Series I: Personal and Professional Files

id
1729268
level (num)
1
level (text)
series
identifier (local_mss)
3426242
max depth
3
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add/edit
created
2024-03-04 21:12:04 UTC
updated
2024-03-04 21:13:51 UTC

Description data TOP

unitid
{"value"=>"3426242", "type"=>"local_mss"}
unitdate
{"value"=>"1980-2018", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1980/2018"}
unittitle
{"value"=>"Series I: Personal and Professional Files"}
physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3.87 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11,673 computer files", "unit"=>"computer_files"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"12.2 gigabytes", "unit"=>"gigabytes"}]}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>Series I: Personal and Professional Files illustrates Friedman's life and work through Project Files; Notes and Notebooks; Instrumental Compositions; Letters and Cards; School Papers; Business Records; Clippings and Programs; Photographs; and Writings.</p> <p>The Project Files, which are arranged alphabetically, comprise the bulk of the series. They document Friedman's work and activities, mainly musicals and plays, but also including songbook projects, work for film, his teaching at Princeton University, and a presentation at TEDx. The files may contain scripts, scores (mostly lead sheets but with some more detailed full scores and parts), lyrics, production information, contact sheets (lists of people who worked on productions), invoices, clippings, letters, contracts, photographs, audio recordings, and in some cases, interview transcripts from which lyrics were derived. Notes and business records in this series also contain project-related material. See Series II for audio and video documentation of some of these projects.</p> <p>Musical works by Friedman with substantial material here include <span class=\"title\">The Abominables</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Brand New Kid</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Essential Alice In Wonderland</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Fortress Of Solitude</span>, <span class=\"title\">Gone Missing (A Show About Things Lost and Found)</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Great Immensity</span>, <span class=\"title\">Here's Hoover! The Historic Herbert Hoover 2014 Comeback Special</span>, <span class=\"title\">(I Am) Nobody's Lunch</span>, <span class=\"title\">In The Bubble</span>, <span class=\"title\">Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play</span>, <span class=\"title\">Paris Commune</span>, <span class=\"title\">Post Office</span>, <span class=\"title\">Pretty Filthy</span>, <span class=\"title\">Saved</span>, <span class=\"title\">This Beautiful City</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Unknown Soldier</span>. Also present is work in progress on the unfinished musicals <span class=\"title\">All The President's Men</span> and <span class=\"title\">King of Kong</span>.</p> <p>Friedman's work on music for plays (as either composer or musical director, or both) here include <span class=\"title\">Angels In America</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Blue Demon</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Cherry Orchard</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Clean House</span>, <span class=\"title\">Cyrano de Bergerac</span>, <span class=\"title\">God Hates The Irish: The Ballad Of Armless Johnny</span>, <span class=\"title\">The House of Blue Leaves</span>, <span class=\"title\">In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Loyal Opposition</span>, <span class=\"title\">Lysistrata</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Rose Tattoo</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Seagull</span>, <span class=\"title\">Three Sisters</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Water's Edge</span>, and Shakespeare's <span class=\"title\">Love's Labours Lost</span>, <span class=\"title\">Romeo and Juliet</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Taming of the Shrew</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Tempest</span>, and <span class=\"title\">The Winter's Tale</span>.</p> <p>Also in the Project Files is Friedman's 2016 election-themed song cycle <span class=\"title\">State of the Union Songbook</span>, songs from which were broadcast on WNYC radio. Files for that project, like some others Friedman worked on in this series, contain interview recordings and transcripts from which lyrics were derived. The files also hold material for unidentified projects, and a large set of backup files of scores which may or may not duplicate other scores in the series. Friedman's files regarding his 2007 Anschutz Fellowship at Princeton University, for which he taught a course on theater writing, comprise a syllabus and student project proposals and assignments.</p> <p>Notes are comprised of lyrics, meeting notes, plot ideas, rehearsal notes, performance notes, occasional journal entries, and contact lists. Among the projects discussed in the notes are <span class=\"title\">Pretty Filthy</span> (2010), <span class=\"title\">The Tempest</span> (2015), <span class=\"title\">The Fortress Of Solitude</span> (2014), <span class=\"title\">This Beautiful City</span> (2007-2008), and the City Center Encores presentation of <span class=\"title\">Assassins</span> (2017). Friedman used a few notebooks from the last few months of his life while he was in hospital. One (found with his memorial program in box 11, folder 2) outlines what he wanted for his memorial service.</p> <p>The Compositions (primarily instrumental) date mostly from Friedman's student days (1980s to 1990s). These include two string quartets, an oboe quintet, a choir work, and a piece for brass. There are also folders of sketches and song ideas which date over a much longer period (1980s to 2017), and a collection of sheet music compiled by Friedman. Scores for Friedman's work in theater are in the Project Files. Letters and Cards consist primarily of brief congratulatory notes or greeting cards from friends and colleagues. There is also a set of printed emails from Friedman to his friend, the writer Rebecca Traister, written while he was working at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 1999.</p> <p>School Papers contain writings, drawings, and programs from Friedman's days at the Germantown Friends School, the Kinhaven Music School, and Harvard University. The Harvard file contains many programs for events and performances featuring Friedman as composer, performer, or both.</p> <p>Business Records include a file on The Civilians, including their by-laws; information on Friedman's compositions; contact sheets for various productions; invoices and contracts between Friedman, his co-creators, producers, and presenters; financial records; files on grants and awards Friedman applied for or was awarded; and resumes and biographies. The file on grants and awards hold applications, career statements, project proposals, and course ideas.</p> <p>The Clippings and Programs file is small and does not represent a comprehensive set of publicity or documentation of Friedman's career. It does, however, contain a review and articles Friedman wrote for the <span class=\"title\">London Review of Books</span> (2005), <span class=\"title\">Contemporary Theatre Review</span> (2006), and <span class=\"title\">Harvard Magazine</span> (2013). It also holds Friedman's memorial program.</p> <p>The Photographs include production shots of <span class=\"title\">In The Bubble</span>, <span class=\"title\">Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Marate/Sade</span>; a photo of Friedman with his colleague Steven Cosson; a photo of students from the Kinhaven Music School from around 1989; and many personal photographs of Friedman and his friends and colleagues at social events and weddings. There is also a file of photographs taken during a trip to Panama which served as inspiration for <span class=\"title\">The Great Immensity</span>, and photos taken during a workshop at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. Photographs can also be found in the Project Files.</p> <p>The Writings contains Friedman's notes on various theater topics; his review of Raymond Knapp's book <span class=\"title\">The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity</span>; and Friedman's interview with Richard Peaslee.</p>"}
note
{"value"=>"Scores throughout this series are in several forms. The bulk are files created in Finale score notation software. Some are also in pdf format. Only a small amount are in physical printed or hand-written form."}
date_start
1980
keydate
1980
date_end
2018
date_inclusive_start
1980
date_inclusive_end
2018
extent_statement
3.87 linear feet (11 boxes). 12.2 gigabytes (11,673 computer files)

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  1. Project Files [131/1]
  2. Notes and Notebooks [7/1]
  3. Compositions [8/1]
  4. Letters and Cards
  5. School Papers [2/1]
  6. Business Records [10/1]
  7. Clippings and Programs [2/1]
  8. Photographs [9/1]
  9. Writings