The American Music CenterAuthor(s): JAMES BROWNINGSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 16, No. 3 (1969 JULI-DEZEMBER), pp. 144-146Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23505102 .

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144 J. BROWNING: THE AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER

time to time, concentrating upon the best of published music. It was his intention that the

library should be freely available to anyone in the community; thus the Sibley Music Library

was in effect a public library. When George Eastman built and gave the Eastman School of Music to the University of

Rochester in 1921, the Sibley Music Library was moved from the University Library building to the new Eastman School building, where it continued to serve as a library for the public as

well as students and faculty. From 1921 to 1932 both Mr. Eastman and Mr. Sibley gave

generously to the collection, making possible the purchase of many rare books, incunabula,

first editions, and manuscripts. At the death of both men in 1932, the Library passed into the

jurisdiction of the Eastman School, whose annual appropriations have supported it to this day. With the entrance of the United States into the war in 1941, the Library Committee of

the University was obliged to alter the character of the Sibley Library along with all the

other collections within the University system. Because of curtailed purchases due to wartime

conditions and because of the lack of personnel to give service to the public, the Library was

forced to limit its circulation to students, faculty, and alumni of the University.

During the postwar years the enrollment of the Eastman School increased dramatically and new curricula were instituted. The Library expanded proportionately. Its holdings now

include some 200,000 volumes of music scores and books, 35,000 recordings, several hundred

reels of microfilm, some 400 sets of microcards, miscellaneous musical autographs and

manuscripts, and a large number of periodicals in Western languages. The collection is out

standing for its Renaissance and Baroque imprints, including practical as well as theoretical

works; chamber music and operas from the 18th century to the present; and contemporary American compositions. The Library's microprint service produces theoretical works on

microcards.

The Library serves the 650 students at the Eastman School of Music, many of whom are

engaged in theoretical and historical research; the 116 faculty members of the School; and

the University of Rochester personnel of some 8,000. These persons may withdraw for home

use all of the materials except rare books. In addition, the resources of the Library are open to the public for study and reference, although they must use the books within the library

building. Scholars from over the world are likewise welcome. Reference questions are

answered by telephone and by letter. Scores and books are sent to other libraries on inter

library loan. Thus the Sibley Music Library, while functioning primarily as a conservatory

library, endeavors to serve the musical community at large.

JAMES BROWNING (NEW YORK)

The American Music Center*

Music by American composers is playing an increasingly large part in our educational

system and cultural life, and this is due both to the growing stature of our native composers and to the increasing recognition of the importance of their contribution to our artistic life.

The American Music Center was formed in 1940 when six distinguished American com

posers (Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening and the late Marion

* The author is General Manager of the American Music Center (2109 Broadway, Suite 15—79, New

York, N.Y. 10023. U.S.A.).

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/. BROWNING: THE AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER 145

Bauer and Quincy Porter) decided to do something about the lack of a place where American

music could be assembled for reference and study, and where accurate information about it

could be supplied to the public. Equally important was the concern for the promotion of

American music. This broad aim was a feature of the by-laws: "to foster and encourage the

composition of contemporary music and to promote its production, publication, distribution,

and performance in every way possible." The Center's first act was the forming of a library of serious American music, now con

taining over 9,000 scores, submitted by its members and constantly expanding. This is the

world's largest circulating collection of such music. While a substantial part of the music is

published, much is unpublished, since many works by American composers have a difficult

time to find their way into print.

Another vital service performed by the Center is its function as an information bureau.

The Center maintains files of biographical material, archives of musical criticism, festival

and competition data, and publishers' catalogues. Publishers are helped by the Center in that

it receives a constant flow of inquiries requesting, for example, what firm publishes a certain

selection and where this can be purchased. One of the Center's latest projects is the establishment of a tape library to supplement

its score library; an unfamiliar piece of music can be more readily understood when the

interested conductor, performer, student, etc., can listen to a rendering and look at the score

coincidentally.

An important experimental project which has had excellent results is that of providing

individual assistance to American composers. The purpose of the plan, for which funds have

been provided by the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, Inc., is to aid composers in

meeting the costs of preparing score and/or parts for major works in the field of symphonic,

ballet and musico-dramatic composition, as well as smaller ensembles and combinations

(so long as seven or more performers are required). Another purpose is the professional

advancement of the composers by encouraging performing organizations to give their works

more frequent hearings. Assistance is considered for composers, who, having received a

request for performance of a work in manuscript by a recognized musical organization, are in

genuine need of aid in the preparation of the work for that performance. Aid is directed

primarily, though not exclusively, toward composers in their thirties and forties who have

had limited performances of major works, and who receive only nominal income from

composition. AMC is non-profit and entirely non-partisan; hence all composers regardless of style or

professional affiliation are equally invited to participate. Over 600 composers are members

of AMC, and for nominal yearly dues, they receive a number of services and benefits such

as low-cost high-quality reproduction service, the opportunity to place music in the Center's

library, a free subscription to Music Today Newsletter, the official journal of the Center

which carries information of members' activities, awards, etc. Other categories of member

ship include Patrons, Friends, Institutions, Orchestras, Publishers, Professionals, and

Students, with services and privileges designed for each type.

AMC has received a number of requests for information from many countries, attesting to

the fact that its reputation as a service agency has now extended beyond the borders of the

United States. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that the Newsletter is distributed abroad

to all USA posts. In October, 1962, the American Music Center was designated by the

National Music Council, an organization chartered by the United States Congress, as the

official information center on music for this country. This has had much to do with strength

ening contact with European music centers as has the Center's invitation to membership in

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146 PH. L. MILLER: ASSOCIATION FOR RECORDED SOUND COLLECTIONS

the International Committee of Music Information Centers (MIC) of the International Asso

ciation of Music Libraries (IAML). Current officers of the Center are Hugo Weisgall, president, Eugene Bruck and Oliver

Daniel, vice-presidents, Ezra Laderman, secretary, and Arthur Cohn, treasurer, plus an active

board of 28 others.

Unlike European music centers, AMC receives no governmental assistance of any kind.

Since membership dues alone do not meet budgetary requirements, the Center has existed

and carried on its useful program of activities for the past two and one-half decades only by virtue of contributions from interested individuals, organizations and foundations.

PHILIP L. MILLER (NEW YORK)

Association for Recorded Sound Collections*

As long ago as 1914 the public library in St. Paul, Minnesota, had a record collection. In

the three decades that followed a few more were started—notably in The Free Library of

Philadelphia and in New York's Music Library on 58th Street. But there were problems in

those days. Circulation was hardly to be thought of because of the danger of damage, and

in the cubicles that served for listening (similar to those in the record stores) it was not very

comfortable, especially in the summers before air conditioning. The collections served two

principal groups—students interested in interpretation and casual listeners. With the coming of longplaying records (LP) in 1947 the whole picture changed. In a very short time record

ings became an established part of every alert American library. Meanwhile a group of music librarians had begun to perceive the documentary value of

recordings. It was realized that with each succeeding generation and with constantly changing

values, much priceless evidence would be lost if no effort were made to preserve recordings. More and more composers were coming to record their works, first performances and "cre

ators" were being caught on discs. Not only famous voices pass into history, but styles and

performance practices undergo sometimes hardly perceptible changes. The development of

popular music is sociological history. And so a number of archival collections came into

being. The Library of Congress was a logical place for such a development, and not surpris

ingly its archives are the largest in the country. Aside from its incomparable folk song col

lection (including field recordings made many years ago on the American Indian reservations

by the Smithsonian Institution) the scope is all-embracing. Though no copyright deposit exists for recordings in this country, most of the leading companies have been induced to

place copies of their releases for preservation in the archives. The Library has long main

tained a recording laboratory, musical events in the auditorium have been preserved, the

voices of poets and statesmen recorded in the studio. Private collections have come in over

the years, adding a superb coverage of celebrity recordings. With the opening of its new quarters in the Library & Museum of the Performing Arts at

Lincoln Center in 1965, the Music Division of The New York Public Library had listening

* The author is President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC, c/o Rodgers &

Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, 111 Amsterdam Avenue, New York). Before his retirement he was Chief of the Music Division, The New York Public Library.

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