Douglas Moore papers, 1883-2018, bulk 1907-1969

Summary Information

Abstract

Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) was an American composer, educator, and author. His best known works include the operas The Devil and Daniel Webster (1937-1939), The Ballad of Baby Doe (1953-1956), and Giants in the Earth (1949-1950), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951. The papers include clippings, correspondence, course and lecture materials, librettos, photographs, programs, publicity materials, recordings, and scores.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into eleven series and several subseries.

• Series I: Cataloged Correspondence
• Series II: Arranged Correspondence, 1904-1971, undated
• Subseries II.1. Compositions, 1932-1969, undated
• Subseries II.2. Family Correspondence, 1904-1969, undated
• Subseries II.3. Individuals with Cataloged Correspondence in Series I, 1914-1968, undated
• Subseries II.4. Organizations, 1914-1971, undated
• Subseries II.5. Columbia University, 1942-1962, undated
• Subseries II.6. Other Correspondence, 1915-1966, undated
• Series III. Course Materials, Lectures, and Talks, 1930-1960s, undated
• Series IV. Scores by Others, 1883-1952, undated
• Series V. Scores, Sketches, and Composition Plans, 1907-1974, undated
• Series VI. Clippings, Concert Programs, and Publicity Materials, 1913-2003, undated
• Series VI.1. Clippings, 1913-2000
• Series VI.2. Concert Programs, 1921-2003, undated
• Series VI.3. Other Publicity Materials, 1915, 1939-1968, undated
• Series VII. Recordings, 1944-1968
• Series VIII. Writings, 1925-1993, undated
• Suberies VIII.1. Librettos and Other Texts from Moore's Works, 1942-1968, undated
• Suberies VIII.2. Writings by Moore, 1925-1966
• Suberies VIII.3. Writings by Others, 1938-1993, undated
• Series IX. Personal and Biographical Materials, 1909-1997, undated
• Subseries IX.1: Alphabetical, 1909-1997
• Subseries IX.2: The Douglas Moore Fund, 1956, 2009, 2013-2016, 2018, bulk 2013-2016
• Series X. Family Materials, 1909-1950, undated
• Series XI. Lewis J. Hardee Gift, 1911-1975, undated
• Subseries XI.1. Concert Programs, 1966-1988
• Subseries XI.2. Recordings, circa 1957-1975
• Subseries XI.3. Scores, 1911-1915, 1938-1968, undated
• Subseries XI.4. Writings, 1932-1973, undated

Description

Scope and Content

Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) was an American composer, educator, and author. His best known works include the operas The Devil and Daniel Webster (1937-1939), The Ballad of Baby Doe (1953-1956), and Giants in the Earth (1949-1950), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951. The papers include clippings, correspondence, course and lecture materials, librettos, photographs, programs, production information, publicity materials, recordings, scores, and sketches.

The collection includes a wide range of materials documenting Moore's work as a composer. The collection includes manuscript scores, published scores, outlines, recordings, and sketches. These materials document Moore's compositions from his early work at Hotchkiss School and at Yale University, as well as his professional career. Moore also kept a register of all his compositions, arranged chronologically. The register includes the date of composition for each work, lists of all performances of which he was aware, and includes notes on recordings and publications. In addition, the collection includes clippings, correspondence, librettos, photographs, programs, publicity materials, and texts related to his works and to the performances of his works.

Moore's professional career at Columbia University and his work with professional organizations is also documented his papers. There is material relating to the curriculum and administration of Columbia University's Music Department, which Moore chaired from 1940-1962, as well as course binders and other lectures notes. There is also correspondence related to Moore's membership in the Century Club, the MacDowell Association, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and to his editorship of the Prentice Hall Music series.

There is also documentation of Moore's professional writing. The papers include articles, clippings, and manuscripts of articles, books, and reviews written by Moore.

The papers also include personal, biographical, and school materials. This collection includes appointment books, awards, biographical materials, diaries, holiday cards, photographs of Moore and of Moore's friends, school materials, memorabilia, and materials related to Moore's activities at Yale University and in the Navy. The material from Yale University includes photographs and programs documenting his activities with the Dramatic Association and the Elizabethan Club, as well as materials related to his friendship with poet Archibald MacLeish. The collection also includes articles, clippings, dissertations, and theses about Moore, as well as recorded interviews with Moore and some of his colleagues and friends.

The papers also include family materials. Moore's correspondence with his mother, Myra D. Moore, is particularly valuable due to its length and frequency. Moore habitually wrote to his mother every week, and their correspondence documents their activities over a large span of time (1906-1933). There is also a smaller amount of correspondence, as well as clippings, diaries, photographs, and other materials related to Moore's wife, Emily Moore, and other family members.

The papers include a small amount of material from other individuals. These items include inscribed books and scores, as well as articles and clippings about Moore written by others. In addition, Lewis J. Hardee, who wrote his master's thesis on Moore, donated his research material and original interviews to be included with the Moore Papers: these form Series XI of the papers.

• Series I: Cataloged Correspondence

  This series includes correspondence files for several prominent correspondents (Box 1), as well as the correspondence with Moore's mother, Myra D. Moore (Boxes 2-9). These materials were originally cataloged at the item level; catalog cards for individual persons/items can be found in the card catalog the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, but they are not available online.

  Much of the correspondence in Series I is between Moore and his mother, Myra D. Moore. This correspondence, which spanned a 27 year period from the fall of 1906 to late 1933 represents perhaps the most comprehensive record of Moore's life, for it was his habit to write to his mother every Sunday, a ritual to which he was remarkably faithful. The various stages of Moore's life are apparent in his letters: his first experience away from home at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, his undergraduate years at Yale, time spent in a Maritime Academy in Maryland, his service in the Navy during the First World War, his tenure as Musical Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, further travels in Europe, his position in the Music Department of Columbia University (1926-1962). The letters also follow the course of Myra Moore's life, where she lived in Brooklyn, Long Island, and finally Orange County California.

  Correspondence added to the collection at Columbia University after 1991 was not cataloged at this level. Additional correspondence for individuals named in Series I can be found in Subseries II.3.

• Series II: Arranged Correspondence, 1904-1971, undated

  This series contains correspondence that was arranged in folders, but not cataloged at the item-level (cataloged correspondence is in Series I).

  There is material relating to the curriculum and administration of Columbia's Music Department, which Moore chaired from 1940-1962, in this series and in Series III. Correspondence related to Moore's membership in the Century Club, the MacDowell Association, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and correspondence concerning his editorship of the Prentice Hall Music Series is also included in this series.

• Series III. Course Materials, Lectures, and Talks, 1930-1960s, undated

  This series contains course binders and materials used in courses that Moore taught at Columbia University, as well as general lectures notes.

• Series IV. Scores by Others, 1883-1952, undated

  This series contains scores by composers other than Moore. Some printed scores and a few books were written, inscribed, and signed by fellow composers such as Ernest Bloch, Vincent D'Indy, and Roger Sessions; most of these items in in Boxes 22-23.

• Series V. Scores, Sketches, and Composition Plans, 1907-1974, undated

  This series contains manuscript scores, published scores, sketches, and composition plans for Moore's musical works.

  Moore also kept a register of his compositions. This register, in Box 103, is arranged chronologically. It includes the date of composition for each work, lists of all performances of which he was aware, and has notes on recordings and publications.

  Librettos and related materials are filed in Subseries VIII.1.

• Series VI. Clippings, Concert Programs, and Publicity Materials, 1913-2003, undated

• Series VII. Recordings, 1944-1968

  This series contains primarily audio recordings of performances of Moore's works. The collection also includes a film recording of Gallantry, as broadcast on CBS (1962) and audio recordings from radio interviews and appearances.

  Additional recordings can be found in Series XI.

• Series VIII. Writings, 1925-1993, undated

  This series contains writings by Moore and others, as well as librettos and other texts related to Moore's works.

  Additional writings can be found in Series XI.

• Series IX. Personal and Biographical Materials, 1909-1997, undated

  This series includes appointment books, awards, biographical materials, diaries, holiday cards, photographs of Moore and of Moore's friends, school materials, memorabilia, and material related to Moore's activities at Yale University and in the Navy.

• Series X. Family Materials, 1909-1950, undated

  This series contains clippings, diaries, photographs, and other materials related to Moore's wife, Emily Moore, and other family members.

  Family correspondence is filed in Series I and Series II.

• Series XI. Lewis J. Hardee Gift, 1911-1975, undated

  Lewis J. Hardee wrote his thesis, "The Musical Theatre of Douglas Moore" (1971) on Moore and donated books, interviews, recordings, scores, and other materials related to Moore that he created and used during his thesis research.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

The following boxes are located off-site: Boxes 43-58, 64-105, 107-108, 113-115. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Some unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized. Email rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Box 83 is currently restricted, as the materials require conservation treatment.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Permission from the Moore family is required to make photocopies or other copies of musical scores. Otherwise, single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Douglas Moore papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Selected Related Material-- at Columbia

Jack Beeson Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

John Latouche Papers, Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Annie Laurie Williams Records, Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Recordings of Moore's compositions exist in various RBML collections, and many have been digitized. The recordings can be found in the Digital Libraries Collection website by searching Douglas Moore.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Ownership and Custodial History

Gift of Mrs Douglas Moore & family, 1971 & 1973.

Gift of Mrs Bradford Kelleher & Miss Sarah Moore, 1980, 1987 & 1991.

Gift of Sarah Moore and Mary Moore Kelleher December, 1993.

Gift of Mary Moore Kelleher 1995-1996.

Addition to gift of Mary Moore Kelleher July, 1997.

Gift of Jack Beeson March, 2004.

Gift of Mary Moore Kelleher, delivered by Jack Beeson August, 2005.

Gift of Lewis J. Hardee July, 2007.

Gift of Darby Moore, March 2010.

Purchase from Lubrano Music Antiquarians, May 2010.

Gift of Darby Moore, August 2015.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Papers: Source of acquisition--Moore, Mrs. Douglas and family, etc. Method of acquisition--Gift.

1991 Addition: Date of acquisition--03/07/91. Accession number--M-07-03-91.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers Entered in AMC 11/06/90

1991 Addition Updated 02/07/92 MK

Several accessions of the collection were processed by staff (BRC, RL, JI-W, and MK) between 1972 and 1991. Additional accessions received between 1993 and 2015 were processed during 2016-2017 by Orit Hilewicz (GSAS 2017). Finding Aid written by Orit Hilewicz (GSAS 2017) and Catherine C. Ricciardi, incorporating existing description, in 2017.

Additional material was processed into boxes 113-115 by Callum Blackmore (GSAS) in September 2023.

This material processed from 1972-1991 is in Boxes 1-42, and Flat Boxes 332-336 and 754. Although the finding aid was rewritten during 2017, this material was not re-arranged or moved in any way.

Revision Description

2010-02-17 Legacy finding aid created from Pro Cite.

2017-09-28 XML document instance created by Catherine C. Ricciardi.

2019-04-12 XML document instance updated by Catherine C. Ricciardi with information in digitized items in Box 83.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical Note

Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) was an American composer, educator, and author. His best known works include the operas The Devil and Daniel Webster (1937-1939), The Ballad of Baby Doe (1953-1956), and Giants in the Earth (1949-1950), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1951.

Moore studied at Yale University (B.A., 1915, B. Music, 1917) with D.S. Smith and Horatio Parker. He composed several songs at Yale, including the fight song "Goodnight, Harvard." After he left Yale, Moore served in the Navy as a lieutenant during World War I. After his discharge, Moore studied music in Paris with Vincent d'Indy, and later studied with Nadia Boulanger and Charles Tournemire. In 1921, Moore became Director of Music and organist at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and also studied with Ernest Bloch. From 1923-1925, he served as organist at Adelbert College, Western Reserve University. And in 1925, Moore won a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, and spent a year in Europe.

Moore joined the faculty at Columbia University as Professor of Composition in 1926. He remained at Columbia until his retirement in 1962, also serving as Chair of the Music Department from 1940-1962.

Moore published two books, Listening to Music (1932) and From Madrigal to Modern Music (1942).

Moore was also a prominent spokesman for composers and musicians in the United States. He became active in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and served as Director from 1957-1960. He was elected as a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1941, and later served as vice president and president. Moore's diverse positions, including the Secretary of the Alice M. Ditson Fund, allowed him to help numerous European musicians escape to the United States during World War II. For example, Moore arranged a stipend from the Ditson Fund for composer Bela Bartok to transcribe the folk songs in his collection. Moore established the Columbia Opera Workshop through the Ditson Fund, as well as an annual festival of contemporary music at Columbia University.