James Francis Driscoll collection of American sheet music
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Driscoll Sheet Music collection consists of well over 80,000 pieces of sheet music, divided into twenty sections by the collector, with many further subdivisions under each main section. There is considerable overlap between the Sections: one may find the same piece of sheet music in Illustrated Imprints as in History and Politics, and also in “Type” collection, for example. Some sections or parts of sections have been removed from the original groupings and cataloged separately in the Newberry's Online Catalog; they can be searched by author, title, or subject, but not by original grouping. The sections where music has been removed and cataloged separately are: Section 1: Early American Imprints; Section 4: Publishers' Imprints; Section 5: Illustrated Imprints; Section 12: Ethnic and Religious; Section 18: Foreign Imprints; and Section 19: Books. See series descriptions for more specific information.
An additional section in the original acquisition entitled "Duplicates" is not included in this inventory.
Dates
- Creation: approximately 1770s-1959
Creator
Language
Materials are primarily in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The James Francis Driscoll collection of American sheet music is open for research in the General Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The James Francis Driscoll collection of American sheet music is the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
Biography of J. Francis Driscoll
James Francis Driscoll (1875-1959) was born into a prominent family in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was by profession a civil engineer, but music was always his passion. He was for many years the organist at Boston’s Sacred Heart Cathedral and also its choral director. Having a great interest in history, he lectured before the Brookline Historical Society and the Bostonian Society. As early as the 1890s, however, Driscoll was well on his way to amassing one of the largest collections of American sheet music extant.
Interested in history, fascinated by the graphic arts, and devoted to music, his interest never flagged. His children related anecdotes of the times when as youngsters, they spent many Saturdays trailing after their father as he made the rounds of book dealers, pawn shops, junk yards and auction houses. Driscoll made it his policy to swap less perfect pieces and duplicates in favor of as perfect specimens as could be found. He was famous (or infamous, depending on one’s point of view) among others of the music-collecting fraternity for his sharp bargaining, and his reluctance to part with any of his “highspots”.
Extent
20 shelves (426 boxes)
Abstract
The James Francis Driscoll collection of American sheet music, amassed by engineer and organist J. Francis Driscoll (1875-1959), is one of the largest and most representative collections of its kind. The approximated 80,000 pieces of sheet music and related material were arranged into sections by Driscoll himself, and reflect his collecting interests and preferences. Some of the music is arranged according to imprint information (i.e. American imprints, publishers’ imprints, illustrated imprints, etc.); other sections in the collection are arranged by subjects, such as History and Politics, United States regions and states, Ethnic and Religious, Dance Styles, etc.
Organization
Papers are organized in the following sections
- Section 1: Early American Imprints, approximately 1770-1835
- Box 13 and Newberry Online Catalog
- Section 2: American Imprints, 1820 to approximately 1959
- Boxes 15-92
- Section 3: The “Type” Collection
- Boxes 367-426
- Section 4: Publishers' Imprints
- Boxes 93, 96-97, 101-102, 104, 106-107
- Section 5: Illustrated Imprints
- Boxes 108-138
- Section 6: History and Politics
- Boxes 139-171
- Section 7: United States - Local
- Boxes 171a-200
- Section 8: Nature and Calendar
- Boxes 201-204
- Section 9: Communication and Transportation
- Boxes 205-208
- Section 10: Composers and Lyricists
- Boxes 209-263
- Section 11: Dancing and Ballet
- Boxes 264-283
- Section 12: Ethnic and Religious
- Boxes 284-291
- Section 13: Minstrels and Blackface
- Boxes 292-307a
- Section 14: Rarities
- Boxes 308-309
- Section 15: Sports and Athletics
- Boxes 310-311
- Section 16: Theatrical
- Boxes 312-333
- Section 17: Miscellaneous
- Boxes 334-356
- Section 18: Foreign Imprints
- Boxes 357-366
- Section 19: Books
- Newberry Online Catalog
Collection Stack Location
2 54-55
Provenance
Acquired: 1968.
Processed by
Bernard E. Wilson, after 1968.
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Inventory of the James Francis Driscoll collection of American sheet music, approximately 1770s-1959
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Alison Hinderliter
- Date
- ©2008.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org