• Description of Collection
• Description of Series
• Inventory
• Series 1: Music by Arthur Farwell
• Series 2: Music by Other Composers
• Series 3: Performance Materials
• Series 4: Literary Works
• Series 5: Traditional Music Studies
• Series 6: Personal Papers
• Series 7: Correspondence
• Series 8: Art Works
• Series 9: Photographs
• Series 10: Research Papers
• Series 11: Sara Farwell
• Series 12: Microfilm Collection
• Oversize
• Index by Title

Arthur Farwell Collection (1863-1990, bulk 1895-1950)
Location: M1A,1,2-2,5
21.25 linear feet

Arthur Farwell (1872-1952) was an American composer, critic and publisher of considerable influence in the first half of the twentieth century. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied electrical engineering, but upon graduation turned to a career in music. He studied with Chadwick, Humperdinck and Pfitzner, the latter two during a year fellowship in Europe. In 1901 he founded the important Wa-Wan press which continued until 1912 and emphasized the publication of works by American composers. Farwell served as critic for Musical America from 1909-1914. The composer specialized in the production of large scale community musical pageant productions. Farwell's musical and other interest were wide. His music includes traditional classical works and works influenced by both traditional and Native American sources. He was also interested in theosophy and related fields, and left an unpublished manuscript of a work on the role of intuition in the creative process.

This collection contains materials produced by Farwell in the course of his wide activities along with memorabilia relating to his mother, Sara Farwell, and some research notes by some who have studied Farwell. A portion of Farwell's papers were placed in storage after his death and accidentally sold at public auction owing to a confusion in billing. This portion was purchased by a friend of Evelyn Davis Culbertson, who received them as a gift. In the meantime Brice Farwell, son of the composer, maintained another large segment of the papers. In 1994 the two portions were reunited and donated to Sibley Music Library by Culbertson and Farwell.

The Arthur Farwell Collection contains materials from the entire range of Farwell's interests: music by Farwell and other composers in manuscript and published form, letters, diaries, literary manuscripts and librettos, study notes, drawings, and sketches, photographs, and papers relating to the Wa-Wan press and his later venture with a lithographic press. Because of the breadth of Farwell's interests, his retention of his working papers, and his important role in American music, the collection possesses considerable value in a variety of areas. These include: the Music of Farwell and his proteges, the national music movement of the early twentieth century, community music production in America, Native American and traditional music's influence on American music. The personal papers present interesting insights into the musical milieu of the time. His notes and writings on theosophy and spiritualism offer an example of these mystical movements on an early twentieth century artist. The collection also includes diaries and articles written by Farwell's mother Sara Wyer Farwell, who lectured on child education.

There are no restrictions on the use of the collection. Copyright restrictions for reproduction are scheduled to expire in 2003.

A nearly complete collection of Farwell's musical works was privately microfilmed in 1972 and a catalog produced. Copies of the film and catalog are available for purchase.

Sibley Music Library possesses many publications by the Wa-Wan press cataloged individually. In the Library's Special Collections and the Eastman School of Music Archives are materials relating to the Institute of American Music, which, though unconnected with Farwell's efforts, shared the similar goal of promoting American Music during approximately the same time span.

Back to Contents

This series comprises the various musical compositions of Arthur Farwell ordered numerically according to the arrangement in Evelyn Culbertson's book on Farwell. Within each number the compositions are organized according to the creative process with sketches and drafts followed by fine copies, concluded by publications of the works. For dramatic and theatrical works the scripts and staging materials, if any are extant, have been included along with the music.

Farwell possessed many compositions by other composers, both manuscripts and publications. This includes many original Wa-Wan publications. The works are arranged alphabetically by author/title.

This includes three types of materials relating to production and performance of Farwell's music: concert programs, program notes written by Farwell, materials relating to major productions, mainly community music productions. The concert programs cover essentially the span of Farwell's professional life and are arranged chronologically. Farwell wrote and provided program notes for performances of many of his compositions. Many times he attached or included them with the score of the work itself, in which case the original order has been respected, so that these are filed in the music series with the respective composition. In this series are gathered fugitive notes that have appeared randomly throughout the collection, probably as the result of much manipulation and use through the years after Farwell's death. They are arranged alphabetically. The last group of materials gathers documents relating to Farwell's large-scale, often multi-media productions for community music. These are arranged alphabetically by name of production.

Subseries A: Works by Farwell
Farwell produced a variety of literary compositions including lectures, essays, fictional works, poems, plays and scripts. These are arranged alphabetically by title. Scripts for extant musical theater productions are placed in the music series with their respective compositions. The major component of the series is an unpublished book on the role of intuition in creative life.

Subseries B: Works by other authors
Included are a small selection of articles, books, poems, and other works that relate to Farwell's varied interests or were received through personal of professional activities. They are arranged alphabetically by author/title.

Farwell was extremely interested in a variety of types of traditional music as a result of his involvement in the development of American music. The materials are arranged alphabetically by subject, of which there are four main areas: Cowboy songs, Folksongs, Indian music, and Spanish California songs.

As a result of an active life and varied interests, many unrelated to his professional career, Farwell collected materials relating to many subjects. The materials relate to specific interests, passtimes, and his personal life. Most notable are his interests in theosophical and spiritual subjects, papers relating to his lithographic press, and his activity in the Bohemian Club. The major item for Farwell research is a scrapbook kept by him and covering the years 1903-1911. The series is ordered alphabetically by broad subject area.

Subseries A: Personal Correspondence
The materials include correspondence generated during Farwell's personal and professional life. The letters are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.

Subseries B: Autograph Collection
The distinction between these materials and those of subseries A is apparently artificial only, for the correspondence also refers to Farwell's personal and professional life. The distinction, however, goes back to Farwell himself who kept these items separate as an "autograph collection."

Subseries C: Correspondence about Farwell
The subsequent owners of the Farwell materials generated a small but significant amount of correspondence concerning Farwell. This correspondence is preserved here in alphabetical order according to correspondent.

Farwell was an amateur artist and created drawings and sketches for himself, for use in his work, and to record events of his life, many of which he called "visions." The series is loosely organized in two groups: those drawings relating to the lithographic illustrations for his book on intuition, and all others.

This series includes photographs of a personal nature relating to Farwell, family, and friends and those documenting productions in which Farwell was involved, especially community music productions and pageants. Of the latter kind, details of staging, costume and personnel are included. The series is divided into prints and negatives and then arranged into three basic format sizes: 8x10, 5x7, and 4x5. Within these categories the photographs are ordered by person or subject. Thus it is necessary to check each format size for photographs of the same person or subject.

This includes fugitive notes and correspondence generated by research on Farwell by Edgar Kirk and Evelyn Culbertson. Edgar Kirk wrote a doctoral dissertation on Arthur Farwell at Eastman School of Music in 1958. Evelyn Culbertson wrote the book He Heard America Singing (1992) on Farwell.

Sara Farwell, Arthur's mother, was a woman of considerable talent and accomplishment. Farwell carefully preserved her early diaries and lectures she gave on the raising and education of children. The material is arranged alphabetically.

Brice Farwell, son of the composer, produced a microfilm copy of most of his father's music along with a published guide. A Guide to the Music of Arthur Farwell and to the Microfilm Collection of His Work (issued in a limited edition for the estate of Arthur Farwell, 1972) provides access to the works on microfilm; a service copy is available in the Sibley Music Library's microfilm collection.

This is not a separate series, but contains items from several series that required separate protection because of size or other reasons.

Back to Contents

Box 1

Box 2

Box 3

Box 4

Box 5

Box 6

Box 7

Box 8

Box 9

Box 10

Box 11

Box 12

Box 13

Box 14

Box 15

Box 16

Box 17

Box 18

Box 19

Box 20

Box 21

Box 22

Box 23

Subseries A: Works by Farwell

Box 24

Box 25

Box 26

Box 27

Box 28

Box 29

Subseries B: Works by Other Authors

Box 30

Box 31

Box 32

Box 33

Box 34

Subseries A: Farwell correspondence

Box 35

Box 36

Box 37

Box 38

Subseries B: Autograph Collection

Box 39

Box 40

Subseries C: Correspondence about Farwell

Box 39

Box 42

Box 43

Box 44

Box 45

Box 46

Box 47

Box 48

Box 49

Box 50

Box 51

This box does not constitute a separate series, but contains items from several series that required separate housing.

Box 54

Back to Contents

This index provides a cross reference between the main titles of Farwell's works and the Culbertson (C) numbers by which the collection is arranged. It does not include titles from individual movements or songs within compositions.

Back to Contents

Back to Finding Aids

Back to Special Collections

This page is created and maintained by Sam W. Tooley. Last updated 29 September 1997.