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Creator
Thomas, Edward, 1924-
Call number
JPB 24-05
Physical description
2.58 linear feet (6 boxes). 82 audio recordings. 31.5 gigabytes (9,548 computer files)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Edward Thomas papers, JPB 24-05. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Music Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

Edward Thomas (1924-2022) was a composer of orchestral works, chamber music, opera, and musicals. A student of the composer Tibor Serly, Thomas was also one of the founders of Forrell and Thomas, Inc., a company that produced advertising jingles and other commercial music. The Edward Thomas papers, dating from 1953 to 2021, document mainly Thomas's compositions through notated scores and sound recordings. There are also recordings of Thomas's arrangements and productions for Forrell and Thomas, Inc.

Biographical/historical information

Edward Thomas (1924-2022) was a composer of orchestral works, chamber music, opera, musicals, and commercial jingles. Born in Chisholm, Minnesota, he taught himself to play guitar as a youth. Thomas saw combat during World War II before he was invited to play in an army band. He settled in New York City after the war and made his living as a guitarist, playing nightclubs, weddings, and other events.

In the late 1950s, Thomas met Gene Forrell, and the two formed Forrell and Thomas, Inc., which produced music for radio and television commercials. The company also produced a series of albums of Christmas music for the Firestone company which were released during the 1960s. One of Thomas's songs, "The Bells of Christmas," became popular and was recorded by Julie Andrews, not long after she appeared in the film The Sound of Music.

Starting in 1960, Thomas studied with the composer Tibor Serly and began writing concert music. Much of his compositional work was created after his retirement from Forrell and Thomas. His works included Impressions for Orchestra, Reflections for violin and piano, a string quartet, Suite in Four Movements for Woodwind Quintet, and two pieces for clarinet, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, and Fantasy for Two Clarinets. The former was performed by Sidney Fell and Stanley Drucker, and the latter was commissioned by Stanley Drucker and recorded by Drucker and his wife, Naomi, with the American Composers Orchestra.

Thomas became interested in musical theater as well, and his collaborators included Martin Charnin, Joe Masteroff, Jerome Coopersmith, Jon Marans, and Jules Bass. Several of Thomas's musicals were produced in New York. His theatrical work included Six Wives (about Henry VIII), Ballad for a Firing Squad (about Mata Hari), Searching 4Y, and two operas, Desire Under the Elms, and Anna Christie. The latter premiered in 2018, when Thomas was 94.

Edward Thomas died in New York City in July, 2022.

Scope and arrangement

The Edward Thomas papers, dating from 1953 to 2021, document mainly Thomas's compositions through notated scores and sound recordings. The collection also holds recordings of Thomas's arrangements and productions for Forrell and Thomas, Inc., particularly his work for the Firestone company. The collection is in three divisions: Scores, Sound Recordings, and Subject Files.

Scores and parts, not all of which are complete, include instrumental compositions such as Ballet for an Interrogation, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Fantasy for Two Clarinets, Images for Oboe and Strings, Impressions for Orchestra Ode for Strings, Reflections, Rhapsody, String Quartet, and Suite in Four Movements for Woodwind Quintet. There is also an unfinished work for solo guitar and unidentified sketches.

Scores, libretti, and notes for musical and other stage works include Anna Christie, Ballad for a Firing Squad, The Raven, Sam Spade, Searching 4Y, and Six Wives. The files for the opera Anna Christie are extensive and include revisions, notes, and parts for differing performances.

Some scores are in manuscript form, while others are in published editions. Many of the scores date from after 2000 and exist as Finale score notation software files and as PDF files. Many of the score files incorporate notes by Thomas and his copyists, and related correspondence. Some digital score files also hold sound recordings.

The sound recordings document many works including Anna Christie, Ballad for a Firing Squad, Ballet an Interrogation, Fantasy for Two Clarinets, Images for Oboe and Strings, Impressions for Orchestra, Reflections, Sam Spade, Searching 4Y, Six Wives, and String Quartet. There are two recordings of Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, one featuring Sidney Fell and the other with Stanley Drucker; and a recording of several works by Tibor Serly.

The recordings also hold some of the music Thomas produced at Forrell and Thomas in the 1950s and 1960s. The largest group of these are recordings of Christmas music produced for albums released by the Firestone company in multiple volumes. There is also a recording of jingles dating from 1957; an "FTP (Forrell Thomas Productions) Symphony;" a recording of several songs by Thomas; and a few recordings of unidentified material.

The Subject Files contain recording information, including a set of "job cards" (3x5 cards detailing recordings sessions for Thomas's work, mainly in the 1960s), and a folder regarding recording sessions of the American Composers Orchestra in 2010 and 2011; a script by Thomas, The Adventures of Hobart Fernando Hancock; files for Thomas's publishing company, Somat Publishing Ltd.; and publicity information about Tibor Serly.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by John E. and Gilda M. Thomas in 2024.

Processing information

Processed by Matthew Snyder in 2024.

Using the collection

Location

Music Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Access restrictions

Inquiries regarding audio materials in the collection may be directed to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound (recordedsound@nypl.org). Audio materials will be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.