The Papers of Louis Thurston Nicholas, which cover the years 1920-1995, consist of 40 cubic feet of material and are concerned with Nicholas's personal and professional life. Major series in the papers include Personal and Professional Correspondence, The Tennessean - Music Editor and Critic, Thor Johnson: American Conductor, Personal and Biographical Material, National Association of Teachers of Singing, George Peabody College Summer Concert Series, Musical and Academic Career, and Collection of Programs.
The Personal Correspondence series forms a major component of the collection. It includes letters both to and from Nicholas's wife, Sarah Lacey Nicholas, and correspondence from their three sons, David, Joel, and Kevin. Also included in the family correspondence are letters from his father, sisters, and brothers, among many other relatives. Correspondence from friends includes letters from people from all areas and eras of Nicholas's life, including schools where he taught and attended and the many churches where he was involved, usually as music director. Letters as well as Christmas cards, birth and graduation announcements, thank-you notes, get well cards, sympathy cards, and wedding invitations all comprise the Personal Correspondence.
Letters from music colleagues make up the major part of the Professional Correspondence. Colleagues include music pupils of Louis Nicholas as well as fellow music teachers and music critics. Clare Elby and Edyth Walker are two of Nicholas's teachers whose correspondence may be found in this series. There are also letters from many musicians: vocalists, choir members, organists, pianists, harpsichordists, violinists, conductors, and composers. Finally, in this group are contained many letters requesting information about the study of music, performances, and advice about musical matters.
The papers comprising the series The Tennessean - Music Editor and Critic document Louis Nicholas's career as a music critic. The complete run of Nicholas's reviews of performances and books on the subject of music can be found in this series, along with his columns "The Music Scene" and "Sampling Records." Incidental writings in this series include announcements, essays, and interviews. Extensive correspondence on Nicholas's reviewing activities may also be found in this part of the papers.
Louis Nicholas's biography of Thor Johnson is represented by drafts of the book and correspondence about its progress and publication. Also included is a small amount of research conducted in the writing of the book.
The Personal and Biographical Material contains a variety of documentation of Louis Nicholas's personal and professional life. Prominent in the series are the scrapbooks, covering the years from 1930 to 1985 and consisting of clippings, programs, bulletins, announcements, publicity, and many other types of ephemera regarding the activities of Nicholas and his family.
The records of the National Association of Teachers of Singing are extensive, containing organizational records, board minutes, budget information, annual meeting records, annual reports, administrative correspondence, and a substantial amount of correspondence with Nicholas's colleagues in the organization.
Louis Nicholas's widely varied professional activities are recorded in the series George Peabody College Summer Concert Series and Musical and Academic Career. The Summer Concert Series consists mainly of correspondence, both outgoing and incoming, making arrangements for performances for the summer concerts. The Musical and Academic Career is a varied collection of correspondence with colleagues at Peabody College and Vanderbilt University, notebooks on music and people, records from Nicholas's years at North Texas State Teachers College and Southwestern at Memphis, and a small amount of records on the Music Critics Association.
The Collection of Programs at the end of the papers is an extraordinary assemblage covering over a century of concerts, recitals, and performances of every kind. Beginning with the voluminous programs of student concerts at Peabody College, the collection continues through recitals and concerts at other institutions. Next there are several categories of recitals separated by type: vocal recitals, choral concerts, organ recitals, piano recitals, violin recitals, chamber music, joint recitals, orchestral concerts, band concerts, musicals, and operas. Also included are several historical program collections, including those for the Chicago Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera.
Any attempt to impose arrangement on a collection that so thoroughly documents the life of an individual will seem somewhat arbitrary because of the integrated and interdependent nature of the papers. Fortunately for the archivist, Nicholas's own organization of his papers was clear and logical; every effort has been made to maintain the vital original order.
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