Background:

The Center's collection documents the diversity of American music. We take as our starting point the European and African origins of American culture, selecting items which document the music of our national vernacular culture. From the 18th to early 20th century music was disseminated largely in printed form: sheet music, songsters, broadsides, instrumental instruction books and song anthologies. After 1920 recorded sound gained dominance. The Center's collection reflects this change in the commodification of music. 

The Center recognizes the interplay between musical styles in American culture by providing study-level collections in all genres. Rather than duplicating the collection depth in specialized archives, the Center strives to support local research needs in all genres while providing research-level collections in specific areas: rock & roll and its roots, the various forms of vernacular religious music, and music of Tennessee and the Southeast. 

The key element supporting the study of rock is a sound recordings collection strong in blues, rhythm and blues, early rock, mainstream rock from the 1960s to the present, and alternative rock. The Center also has extensive holdings of rock periodicals as well as biographical, historical and critical books. 

Research in vernacular religious music is supported through a collection of approximately 2600 scores, including southern gospel songbooks, 19th century oblong songbooks, New England hymnody, shape note music, Sunday school songs, Negro spirituals, African-American gospel and denominational hymnals. 

Our collection of southern gospel songbooks is thought to be the largest institutional collection held by a non-religious repository. The Center's sound recording collections is also deep in various African-American traditions, contemporary Christian music and southern gospel. In addition to commercial issues, the Center has approximately 100 hours of original field recordings of African-American religious music. 

The Center's collection of Tennessee and southeastern materials recognizes that Tennessee provides a marvelous laboratory in which to study popular music. Ragtime, jazz, blues, Anglo- and African-American folk music, country, gospel and rock have all flourished within Tennessee. 
The music business of Tennessee has long been an important segment of Tennessee's economy. In addition to Nashville, the cities of Memphis, Knoxville, Bristol, Chattanooga, Cleveland and Lawrenceburg have played significant roles in music publishing, broadcasting and recording. The Center's collection documents these business activities as well as musical ones. 

SHEET MUSIC AND BROADSIDE COLLECTION

Individual Collections:

Show music. The show collection includes approximately 5500 songs from musicals dating to 1853. The pieces are arranged by show title (Series) and song title.    To  search for songs from a specific show, use the Advanced Search and enter the show title in the Series field.

Motion picture music. The  Center holds approximately 1400 pieces of sheet music associated with origianl motion picture soundtracks.  The pieces are part of the general sheet music collection.  To identify pieces  of interest use the Advanced Search screen and enter the term "motion picture music" in the subject field.   You may also enter a specific motion picture title in the Series field.

American Song Broadsides. Also referred to simply as songsheets, this collection consists of approximately 4900 lyrics-only items. Most are from the 19th century, and are printed on inexpensive paper, with or without illustration. This category includes the Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection of American Song Broadsides, totalling approximately 3500 items. 

Newspaper music. This collection includes fragile newsprint editions of popular tunes. Most were published as supplements to newspapers during the 19th century. 

Confederate sheet music. This small collection of rare materials includes southern imprints from the Civil War era, most of which have a political or military theme. 

Sheet music volumes. In earlier days it was common for individuals to have collections of favorite sheet music custom bound. The Center holds more than 160 such volumes dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. 

All sheet music collections are shelved in closed stacks and may be accessed only by staff for use in the reading room. Researchers who are not able to visit the Center in person may make inquiries by telephone, letter or e-mail. Research assistance and photocopying services are available. Please see our fee schedule for information. 

RARE BOOKS

In addition to these older, rare song books, the Center has more than 1,000 contemporary scores and song books in the general collection. These items are cataloged on the MTSU campus library catalog, and are shelved in open shelves in the Center's reading room. 

Gospel song books. This group includes volumes published by private, rather than denominational, presses to be used in congregational singing services, rather than worship services. Notation may be conventional or shape note form. Most are thin volumes with paper covers. The Center's collection is believed to be the largest held by a non-religious repository. 

Hymnbooks.  This collection consists of books that were primarily intended to be used in conjunction with a formal church service, and is divided into Denominational Hymnals, which are associated with a particular religious sect, and Non-denominational.  Items date from the early 19th century to the present.

Sacred and Secular oblong song books.  This group is subdivided into sacred and secular examples, most from the 19th century. Many items are extremely rare. 

Sacred vocal scores. This collection  includes a wide range of vocal music, including anthems, music for choirs and other forms.

Secular vocal scores.  This collection is extremely broad.  Included are examples of l7th century British song books, minstrel items, hillbilly and cowboy tunes, and more.

Songsters and Text-only Hymnals. These small booklets, pocket-size or larger, contain lyrics of popular songs or hymns of the 19^th and 20^th centuries without music notation. Included in the songsters are topical or political songs, minstrel songs, collections associated with specific entertainers, and songsters published to advertise common products. The collections included more than 2000 items, most from the Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection of American Songsters. 

Instrumental music books. This group consists largely of 18th and 19th century method books and collections of tunes arranged for specific instruments.  Instruments represented include guitar, banjo, fiddle/violin, flute, accordion, harmonica, and various others.

School texts. Both singing school texts and volumes for regular school music instruction are included. 

Special collection songbooks must be retrieved by staff for use in the reading room. Researchers who are not able to visit the Center in person may make inquiries by telephone, letter or e-mail. Research assistance and photocopying services are available. Please see our fee schedule for information. 

SOUND RECORDINGS

Archival recordings available to researchers include a variety of historically significant materials: 

Instantaneous discs, which were the earliest home recording format, with recordings of arranger Ferde Grofé, John W. Work, III of Fisk University and fiddler Tommy Magness, among others. 

147 hours of oral history recordings, including the Cusic Collection of interviews with southern gospel composers, publishers and singers, and the Gayle Dean Wardlow Collection of interviews with Mississippi Delta African-American musicians. 

270 hours of taped lectures, performances and interviews, including lectures by music industry executives to students of the MTSU recording industry program, 21 hours of Alabama African-American religious singing, and 136 hours of tapes from Center programs, lectures, concerts and field work. 
 

MUSIC TRADE CATALOGS

READING ROOM COLLECTION

 When searching on VOYAGER you may use the "Limits" button to select items in the Center.  As with all Center materials, reading room materials do not circulate.

PERIODICALS

General Periodicals includes approximately 250 titles for which we hold a current subscription, plus recently discontinued titles. The database record for each title does not include information about holdings. To request information about specific issues of any title, please call the Center at (615) 898-2449 or e-mail us at ctrpopmu@mtsu.edu.

 
Secondary Serials includes more than 1200 titles. This is a very broad collection that ranges from 19th century music journals to current fanzines. Our holdings for most of these titles are scattered, with few titles exceeding 20 issues. Holdings information is included in the database record. 

Performance documents.

Archives: Manuscript Collection

Photographs.

Return to top