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Marion Davies Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection

 Collection
Identifier: CC 0011

Scope and Contents

The collection contains 46 boxes of material, primarily cello sheet music. There is extensive performance annotation in the hand of Marion Davies for cello, violin, and piano.

Dates

  • 1924 - 2012

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical or Historical Information

Marion Davies (1924-2012) is among the first women to secure the position of principal cellist in major orchestras in the United States. She received her music education initially at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She continued her education at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying with Emmanuel Feuermann and Gregor Piatigorsky. Davies served as first cellist with the Kansas City Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she remained from 1975-1987. Her teaching appointments include positions at Southern Methodist University and the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Among Marion Davies greatest accomplishments was the co-founding of the Young Strings program. Developed in 1988, the Young Strings program was instituted to promote diversity within American orchestras by providing a free music education to young African American and Latino string players in the Dallas area. Presently, the Young Strings program cultivated nearly 200 young musicians a year.

Extent

70.50 Linear Feet (47 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Marion Davies (1924-2012) is among the first women to secure the position of principal cellist in major orchestras in the United States. She received her music education initially at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She continued her education at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying with Emmanuel Feuermann and Gregor Piatigorsky. Davies served as first cellist with the Kansas City Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she remained from 1975-1987. Her teaching appointments include positions at Southern Methodist University and the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Arrangement Note

The Marion Davies Musical Score Collection is arranged into 14 series. The first three series consist of manuscript scores and works composed or arranged by Silva. Series 3 through 14 are arranged by genre. The series are as follows: Series 1: Manuscripts in Davies' Hand Series 2: Manuscript's in a Hand other than Davies' Series 3: Concertos and Concert Pieces Series 4: Sonatas Series 5: Cello solos Series 6: Cello Pieces Series 7: Duets and Trios Series 8: Quartets Series 9: Quintet Series 10: Symphonic/Orchestral Series 11: Cello Methods Series 12: Piano Pieces/Methods and Compilations Series 13: Miniature Scores Series 14: Libretti

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

The collection was processed in 2015.

Title
Marion Davies Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection
Author
Kaitlyn Jessee, Issac Wilkerson, Stacey Krim
Date
10/26/2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246