A Guide to the Papers of Alfred J. Swan collected by his student John Davison, 1894-1955 Swan, Alfred J., papers collected by his student John Davison, 1894-1955 10093-e

A Guide to the Papers of Alfred J. Swan collected by his student John Davison, 1894-1955

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 10093-e


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Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Heather Baker and Sharon Defibaugh

Repository
Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Accession number
10093-e
Title
Papers of Alfred J. Swan collected by his student John Davison, 1894-1955
Physical Characteristics
This collection contains ca. 318 (3 Hollinger boxes, and 2 oversize boxes).
Collector
The Swan papers were collected by John Davison.
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Alfred J. Swan collected by his student John Davison, 1894-1955, Accession #10093-e, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These items were given to the University of Virginia Library by Elizabeth Davison, Haverford, Pennsylvania, on September 27, 1999.

Biographical/Historical Information

According to one concert program, Albert J. Swan (1890-1970) was a member of an English family who settled in Russia, where he was born in 1890 at St. Petersburg, where he also attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He left to study law, languages and music at Oxford, England, emigrating to the United States in the 1920s. He taught first at the University of Virginia, and then jointly at Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges from 1926 until his retirement in 1959. Swan was first recognized as a writer on music and as a musicologist interested in the relationship between Russian church chant and folk song. His work as a composer produced "four piano sonatas, six quartets, and much liturgical choral music, written mostly to old Slavonic texts for the Orthodox church, including a complete setting of the extensive Orthodox service," among others.

Scope and Content Information

This addition to the papers of Alfred J. Swan (1890-1970), composer and the first professor of music at Haverford College, consists of ca. 318 items, ca. 1894-1995, primarily music manuscripts; sheet music; concert programs; newsclippings; articles; music catalogues and circulars; materials pertaining to an exhibit about Swan at the Music Library, Haverford College, and a Swan Centennial Concert; and miscellaneous items concerning Swan from the library of his student, John Davison.

Organization

The collection is organized with the non-musical material first (Box 1); music by Swan (Boxes 1-3); various non-Swan music (end of Box 3); oversize music by Swan (Oversize Box S-61) and oversize music by various students of Swan (Oversize Box S-62).

Contents List

NON-MUSICAL MATERIAL
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MUSICAL MATERIAL
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