ma71 William P. Bigelow (AC 1889) Papers, 1867-1941 Finding aid prepared by Graham Leach-Krouse, Peter Nelson. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Amherst College Archives and Special Collections

Amherst, MA

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Sarang Gopalakrishnan. 2003-12-03 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 ma71 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Amherst College Archives and Special Collections William P. Bigelow (AC 1889) Papers, 1867-1941 Processed: June 11, 2003 By: Graham Leach-Krouse, Student Encoding Assistant Finding Aid: 2003 June Prepared by: Graham Leach-Krouse, Student Encoding Assistant Edited by: Peter A. Nelson, Assistant Archivist Prepared for Web: 2003 June By: Graham Leach-Krouse 05, Student Encoding Assistant Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Bigelow, William P. William P. Bigelow Papers 1867-1941 1 records storage box (1 linear ft.) Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Professor of Music at Amherst. Letters, postcards, photographs, drawings, sheet music, certificates, receipts, passports, manuscripts, music programs, and other materials documenting the professional and personal life of Professor Bigelow and his wife Jane Ball Bigelow. English. Biographical Note

William P. Bigelow, Professor of Music at Amherst College, was a lifetime native of Amherst. Born in 1867, he attended Amherst High School and then Amherst College, graduating in 1889. He showed early musical talent as first tenor in Amherst's Glee Club, and continued to study music from 1889 to 1890 in Worcester under Edward L. Summer and Ivan Morkowski; from 1890 to 1894 in Berlin and Düsseldorf; and in 1898 in Paris and London, eventually learning under Stockhausen, Rest, Hriglia, and Buths. Between 1894 and 1898 he returned to Amherst College and was hired as an instructor; in 1901 he became associate professor and in 1906 a full professor. Returning to Berlin in 1908, he met his soon to be wife, Jane Ball. They were married September 7th, 1909, in Amherst. Their first child, Mary, was born in 1910, and a second daughter Ruth followed in 1912. Among Professor Bigelow's published works are Amherst College Songs, which he compiled and edited in1926. The Bigelow family resided at 2 Orchard Street until 1935. William P. Bigelow died in 1941.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Letters, postcards, photographs, drawings, sheet music, certificates, receipts, passports, manuscripts, a translation, music programs, posters, speeches, essays, poems, and other materials documenting the professional and personal life of Professor William P. Bigelow and his wife Jane Ball Bigelow. The papers include extensive correspondence between Bigelow and his family, members of the Amherst college faculty, and various admirers, as well as partial memoirs. Letters and papers addressed to the department and administration have some significance, as do some financial and legal records. Correspondents include Mrs. D. D. Eisen, Horace Hewlett, George R. Stewart (manager of the Boston Festival Orchestra), Professor C.K. Adams, Frank Chapman Sharp (AC 1987), Amherst Professor of Latin and Greek Levi Elwell, Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Arthur Curtis James (AC 1889).

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into five series:

1. WRITINGS, ca. 1886-1936 2. LEGAL DOCUMENTS, 1891-1933 3. IMAGES, ca. 1885-1941 4. CORRESPONDENCE, 1891-1939 5. MISCELLANEOUS, 1887-1941 Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

There is no restriction on access to the William P. Bigelow Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.

Requests for permission to publish material from William P. Bigelow Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

[Identification of item], in William P. Bigelow Papers [Box #, Folder #], Amherst College Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library

History of the Collection Processed: June 11, 2003 By: Graham Leach-Krouse, Student Encoding Assistant Finding Aid: 2003 June Prepared by: Graham Leach-Krouse, Student Encoding Assistant Edited by: Peter A. Nelson, Assistant Archivist Prepared for Web: 2003 June By: Graham Leach-Krouse 05, Student Encoding Assistant Search Terms Bigelow, William P. (William Pingry), b. 1867. Bigelow, Jane Ball. Amherst College--Faculty. Music--Instruction and study--Massachusetts--Amherst. Bigelow, Jane Ball. Elwell, Levi Henry, 1854-1916. Amherst College. Class of 1889. Bigelow. Additional Information Series 1: WRITINGS, ca. 1886-1936

Series 1, WRITINGS, ca. 1886-1936, contains manuscripts, speeches, essays, songs, poems and departmental papers written by William P. Bigelow during his lifetime. His speeches and essays revolve mainly around the life of a teacher, and the nature of proper education. Two musical works, "Amherst Songs" and "Oh Bill Bryan," are included. The various poems relate primarily to family life, and the preserved early works, a high school paper, and his master's thesis, are on Bassino from the Merchant of Venice, and the relation of Parsifal to the moral character of Wagner, respectively. The departmental papers are primarily financial records.

1 1 Speeches and writings 1921-1922 1 2 Speeches and writings 1936 1 3 Speeches and writings n.d. 1 4 "Amherst Songs" - notes and fragments ca. 1926 1 5 "Oh Bill Bryan" - sheet music ca. 1914 1 6 Poems 1917-1936 1 7 "Character of Bassino" - high school essay n.d. 1 8 "The Parsifal of Richard Wagner, Its Meaning and Relation to his Life and Character" - M.A. Thesis 1898 1 9 "Art of Conducting" - translation n.d. 1 10 "Early Days at Amherst" - memoir, partial manuscript n.d. 1 11 Amherst College Music Department documents (bulk 1919) ca.1919-1932 Series 2: LEGAL DOCUMENTS, ca. 1891-1933

Series 2, LEGAL DOCUMENTS, 1891-1933, contains passports, an identity card, a business card stamp, certificates, a copyright, receipts, checks, and financial correspondence. Passports are for William P. Bigelow, Jane Bigelow, and Mary Bigelow. The certificates signify marriage, residency, freemasonry, and membership in the American Defense Society. The copyright is for the song "Oh Bill Bryan," which Bigelow composed ca. 1914.

1 12 Identification 1921-1933 1 13 Certificates 1917-1923 1 14 Copyright for "Oh Bill Bryan" 1914 1 15 Finance 1891-1919 Series 3: IMAGES, ca. 1885-1941

Series 3, IMAGES, ca.1885-1941, contains drawings, as well as loose, mounted, and framed photographs, photocopies, and one photograph album. Extensive portraiture of William P. Bigelow ranges over nearly his entire lifetime. Pictures of Mary and Jane, and miscellaneous images of vacations and the Orchard Street residence are included as well.

1 16 Early portrait photographs of William P. Bigelow ca. 1885-1900 1 17 Later portraits - photographs, photocopies, drawings ca. 1900-1941 1 18 Family - photograph, mounted photograph, photo album 1912-1937 1 19 Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow - two framed photographs n.d. 1 20 Assorted - photographs, mounted photos n.d. Series 4: CORRESPONDENCE, 1891-1939

Series 4, CORRESPONDENCE, 1891-1939, contains letters and postcards. The letters deal primarily with William P. Bigelow's personal and performing life, with some communications to the administration and music department of the time, giving evidence of his professional world as well. A few letters belonging to Jane Bigelow are included also.

1 21 Incoming correspondence (1 letter) 1899 1 22 Incoming correspondence (4 letters) 1901-1904 1 23 Incoming correspondence (4 letters) 1905-1909 1 24 Incoming correspondence (7 letters) 1912-1915 1 25 Incoming correspondence (2 letters) 1916-1918 1 26 Incoming correspondence (15 letters, 1 telegram) 1919-1923 1 27 Incoming correspondence (13 letters, 1 telegram) 1924-1925 1 28 Incoming correspondence (11 letters) 1926-1929 1 29 Incoming correspondence (7 letters) 1931-1932 1 30 Incoming correspondence (18 letters, 1 telegram) 1933-1935 1 31 Incoming correspondence (3 letters) 1936-1937 1 32 Incoming correspondence (7 letters, x-reference to Arthur Curtis James) n.d. 1 33 Levi Elwell Correspondence (4 letters, 2 post cards) 1908 1 34 Levi Elwell Correspondence (7 letters) 1909 1 35 Levi Elwell Correspondence (1 letter, 4 post cards) 1910 1 36 Levi Elwell Correspondence (11 letters) n.d. 1 37 Outgoing correspondence, Berlin (23 letters) 1891 1 38 Outgoing correspondence, Berlin (26 letters 1892 1 39 Outgoing correspondence (7 letters, 1 post card) 1910-1932 1 40 Music departmental correspondence (36 letters, 2 post cards) 1910-1920 1 41 Music departmental correspondence (14 letters, 1 catalog) 1921-1939 1 42 Music departmental correspondence (7 letters, 1 catalog) n.d. 1 43 Business correspondence - administration (8 letters) 1919-1922 1 44 Business correspondence - administration (3 letters) 1923-1926 1 45 Business correspondence - administration (4 letters) n.d. 1 46 Business correspondence - job offers (11 letters) [bulk 1895-1899] 1895-1936 1 47 Assorted correspondence - holidays (7 letters, 13 post cards) n.d. 1 48 Mrs. Bigelow's correspondence (4 letters) 1956-1961 Series 5: MISCELLANEOUS, 1887-1941

Series 5, MISCELLANEOUS, 1887-1941, contains posters, postcards, announcements and programs. These assorted materials relate to various performances of William P. Bigelow, most notably Amherst's colorful "Old Heidelberg" night. A few other items come from European travel between 1898 and 1922.

1 49 Musical 1887-1941 1 50 "Old Heidelberg Night," Amherst College 1933-1935 1 51 Travel 1898-1922