Special Collections
A large number of the collections in our possession relate to one person, most of whom had some connection to the Florida State University or its predecessor, the Florida State College for Women. Notable exceptions are the Allen Forte Theory Treatise Collection and the Ethan Allen Hitchcock Flute Music Collection.
Harold "Hal" Turner, Jr. (1930-2015) was a big band leader and jazz arranger. This collection contains over 330 jazz charts, principally written for 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 altos, tenor & baritone saxes, and four rhythm instruments.
Learn moreTheodore Newman (1933-1975) was an American composer active in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. This collection is composed of materials collected by the late Kathleen Ciambella, a FSU graduate student, for a thesis that as in progress at the time of her death.
Learn moreNathan Lupu (1906–2000) was an American composer who trained in Chicago from 1928-1935 with Danish-born composer and theorist Thorvald Otterström. The collection contains the original manuscripts of his 25 known compositions (written almost exclusively for solo piano), manuscripts and exercises on theory, published works by Thorvald Otterström, and biographical material.
Learn moreEthan Allen Hitchcock (1798-1870), the grandson of the famed Ethan Allen, was a major figure in American military history. He was also an amateur musician and an avid collector of flute music. A large trunk containing his personal collection of music was discovered in a plantation in Sparta, GA, by FSU flute professor Charles Delaney, who after a more than twenty-year effort negotiated its transfer to the Warren D. Allen Music Library.
Learn moreFerdinand (Ferde) Grofé (1892-1972) was an American born composer/arranger that came from four generations of classical musicians. The Ferde Grofé Audio Collection contains 144 reel-to-reel audio recordings and 47 cassette tape recordings. Many of these recordings are live performances that range from 1936-1968.
Learn moreAllen Forte (1926-2014) was an influential theorist and musicologist. This collection of theory treatises was for his personal use. He began collecting these items in the early 1950's, and acquisition continued over some two decades. The collection was offered for sale as a whole in the spring of 1998, and was acquired by the library in August of that year. It consists of 49 titles, including first editions of several important 18th-century treatises.
Learn moreCurtis Davidson (1913-2001) was a trumpeter from Quincy, Florida who was dedicated to sharing his passion for Dixieland Jazz music throughout the Southeast. The Curtis Davidson Collection comprises a number of recordings in reel-to-reel, cassette, and compact disc format. These recordings document performances of the Curtis Davidson Orchestra and Curtis Davidson and his Southerners from 1930-1980.
Learn moreFranciszek Zachara (1898-1966) was a Polish-American concert pianist, composer, and college music educator. He was born in Poland in 1898, and studied in Saratov and St. Petersburg, Russia. He taught at FSU from 1948 until his death in 1966.
Learn moreHoward S. Wilson (1913-1962 or 63) was Associate Professor of Piano at FSU. The collection consists of a folder of memorabilia and 42 compositions, primarily manuscript solo and chamber works.
Learn moreCharles Henry Turner (1936-2006) was a jazz musician most noted for his position as lead trumpeter for Frank Sinatra during the years 1975-1983. The collection consists principally of scores and personal effects donated by David Brinson and Turner's mother, Norma Turner. The scores are primarily copies of handwritten arrangements of jazz standards made for Sinatra's band.
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