Hunt-Berol Sheet Music Collection, 1700s-1900s

Creator:: Berol, Alfred C., 1892-1974 and Berol, Madeleine, 1895-1985
Extent:: 244 linear feet (Series I boxes numbered 1-217. Series II boxes numbered Foreign 1 to Foreign 7. Series III box numbered III.1 to III.3. Series IV box numbered IV.1.)
Language:: English, German, French, Spanish; Castilian, Russian
Scope and content:: Printed music from the 18th-20th centuries, primarily 19th century American. Almost half the items are popular editions of European composers' instrumental music. The collection contains a large quantity of patriotic music such as the 1798 "Adams and Liberty" and the first and third editions (both 1798) of "Hail Columbia" and a comprehensive collection of music from the Civil War. There are also early printings of "The Star Spangled Banner," first and later editions of Stephen Foster's music, and a large collection of Benjamin Carr materials. Collection of 16th-20th century rare music books was cataloged individually. Primarily collected by Arthur Billings Hunt, 1890-1971, baritone, musical director and broadcaster. Most of the items are of American origin, and reflect Hunt's wide-ranging interests in sacred and secular music.

Catalog record:

Local call number:

Hunt-Berol Sheet Music

Processing information:

Processed JR 10/--/88.

The songsheets and broadsides in series III were formerly known as the Hunt-Berol Songsheets, and were integrated into this collection in 2021. One box of 19th-century publications containing music was also added in 2021. kws

After this collection came to Columbia in 1961, individual pieces of sheet music were cataloged by Columbia librarians. These catalog cards were the main mode of access to the collection until 2026. During the COVID lockdown in 2020, 12 drawers of American music main entry cards (54I-55J) and 1 drawer foreign music main entry cards (56A) were scanned to PDF and OCRed. RBML staff put in an enormous effort to clean the data into over 100 individual pipe-delimited text files, which were then converted into Excel spreadsheets. These spreadsheets were further refined and ingested into ArchivesSpace. Abigail Edwards (CC '26) played a large role in reviewing the description and the Series I boxes and preparing them for ArchivesSpace publication.

Note that the original cataloging included extensive cross-reference cards for pieces with multiple authors. An effort was made to exclude these from the electronic finding aid, but if a patron requests a piece of music with multiple authors and the folder appears to be missing, please check the box for the other author(s).

Acquisition information:

Source of acquisition--Berol, Alfred C. and Madeleine. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1964. Accession number--M-1964.

Gift of Mr and Mrs Alfred C. and Madeleine Berol, 1966.

Series II.2 (Chinese sheet music) purchased in 1992.

Gift of Marjorie Boyer, 1991

Arrangement:

A card index for series I and II, listing each individual title with item-specific information such as condition or inscriptions, is available in the RBML.

Related material:

For related scores, books, and bound volumes, see the CLIO records for the Hunt-Berol Book Collection.

RBML also holds the Arthur Billings Hunt Papers.

The Ephrata Cloister manuscript collection, 1747-early 1800s, which includes music manuscripts, was also a gift of the Berols in the 1960s.

Rules or conventions:

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Access and use

Restrictions:

Several item titles in this collection contain language commonly used in the 19th century that is today considered offensive or harmful, in particular but not limited to expressions of racism. The cover illustration and lyrics likewise contain a range of offensive images and language. While any archival description may include such language, mass medium 19th-century popular sheet music includes a particular concentration of such material.

Series I and II of this collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection