffic enforcer job.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>This collection is arranged into four groups: Professional Files (by organization or business), Correspondence (both general and family letters), Printed Material (by type), and Personal Files (according to individual.)</p>"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Davies Burton to the Schomburg Center in 1988.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Photographic materials transferred to the Marion and Clarissa Cumbo photographs in Prints and Photographs, Schomburg Center.</p> <p>Audio and moving image materials transferred to the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division, Schomburg Center.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Emily P. Dunne</span> in <span class=\"date\">2023</span>.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1882
- keydate
-
1882
- date_end
-
1989
- date_inclusive_start
-
1882
- date_inclusive_end
-
1989
- extent_statement
-
15.0 linear feet (41 boxes)
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"[Item], Marion and Clarissa Cumbo papers, Sc MG 306, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}