The Sousa Archives for Band Research was established in 1994 when this centre acquired the personal papers of bandleader John Philip Sousa and Herbert L. Clarke, a cornetist and assistant director of the Sousa band for many years. The University Band department managed this archive for many years until the papers and other artifacts were transferred to the University of Illinois Library for preservation. The archives and collection were renamed the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music in January 2004. Its mission is to “support and facilitate research, education, and public engagement by preserving and providing access to the documentary evidence of this country's music and fine arts heritage”.
Many items have been digitized which allows the user to view a variety of interesting materials including newspaper clippings, sound recordings, photos, sheet music, album sleeves and personal letters. The archives have many individual collections including the personal papers and performance collection of Sousa Band vocal soloist Virginia Root which provides another interesting perspective from the performer's point of view. This collection even has a caricature drawn by a Sousa Band member on the back of sheet music. The photos found in the collection contain performance shots, candid portraits of band members in such places as Atlantic City and Cape Town, South Africa and even photos of train wrecks that band members had the misfortune to experience while on tour (such as in Colorado in 1929).
The collection also has a featured acquisitions link which highlights a particular aspect of the collection. When this reviewer accessed this section it took me to a 1909 four minute cylinder (this format disappeared in the late 1920s as the disc record became more prevalent) recording of the Stars and Stripes Forever performed by the Sousa Band, with Herbert L. Clarke as the conductor. Sound recordings of Sousa marches and other songs can be accessed and listened to in “snippet form”. The 78 rpm sound recordings come from the Jack Linker American Bands Sound Recording Collection and date from 1895 to 1939. Many of these songs reflect a bygone era and are often very patriotic (aka the “Yankee shuffle”) or very racist and not very politically correct.
There is also an Experience American Music section that includes a detailed performance timeline for Sousa and his band from 1892 to 1931. Users can click on particular years, months and days to find information about performances and featured performers. The performer information contains brief performer biographies and provides a historical list of their other performances.
Visitors can browse through the alphabetical listing of digitized materials or search the collection. Users can browse by collection, digital content, subject, creator or records group. When searching, users can search just the Sousa archives or the entire archives found at the University of Illinois. Limiting to just the Sousa archives is the default search but this search can still yield some strange results which demonstrated that this collection is very comprehensive and more than just a “music and/or Sousa archive”. The collection has a wide variety of materials related to the University of Illinois including such un‐music related items as photos of cake cuttings, library card catalogues and Italian trees. Search results sort in different categories including manuscripts, digital images/records, unprocessed materials, creator descriptions and subject headings. Finding aids provide assistance on how to search this collection.
This archive provides comprehensive information about every individual collection. Each collection contains a detailed record that provides an overview, a scope, biographical notes and a detailed description of what can be found in this collection online and in print at the physical archives. Visitors can also search within a particular collection (such as an individual's personal papers) if they want to further limit their search parameters.
The graphics found on this site are of low‐quality but this is intentional because many images are still under copyright. Users can ask for copyright permission and purchase higher‐resolution images by contacting the centre. Visitors can also create an account in order to set up a research appointment. By creating an account researchers can also place specific archival items in a cart. Archives staff can then pull these items and have them ready before a visitor arrives for a scheduled appointment. There is also current information on exhibitions and other special events that are sponsored by the Sousa Archives.
This resource provides authentic, unique material that would be of interest to Sousa and other music scholars. Highly recommended for early twentieth‐century music and American history scholars and libraries that have music and history pathfinders.
