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William Charles Smith Correspondence

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Smith, William Charles

William Charles Smith was Assistant Keeper of the Department of Printed Books, King's Library, at the British Museum, and was also a Handel expert. Smith published several books on music in general and about Handel, his life and works, in particular. Some of Smith's publications include A Bibliography of Musical Works Published by the Firm of John Walsh During the Years 1721-1766; George Frederic Handel, His Life and Works; Essays (1948); George Frederic Handel: His Personality and His Times (1947), with Newman Flower; Handel: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Early Editions (1970); A Handelian's Notebook (1965); and Recently-Discovered Handel Manuscripts (1937)

The collection consists chiefly of correspondence of British musicologist William Charles Smith related to music and to George Frederic Handel. The correspondents represent a large group of musicians, composers, music editors and critics, music librarians, conductors, publishers, antiquarians and booksellers, authors, and music bibliographers. Correspondents include Elkin Mathews, Ltd., regarding Handel items for sale; the English conductor Charles Frederick Farncombe regarding opera performances; and Cecil Hopkinson of The First Edition Bookshop, Ltd., about purchasing Handel items. Other correspondents include Jacob Maurice Coopersmith, Thurston Dart, Winton Dean, Sir George Dyson, Sir Newman Flower, Julian Herbage, Jens Peter Larsen, Hans Lenneberg, Anthony Lewis, C. V. Pilkington of Sotheby & Co., Brian Priestman, Hans Ferdinand Redlich, Stanley Sadie, Percy Alfred Scholes, and John Tobin. In addition, there are forty-five autograph letters and cards between Smith and J. Merrill Knapp regarding music and Handel. Accompanying some of the correspondence is handwritten music.

Folders are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

All material except for Knapp correspondence was purchased on May 17, 1974.

Correspondence with J. Merrill Knapp was given by the office of Princeton University professor J. Merrill Knapp after his death, on November 5, 1993.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on August 8, 2007. Finding aid written by Traci Ballou-Broadnax on August 9, 2007. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2007
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

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Collection Inventory

Letters from J.M. Coopersmith to William Charles Smith, 1947-1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Thurston Dart to William Charles Smith, 1960-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Doris Davison to William Charles Smith, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Winton Dean to William Charles Smith, 1950-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Sir George Dyson to William Charles Smith, 1949 May 13. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Elkin Matthews LTD to William Charles Smith, 1935-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Charles Farncombe to William Charles Smith, 1961-1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Newman Flower to William Charles Smith, 1924-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from S. Godman to William Charles Smith, 1963 June 23. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Julian Herbage to William Charles Smith, 1960 October 5. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Raymond Hierons to William Charles Smith, 1950-1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Paul Hirsch to William Charles Smith, 1935-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Cecil Hopkinson to William Charles Smith, 1936-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Sir Gilbert Inglefield to William Charles Smith, 1959-1971. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Johann Jakob to William Charles Smith, 1949-1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Peter Larson Jens to William Charles Smith, 1965-1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from J. Merrill Knapp to William Charles Smith, 1957-1971. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Hans Lenneberg to William Charles Smith, 1965 September 21. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Anthony Lewis to William Charles Smith, 1955 February 8. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from C.V. Pilkington to William Charles Smith, 1947-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Andrew Porter to William Charles Smith, 1961. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Brian Priestman to William Charles Smith, 1958-1959. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Dr. H.F. Redlich to William Charles Smith, 1956 March 25. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Herbert Reichner to William Charles Smith, 1939. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Percy Robinson to William Charles Smith, 1937-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Stanley Sadie to William Charles Smith, 1962 October 9. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Harold Simpson to William Charles Smith, 1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from Percy A. Scholes to William Charles Smith, 1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letters from John Tobin to William Charles Smith, 1921-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from Peter Y. Williams to William Charles Smith, 1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

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