Sources from ESM Archive

The Eastman School of Music Archive is the official repository for the School’s institutional and administrative records; the Archive also preserves scores, books, photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia that document the history, activities, and contributions of the School community. While the departmental and administrative papers relating to the operations of the School are restricted, other materials in the Archive are open to members of the Eastman community, researchers, and the public. Additional sources and collections related to the history of the University of Rochester are held in the University Archives in the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation  in Rush Rhees Library.

Select sources from the ESM Archive are described below.

Digitized Sources

Excerpt from the front cover of the 1935 yearbook, showing the text "The 1935 Score" in a gold rectangle overlaid on two gold sixteenth notes.

The School’s student yearbook was first published in 1925 and 1926 under the titles “Senior Annual” and “Keynote,” respectively. The yearbook became “The Score” in 1927 and was issued, with gaps, until 2013. Digitized and available online.

Cover of the November 3, 1924, issue of "The Note Book," with a decorative border.

The Note Book was a weekly student publication issued from 1921–1925. Digitized and available online.

Commencement 1937

University of Rochester commencement programs have included graduates of the Eastman School of Music since 1922. The full series of the university’s commencement programs (1851–present) is digitized and available online.

Cover of the February 1930 issue of the Eastman Alumni Bulletin, with a typeset list of contents.

The Alumni Bulletin of the Eastman School of Music was issued quarterly from 1931–1951. Digitized and available online.

Available in the ESM Archive

Cover of the concert program for the Metropolitan Opera Company's May 1926 performance of "Rigoletto" in Eastman Theatre, showing text with an elaborate border.

Programs of major recitals and concerts sponsored by or held at ESM from 1922 to the present, including student and faculty recitals, Collegium Musicum and other student ensemble concerts, guest performances, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, and Eastman Theatre concerts. Select volumes are catalogued; the full series of programs is available in the Archive.

The spines of six green, cloth-bound scrapbooks dating from the 1920s filed on a shelf.

Several series of scrapbooks were compiled by Sibley Music Library from ESM’s opening until the 1970s. The uncatalogued Rochester Scrapbooks (1921-1979) is a series of approximately 200 scrapbooks that contain newspaper clippings relating to musical life in Rochester and events related to the Eastman School of Music, including faculty and alumni news. The Eastman Theatre Scrapbooks (1920-28) contain clippings about the theatre’s construction, opening, and special events, including motion picture screenings and live performances. Available in the Archive.

The spines of 10 cloth-bound, archival copies of dissertations by Eastman graduates.

Archival copies of ESM master’s theses and doctoral dissertations in composition, musicology, performance, and theory. Catalogued; recent theses and dissertations available online through UR Research.

 

Black and white photo of 22 people, wearing winter coats, standing under the awning outside of the Eastman School of Music's main entrance.

The Eastman School Photo Archive (ESPA) includes more than 4000 photographs, the bulk of which relate to the history of the School. Searchable through the Iconography Database.

Cover of the 1940 to 1941 annual bulletin of the Eastman School of Music, with the university's seal in the center.

The ESM Bulletins (1925-1986) describe the academic programs and courses offered through the undergraduate and graduate programs as well as the preparatory department (later ECMS).

Cover of the December 14, 1947, issue of "A Tempo," with a brief, handwritten table of contents for the issue.

A Tempo was a student magazine issued from 1947-1950. Select issues available in the Archive

Cover of the 1981 issue of Leaflets, showing an artistic line drawing of two drooping flowers.

Leaflets (1977-82) was a student literary journal sponsored by the ESM Humanities Department. Copies available in the Archive and in the bound periodicals.

Cover of the July 1967 issue of "Notes from Eastman" showing a candid photo of five people standing around a grand piano.

Notes from Eastman (1966-80) was a periodical, published quarterly by the Office of Institutional Advancement, devoted to the activities of the Eastman School of Music Catalogued; copies available in the Archive.

Excerpt of the front cover of the Winter 2000 issue of Eastman Notes, showing a photo of Mitch Miller chatting with students during an Eastman Philharmonia rehearsal.

Eastman Notes (1980-present) is the current School magazine, which is issued twice a year for ESM alumni, parents, and friends. The most recent issues are available online; older issues are catalogued and available in the Archive. 

Sibley Muse (March 1989)

Sibley Muse (1977–2008) was a newsletter published quarterly by the Sibley Music Library. Catalogued; copies available in the Archive and in the bound periodicals. 

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