William A. Speck collection of Goetheana : music
Scope and Contents
The acquisition of the manuscript score of Mendelssohn's song Suleika (Op. 57, no. 3) (folder 10), a setting of a poem from Goethe's West-östlicher Divan, illustrates William Speck's often ingenious methods of pursuing Goethe materials around the world. The Mendelssohn score, as well as a number of important Goethe autographs, was acquired around 1920 from the Chicago banker and collector Oliver R. Barrett. Speck learned that Barrett had an interest in presidential autographs, and since Speck had a fairly easy source of such documents in the person of William Howard Taft, whose tenure at the Yale Law School coincided with Speck's early years as library curator, several exchanges were made: Goethe-related manuscripts for letters Taft had received from his successor, Teddy Roosevelt.
Additions are still being made to the Speck collection of music manuscripts, as opportunity allows. Recent acquisitions, 1997-2010, include manuscript scores for Carl Baermann, "An Lina. Gedicht von Goethe," Albert Moeschinger, "Katzenpastete," and Johann Gottlieb Naumann, "Auf den Auen wandlen wir."
Dates
- 1785-1937
Creator
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928 (Collector)
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Extent
0.58 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
German
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
WILLIAM A SPECK and THE WILLIAM A. SPECK COLLECTION OF GOETHEANA
The manuscript scores listed here are complemented in the Speck Collection by printed scores and librettos gathered on similar principles: music using texts by Goethe or inspired by his works. First editions of songs by Schubert and a copy of the "Leipziger Liederbuch," a collection of songs published by Breitkopf in 1770 and said to contain the first appearance in print of a poem by Goethe, are highpoints of this part of the Speck Collection.
Processing Information
- Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 (Egmont)
- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 -- Songs and music
- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 (Egmont)
- Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886
- Loewe, Carl, 1796-1869
- Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847
- Reichardt, Johann Friedrich, 1752-1814
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928
- Spohr, Louis, 1784-1859
- Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883
- Zelter, Carl Friedrich, 1758-1832
Creator
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928 (Collector)
- Title
- Guide to the William A. Speck Collection of Goetheana: Music
- Author
- by Beinecke Staff
- Date
- September 1997
- Description rules
- Beinecke Manuscript Unit Archival Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.