Blacksburg Music Club Records

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Blacksburg Music Club Records, Ms1979-008, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
2.5 Cubic Feet 5 boxes
Abstract:
This collection contains records--including correspondence, minutes, programs, financial records, scrapbooks, rosters, and bylaws--of the Blacksburg Music Club, an organization founded to promote the study of music among its members and to stimulate local interest through regularly scheduled musical programs. Also it includes materials from the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Blacksburg Music Club Records, Ms1979-008, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains records of the Blacksburg Music Club, an organization founded to promote the study of music among its members and to stimulate local interest through regularly scheduled musical programs. The collection includes such materials as correspondence, minutes, programs, newsletters, reports, financial records, membership rosters, constitutions and bylaws, scrapbooks, and printed materials. Also included are materials issued by the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs, including communications, convention programs, and printed materials.

Biographical / historical:

A musical appreciation club had been founded in Blacksburg, Virginia as early as 1904. That club was succeeded by the Music and Dramatic Club, founded in 1912 and disbanded around 1928. The Blacksburg Music Club was organized on October 24, 1931, with a goal "to promote the study of musical art among its members and to stimulate the interest in and appreciation of good music in the community." The club soon thereafter became affiliated with the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs. Club meetings were held monthly from September through May, and programs were staged at various sites in the Blacksburg area and on the campus of Virginia Tech. The club worked closely with other local organizations, including the Blacksburg Concert Association, the Blacksburg Recorder Group, the VPI Glee Club, and the VPI Orchestra, and supported musical programs in local schools by donating money for two pianos, providing funds for special events, and donating the time of members for musical instruction. Perhaps the club's biggest accomplishment was the staging of two Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance in 1958 and 1959, respectively. Due to an aging membership and decline in interest, the Blacksburg Music Club disbanded in 1971.

Acquisition information:
The Blacksburg Music Club Records were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1979.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Blacksburg Music Club Records commenced and was completed in August 2012.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following three series, based on organizational hierarchy:

Series I. Blacksburg Virginia Music Club, 1907-1971. This series contains materials issued by or directly relating to the local club. Included are administrative correspondence, minutes, programs, newsletters and other communications, annual reports, financial records, club history and bylaws, membership rosters, yearbooks, scrapbooks, and printed material. Also included here is a single folder of materials issued by other southwestern Virginia organizations including the Blacksburg Recorder Society, the Blue Ridge Chamber Music Players, and the Pulaski Music Club.

Series II. Virginia Federation of Music Clubs, 1933-1971. Included in this series are materials relating to the state organization. A folder of materials from the federation's first district, to which the Blacksburg club belonged, consists largely of programs from annual conventions. The remainder of the series contains communications to local clubs and convention programs, as well as administrative and promotional materials

Series III. National Federation of Music Clubs, 1944-1971. This series includes materials received from the local club by the national organization. The series contains reports, circular letters, announcements and other communications; price lists for instructional materials sold by the federation; and printed materials consisting of promotional, instructional, and administrative materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard