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H. Lawrence Freeman papers, 1870-1982, 2015, bulk 1890-1954

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Series I: Musical Scores, 1893-1950, undated

The bulk of the H. Lawrence Freeman Papers consists of his musical scores, including many manuscripts in his own handwriting.

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Subseries I.1: Manuscript Scores by H. Lawrence Freeman, 1893-1950

The heart of the collection, this series, contains Freeman's original manuscript scores, including full scores, piano-vocal reductions, and orchestral parts in Freeman's hand. Twenty-one operas are represented, along with songs, cantatas, a "symphonic poem," and a short ballet. For some operas, many drafts are present, from initial pencil piano-vocal sketches to beautifully bound ink copies of the full score. Freeman seems to have done almost all of his copying himself, leaving a wealth of autograph scores. Operas are organized alphabetically by title, with all drafts and parts of one work together in roughly chronological sequence.

African Kraal


Box 1 Folder 1 Piano-vocal score, 1937

Box 1 Folder 2 Piano-vocal score, undated, ink

Box 1 Folder 3 Role of Cuella, undated

Box 1 Folder 4 American Romance--piano-vocal score, 1924-1929


Box 2 American Romance--full score, date


Box 3 Athalia

Box 3 Athalia--piano-vocal score, 1916, ink


Box 4 Athalia--full score, 1917


Box 5 Folder 1 Athalia--Acts II and III--piano-vocal score,, 1916, pencil

Box 5 Folder 2 Battle of the Gods--piano-vocal score,, 1938

Cycle of Zululand (4 Operas)


Box 6 Chaka--piano-vocal score, 1917-1941


Box 7 Chaka--full score, 1949 (incomplete), 1949


Box 8 Ghost-Wolves--piano-vocal score, 1941


Box 9 The Stone Witch--piano-vocal score,, 1941-1942


Box 10 Umslopogaas and Nada--piano-vocal score,, 1942-1943


Box 5 Folder 3 Dark Canyon--piano-vocal score, 1948-1950

Box 5 Folder 4 "Deep River"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 5 Folder 5 "Faith"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 5 Folder 6 "Go Down, Moses"--piano-vocal score, undated (incomplete), undated

Box 5 Folder 7 "If You But Loved Me"--parts for Bass and Cornet, undated

Box 5 Folder 8 "Jesus, Lover of My Soul"--piano-vocal score, undated


Box 11 Folder 1 Jezebel--piano-vocal score, 1944 (incomplete), 1944

Box 11 Folder 2 "Jungle Birds"--orchestral parts, undated (from "O Sing a New Song), undated

Box 11 Folder 3 "Kentucky Home"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 11 Folder 4 "Kiss Me"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 11 Folder 5 Leah Kleschna--piano-vocal score, 1930 (unbound), 1930


Box 12 Leah Kleschna--Act I--piano-vocal score,, 1930


Box 13 Leah Kleschna--Act II--piano-vocal score,, 1930


Box 14 Leah Kleschna--Act III--piano-vocal score,, 1930


Box 11 Folder 6 "Like a Rose"--piano-vocal score, undated


Box 15 Folder 1 "Lion Hunt"--full score, undated, unbound


Box 16 Folder 1 "Lion Hunt"--orchestral parts, undated

Box 16 Folder 2 "The Loves of Pompeii"--piano-vocal score, undated (song cycle), undated

Box 16 Folder 3 "Minstrels of the Past"--piano-vocal score, undated (scene 1), undated

Box 16 Folder 4 "Negro Lullaby"--piano-vocal score, undated

The Martyr


Box 17 Piano-vocal score, undated, pencil


Box 18 Piano-vocal score, 1893, ink


Box 19 Full score, undated


Box 20 Folder 1 to 3 Orchestral parts, undated, (three Folders)

Box 20 Folder 4 Role of "Pharoh,", undated

Box 20 Folder 5 Role of "Rei,", undated


Box 21 Folder 1 "My Son"--piano-vocal score, undated (cantata), undated


Box 22 The Octoroon--piano-vocal score, 1902

In pencil


Box 23 The Octoroon--full score, 1908

In pencil


Box 24 The Octoroon--piano-vocal score, 1904

In pen


Box 33 The Octoroon--Orchestral Prelude, undated

Contains: The Octoroon, Orchestral Prelude, pp. 1-16, full score, pen; The Octoroon, Prelude, pp. 3-18, and Prologue, pp. 19-21, full score, pen (where he stopped copying in pen from his pencil full score); The Octoroon, pp. 69-72 and pp. 87-94, full score, pen


Box 16 Folder 5 "The Octoroon's Farewell," undated (song), undated

Box 16 Folder 6 "O Sing a New Song"--piano-vocal score, 1934 (fragments), 1934

Box 16 Folder 7 "Parted"--piano-vocal score, undated (on back "My African Maid"), undated

Box 16 Folder 8 Plantation--piano-vocal score, undated (incomplete), undated

Box 16 Folder 9 The Prophecy--piano-vocal score, undated (incomplete), undated, pencil

Box 16 Folder 10 The Prophecy--piano-vocal score, undated, ink

Box 16 Folder 11 "Salome"--ballet with chorus--piano-vocal score, 1934


Box 26 Folder 1 "The Slave"--piano reduction, 1919 (symphonic poem), 1919, pencil

Box 26 Folder 2 "The Slave"--piano reduction, 1919, ink

Box 26 Folder 3 "The Slave"--orchestral parts, undated

Box 26 Folder 4 "Sometime"--Violin I part, undated

Box 26 Folder 5 "Steal Away"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 26 Folder 6 "Swing Low"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 26 Folder 7 "Tribulation"--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 26 Folder 8 The Tryst--piano-vocal score, undated

Box 26 Folder 9 The Tryst--orchestral parts, undated


Box 27 Folder 1 Unidentified Score Fragments, undated

Box 27 Folder 2 Uzziah--piano-vocal score, 1931-1933


Box 25 Uzziah--piano-vocal score, 1931-1933, bound


Box 63 Valdo--full score, 1895


Box 64 Valdo--full score, 1936


Box 30 Folder 1 Vendetta--piano-vocal score, undated


Box 28 Vendetta--piano-vocal score, 1928, bound by Acts


Box 29 Vendetta--full score, 1923


Box 30 Folder 2 Vendetta--orchestral parts, undated

Box 30 Folder 3 Voodoo--piano-vocal score, 1912


Box 31 Voodoo--piano-vocal score, undated, bound by Acts


Box 32 Voodoo--full score, circa, 1930


Box 30 Folder 5 The Wolf--piano-vocal score, undated, pencil


Box 21 Folder 4 The Wolf--piano-vocal score, undated


Box 15 Folder 2 "Zulu King: Witch Hunt"--full score, 1939, unbound

Subseries I.2: Other Scores, 1894-1942, undated

This subseries includes photocopies of three of Freeman's manuscript scores: "The Slaying of the Lion,"Voodoo(Act III only), and "Zulu King (Witch Hunt)." It also houses all published scores by Freeman present in the collection. Most of the published scores are originals, but some are in photocopy form. All scores in this subseries are songs, not operas or symphonic works, and many are arrangements of well-known spirituals. Two of the earliest published songs (1896-1897, with only photocopies extant) were also published by a "Harry Freeman" in Chicago – they may have been self-published, or the name may be a coincidence. Two songs from 1925 were published by Valdo Freeman. The songs are arranged chronologically by publication date. Also included are printed scores by other composers. Selections range from Brahms to arrangements of spirituals; the bulk are early-twentieth-century songs by African-American composers such as T.H. Burleigh, W.C. Handy and Noble Sissle. They are arranged alphabetically by the composer's last name.

Copies of Manuscript Scores by H. Lawrence Freeman


Box 34 Folder 1 "The Slaying of the Lion,", undated


Box 35 Folder 1 Unidentified score copy, undated


Box 34 Folder 2 "Voodoo, Act III,", undated


Box 35 Folder 2 "Yazoo River,", undated


Box 34 Folder 3 "Zulu King,", undated

Printed Scores, 1894-1943


Box 35 Folder 3 By H. Lawrence Freeman, 1894-1935

Box 35 Folder 4 to 5 By Other Composers,1905-1943, (2 Folders)