Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Series List
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Carpenter, Clinton A., 1921-2005 |
| Title: | Clinton A. Carpenter Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1923–1997 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1951–1997 |
| Quantity: | 4.5 cubic feet (9 boxes) |
| Abstract: | The papers of Clinton A. Carpenter center on his work as a composer, specifically his interpretation of Gustav Mahler's 10th Symphony. The materials include correspondence, subject files, musical scores, typescripts, Mahler-related newsletters and publications, photographic prints, press clippings, and one audio recording. |
Biographical Note
Clinton A. Carpenter (1921 – 2005) was the first American composer to complete Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony. A Chicago native, Carpenter was employed as an insurance underwriter, with a life-long commitment to studying the works of Gustav Mahler, in particular, Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony. Carpenter attended Eastman School of Music after returning from the Army at the close of World War II, and received his degree from Eastman in 1947. Carpenter initially completed his composition of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony in 1949. By the early 1950s, as an exercise in further studying Mahler’s orchestration, Carpenter attempted to reconstruct the orchestral version of the symphony from his own studies on the piano. Carpenter later went on to compare his own orchestral page with the Mahler score to identify differences. Later versions of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony edited by Carpenter were completed in 1952, 1954, 1955 and 1957. Carpenter finished his interpretation of the symphony in 1966. In 1983, the Carpenter composition received its world premiere in Chicago, performed by the Chicago Civic Orchestra.
TopScope and Content Note
The papers of Clinton A. Carpenter center on his work as a composer, specifically his interpretation of Gustav Mahler's 10th Symphony. The materials include correspondence, subject files, musical scores, typescripts, Mahler-related newsletters and publications, photographic prints, press clippings, and one audio recording.
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Subject Headings
Names:
- Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911
Subjects:
- Symphonies--Scores
Document Types:
- Scores (documents for music)
Titles:
- Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. Symphonies, no. 10
VCL Categories
- Music
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Clinton A. Carpenter Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Processed by Janine St. Germain, 2016.
Acquisition Information
Transferred from the Vassar College Music Library in 2010.
Series List
Series 1. Subject Files, 1956-1997 (Boxes 1 and 3) | |
|---|---|
| Subject files include Carpenter’s extensive documentation of his studies of Mahler’s methodologies, including typescript notations regarding Mahler’s Timing and Keys. Subject files include notes regarding Mahler’s temperament, the literature he read, a timeline of the composer’s life, studies of his handwriting, and terms used by the composer. Typed notes include Carpenter’s comparisons between Mahler and his contemporaries, with lists of performances arranged by date and musical style, including the number of performances executed during each composer’s lifetime. |
Series 2. Musical Scores, 1965-1966, undated (Boxes 1 and 4-8) | |
|---|---|
| Musical scores include extensive performance notes, for both the conductor and musicians, following the first performance of Carpenter’s interpretation of Mahler’s 10th Symphony in 1983. Scores include, Carpenter’s own rendering of the composition, in two volumes, with notations, as well as the Paul Zsolnay publication of Mahler’s Tenth, which was Carpenter’s first introduction to the composition. |
Series 3. Typescripts, 1969-1988 (Box 1) | |
|---|---|
| Typescripts include articles written by Carpenter on Wheeler’s interpretations of the 10th symphony, and also includes Carpenter’s bio. |
Series 4. Printed Material, 1923-1995 (Boxes 1-3) | |
|---|---|
| Printed material includes a run (1956 – 1995) of the International Gustav Mahler Society Newsletter, with Carpenter’s notations. |
Series 5. Correspondence, 1956-1999 (Box 3) | |
|---|---|
| Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence. |
Series 6. Miscellaneous, circa 1960, 1983 (Boxes 1 and 9) | |
|---|---|
| Includes a scrapbook of programs, pressclippings and photographs from the world premiere of Carpenter’s composition (Chicago, 1983) and audio recording of Mahler’s 10th Symphony by the British Broadcasting BBC Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), circa 1960. |
Container List
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
The papers of Clinton A. Carpenter center on his work as a composer, specifically his interpretation of Gustav Mahler's 10th Symphony. The materials include correspondence, subject files, musical scores, typescripts, Mahler-related newsletters and publications, photographic prints, press clippings, and one audio recording.
