Scope and arrangement
The Edward Maisel research files on Charles T. Griffes, dating from 1904 to 1985, document the production of the book Charles T. Griffes: The Life of an American Composer. They primarily hold correspondence between Maisel and individuals who knew or worked with Griffes. They also contain book notes and source material acquired by Maisel in the course of his research. Sources include transcriptions or copies of Griffes’ letters to friends and colleagues, transcriptions or copies of correspondence between others regarding Griffes, diaries of people close to Griffes, and photographs.
Maisel’s correspondence mostly dates from 1938 to 1940, when he carried out primary research for the book. Correspondents include Rudolph Reuter, Fred van Amburgh, Marion Bauer, Irene Lewisohn, Frederick Jacobi, Adolfo Pettit, Arthur Farwell, Rudolph Ganz, Paul Rosenfeld, Edmond Rickett, Darius Milhaud, Percy Grainger, Burnet Tuthill, the Griffes family, and the Music Division of the Library of Congress. Some of Maisel’s correspondence dates from the late-1970s.
In the source files, the correspondence is composed chiefly of letters from Charles T. Griffes dating from 1916 to 1920. Most are transcriptions, and some are in German. The letters are to Rudolph Reuter, Gottfried Galston, Georges Barrere, Oscar Sonneck, Eva Gauthier, Mary Selena Broughton, Irene Lewisohn, Marion Bauer, and Griffes’ sister Marguerite. Also present in the correspondence are letters from others regarding Griffes. They are between or from Charles Robinson and his daughters; Emil Joel and Mary Selena Broughton; and Alfred Knopf, Maisel, and the Griffes family.
The source files also hold diaries, photographs, a transcription of a report from the Loomis Sanatorium regarding Griffes’ illness and death, and a Griffes family genealogy. The photographs were published in Maisel’s book and include art by Griffes. The diaries were kept by Mary Selena Broughton and Isaac Blaine Stevens. Broughton was Griffes’ teacher and friend, and her 1904 diary documents a trip to Germany to visit Griffes. Stevens’ diaries date from 1912-1917. They document events at the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, where Griffes taught.
The book notes contain editing and footnote comments for the 1984 edition of the book, as well as clippings and reviews.
Arrangement
The collection is in three divisions: Correspondence, Notes, and Sources.