Mina Hager Papers
Scope and Content of the Collection
Collection relates to Mina Hager’s professional career as a successful singer. Besides sound recordings and a substantial amount of sheet music, there is correspondence from John Alden Carpenter and others, advertisements, brochures, contracts, many programs, miscellaneous memorabilia including two passports and an American Theatre Wing War Service certificate and photographs. Among her works is a fragment of her autobiography, an article about John Alden Carpenter and his songs from Music Journal, and a few other short articles.
Dates
- Creation: 1892-1977
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1920 - 1970
Creator
- Hager, Mina (Person)
Language
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The Mina Hager Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Conditions Governing Audiovisual Access
Audiovisual recordings in this collection have not been digitized and are unavailable for use at this time.
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Mina Hager Papers are 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 Mina Hager
American mezzo-soprano.
Mezzo-soprano Mina Hager was born in Madison, South Dakota in 1891 and graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1911. Her professional career began in Chicago, where she built a reputation for excellence in performing opera, oratorio and song repertoire. She sang with the Chicago Opera Company, toured Europe and Central America, opened a season at the Hollywood Bowl, and sang the first American staged production of Arnold Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire” in 1926 under Frederic Stock in Chicago. Hager’s concerts of contemporary composers included de Falla, Milhaud, Poulenc, Webern and others, but she was particularly noted for interpreting the songs of Chicago composer, John Alden Carpenter.
Mina Hager married Fred Heidenson on Jun. 1, 1919. She died in 1981.
Extent
4.6 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Abstract
Material relating to the career of mezzo-soprano Mina Hager (Mrs. Fred Heidenson), including incoming correspondence from John Alden Carpenter and others, programs, clippings and other memorabilia. Also, practice and demo tapes, sound recordings (78 rpm and 45 rpm, LP) and a collection of manuscript and published sheet music, mostly by John Alden Carpenter.
Organization
Papers are organized in the following series
- Series 1: Miscellaneous (including correspondence), 1907-1977
- Box 1
- Series 2: Photographs, approximately 1910s-1973
- Box 2
- Series 3: Scores and Sheet Music, 1889-1975
- Boxes 3-6
- Series 4: Sound Recordings, 1936-1945
- Boxes 7-8
Collection Stack Location
1 20 7, 1 45 2
Provenance
Gift of Maetta Chase, 1995. Additions donated on behalf of Adrian R. Tiemann by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2012.
Processed by
Virginia Hay Smith, 2006; Alison Hinderliter, 2013.
Subject
- American Theatre Wing (Organization)
- Carpenter, John Alden, 1876-1951 (Person)
- Fairbank, Janet, 1903-1948 (Person)
- Hager, Mina (Person)
Genre / Form
- Magnetic tapes
- Photographs -- 1901-1950
- Photographs -- 1951-2000
- Sheet music -- 1851-1900
- Sheet music -- 1901-1950
- Sheet music -- 1951-2000
- Sound recordings
Occupation
- Composers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Correspondence
- Mezzo-sopranos -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Musicians -- Correspondence
- Opera singers -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Singers -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Women singers -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Women singers -- Portraits
Topical
- Title
- Inventory of the Mina Hager Papers, 1892-1977, bulk 1920-1970
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Virginia Hay Smith
- Date
- ©2006.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 6/22/2013: Combined 1995 and 2012 accessions, re-processed.
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