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Creator
Howe, Mary, 1882-1964
Call number
*L (Special) 90-18
Physical description
178 sound recordings
Preferred Citation
Mary Howe collection of noncommercial recordings [sound recording], Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library
Repository
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

These noncommercial sound recordings were collected by Mary Howe and primarily consist of her own compositions, in particular her vocal and chamber works. Several performances feature Mary Howe as pianist or accompanist. Additional performers include Celius Dougherty, Emerson Meyers, Mona Paulee, and William Strickland.

Biographical/historical information

Mary Howe (1882-1964) was an American pianist and composer. She studied music, both in Europe, and in the United States. At the Peabody Conservatory of Music, she studied composition with Gustav Strube and piano with Ernest Hutcheson. She also studied with Nadia Boulanger, Harold Randolph, and Richard Burmeister.

Howe began her career by giving piano recitals and went on to become very active in the Washington D.C. musical scene. She collaborated with Friends of Music at the Library of Congress, and was a member of the board of directors of the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the National Association of Composers and Conductors. She was also one of the founders of the Association of American Women Composers.

Mary Howe composed music for the piano, piano and voice, and chamber ensembles as well as for symphonic orchestra. As an active musician she often performed her own compositions as well as works by classical composers.

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of noncommercial recordings which were collected by Mary Howe, and span her career from 1935 to 1960. Some of the earlier recordings consist of interviews broadcast on radio stations, WNBC and WNYC.

The bulk of the collection consists of works for female voice and piano performed by such soloists as Margaret Barnwell, Juanita Carter, Ada MacLeish, Harriet Cohen, Enya Gonzalez, Katherine Hansel, Ina Hotzcheiter, Judith Litante, and Edma Wheelright, among others.

The recordings include recitals given by Mary Howe as a piano soloist or in collaboration with numerous other musical personalities such as Hans Kindler, Celius Dougherty, Otto Luening, and Roman Totenberg. Her works, as illustrated in these holdings, were performed by numerous orchestras such as the National Capitol Parks Schola Cantorum, the National Gallery Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington String Quartet, the Alberneri Trio, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Howe composed seven cycles for piano and voice, many of which are included in the collection. Of her best known works, her ballet Cards, is included in the collection in various arrangements, as well as many of her works for voice and other ensembles. The collection includes more than three dozen songs and chamber works.

The Mary Howe collection of noncommercial recordings [sound recording] is arranged in two series:

  • Series I: Howe materials,.
    1938-1960

    This series includes interviews, speeches, and works written by, performed by, or arranged by Mary Howe. Works by composers other than Howe may be found in this series if they have been included in recordings containing a work by or arranged by Howe. For more works by other composers see Series II: Other Materials.

    Although most items in this series are not attributed to any specific date, items which have been attributed to specific dates are from 1938 through 1960.

    Some of the performers included in this series are: Coolidge String Quartet; Celius Dougherty; Calderon Howe; Mary Howe; Otto Luening; Ada MacLeish; Emerson Meyers, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

    Some of the conductors included in this series are: Richard Bales; Paul Callaway; Hans Kindler and William Strickland.

  • Series II: Other Materials,.
    1941-1951

    The series consists of works by composers other than Mary Howe. Because works by other composers may have been included in recordings containing compositions by Howe, further works by composers other than Howe may be found in Series I: Howe Materials.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift, Howe, Calderon, 1969

Processing information

Processed by David H. Thomas and Peggy Schein.

Using the collection

Location

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
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

Access to discs restricted.