Joseph E. Smith Collection of Music Manuscripts
Joseph E. Smith was a classical music enthusiast native to Winston-Salem, N.C. This collection includes letters, notes, postcards, calling cards, and photographs from composers dated 1800-1900s, many of which are signed.
Biographical and Historical Note
Joseph E. Smith was a classical music enthusiast and collector native to Winston-Salem, N.C. He was actively sending letters to composers for their signatures in 1950 and 1951. His brother, Ralph, shared his love for music collection and donated the manuscripts after Joseph's passing in 1997.
Collection Overview
Collection materials include letters, notes, postcards, calling cards, and photographs from mostly composers, dated 1800s-1990s. Many items are signed by their respective composer. This collection contains two signed bar fragments but no sheet music. Correspondence with partial names lack context to identify the correspondent.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Madison Eggers, 2019 December
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Joseph E. Smith Collection of Music Manuscripts (MS573), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.