Scope and arrangement
The Clarence Cameron White Papers, 1901-1940, consist of biographical information, correspondence, contracts, financial records, programs, newspaper clippings, other printed material, manuscript music, and other writing, documenting the first thirty years of White's career as composer, violinist, and teacher. These years represent a very fruitful portion of White's life, during which he received his musical training and wrote a great many of his compositions.
The Clarence Cameron White papers are arranged in six series:
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1906-[circa 1938]
Ranges from official documents to autobiographical sketches, handwritten by his first wife. Included are his son, William's, birth certificate and college grades, a fragmentary scrapbook for the Hampton Institute School of Music, and brochures advertising White as a violinist and composer.
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1901-1940, undated
Divided into two chronological series of incoming and outgoing letters. The majority of the letters were written to White by family, friends, and business associates. Regular correspondents included his mother, son, and Ona Talbot and Myra Reynolds Richards in Paris. Richards was a sculptress whose bust of White appears in the photographs in the collection. Letters to Beatrice Warrick White from her father, Thomas Warrick, are also included in this series. Outgoing correspondence consists of one folder of typewritten letters and handwritten drafts of letters. This correspondence is almost entirely business related and provides considerable insight into White's attitudes towards his career.
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1918 April 8-1934 July 6
Relate largely to White's association with Carl Fisher, Inc., music publishers, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (AMSAC).
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1919 December 31-1933 June 27
Consist almost entirely of correspondence and charts detailing royalty payments to White from Carl Fisher, Inc. and Theodore Presser Co. The royalty account records list the names of the songs, number of copies sold, number of exempt and free copies, stock on hand, price, and royalty due.
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1905-1938
Includes programs, miscellaneous printed material, and newspaper clippings. The Programs subseries is divided into two chronological sequences; programs for White's own performances and performances of his works by others, and programs relating to other artists. The programs are almost entirely musical in nature, and range from individual recitals to commencement exercises at Hampton Institute. Some programs are autographed by White or other artists. Several programs for Jules Bledsoe are included in the file. Miscellaneous printed matter is a folder of books, pamphlets, and articles such as a book on keyboard training and harmony (1917), articles on the Hampton Institute choir (post 1932), and a quarterly bulletin of the Songwriter's Protective Agency (1934). Newspaper clippings come from a variety of mostly American newspapers and cover notices of musical events, reviews of performances, and articles sent to White for personal interest. Included with the clippings are several broadsides advertising individual performers and containing excerpts from newspaper reviews.
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1905-1935
Include lessons and examinations from Hampton Institute, articles and speeches by White, articles and papers by other authors, and manuscript music. The lessons are numbered consecutively and deal with the history of Black music. White's articles and speeches are mostly undated and relate to Black music in general and specific compositions, such as "Bandanna Sketches". Articles and speeches by other authors consist mostly of papers written by White's students for his classes at Hampton Institute. Included also in this file is an article from the Indianapolis Sunday Star on sculptress Myra Reynolds Richards. Manuscript music (1905-1939) represents over half of the collection, and ithas been divided into files on Ouanga!, Cocomacaque, and miscellaneous. Although most of this music is handwritten, a number of printed compositions have been included in this series and are noted as such. Manuscript music is largely undated.