Special Collections Finding Aids

Edward N. Waters Collection - Personal Papers

Accession: SC1996.21

Location: M1B 6,7-7,5

Size: 21 feet

Biography: Edward N (Neighbor) Waters (1906-1991) was an American musicologist, librarian, and chief of the Music Division, Library of Congress from 1972- 1976. He was born in Leavenworth, Kansas and earned two degrees from the Eastman School of Music: a B. M. in 1927, and a Master's in musicology in 1928. In 1931 he joined the staff of the Music Division at the Library of Congress. He served as president of the Music Library Association from 1941-1943. He was program annotator for the concerts of the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington (1934-1943), and also taught bibliography at Catholic University of Washington. His largest completed study was a published biography of Victor Herbert (1955), and he contributed extensively to various music periodicals.

Provenance: The collection represents many of the materials compiled by Waters during the course of research on an uncompleted biography of Franz Liszt. Waters donated the collection to Sibley Library in 1990 in honor of his late first wife, Carrie Waters. Water' gift originally included books, journal articles, and a few scores. The books were dispersed into Sibley Library's existing collection. The research material was retained in the form of this special collection.

Scope and Content: The collection includes primary sources relating to Liszt research in the form of photocopies and reproductions of letters and compositions. Supplementing these are Waters' own transcriptions and translations of portions of the correspondence. Of the latter, most significant are those relating to Liszt's correspondence with Countess Sayn- Wittgenstein. Water's working papers constitute significant secondary resource material. A bibliographic file of editions of Liszt's music of potential value for the study of chronology and publication history. Correspondence between Waters and Liszt's relatives, as well as with other scholars, offers a significant body of information pertinent to the field. The collection also includes typescripts of Waters' articles and essays and a card file bibliography on Liszt research containing some material not generally found in the literature.

Associations: The Sibley Library's Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections owns two collections of particular interest to the field of nineteenth-century piano music. The E. Maude Wilson Collection is a binder's collection of over 200 volumes of late-nineteenth-century piano and piano four hand music. The Malcolm Frager collection includes a large selection of first and early editions of nineteenth-century piano music.

Restrictions: No restrictions.

Series: 2

Series Name: Personal Papers

Series Description: Series Two contains Waters' research notes, including a card index to the works of Liszt, articles and essays by Waters and others, and Waters' Liszt bibliography card index.