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M. William Karlins (1932-2005) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 19/3/12

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The M. William Karlins Papers fill 12 boxes, including 7 dropfronts holding oversized materials, and consist almost exclusively of his musical works. The material spans the period 1953 to 2004, with the bulk of the materials dating between 1957 and 1994. Non-musical material includes biographical materials and correspondence; musical materials are grouped into sketches, manuscripts, and scores. Within each category the files are arranged alphabetically unless stated otherwise.

The biographical materials include a curriculum vita, news clippings, press releases, an obituary, and teaching materials. The correspondence deals entirely with partial copies of his works sent to others, with notes on certain passages.

Sketches are full or partial versions of Karlins' musical works in various stages in the composing/writing process. There are numerous examples of versions of the same works in different stages of composing or of variations upon the same theme. At the end of the sketches are included numerous sketchbooks from the mid-to-late 1950's, in which some of Karlins' notes for classes can be found.

The manuscripts are final versions of Karlins' works, either on standard musical lined paper, or written in freehand on onionskin paper.

The scores are published copies of his works.

Dates

  • 1953-2005

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Boxes 1-5 of this collection are stored off-site and require two business days advance notice for retrieval. This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored at a remote campus location and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

12.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Composer and music professor M. William Karlins came to Northwestern as an Associate Professor of Theory and Composition, and in 1973, he was appointed a full Professor. He was also the director of the Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble from 1967 until his retirement in August 2001. The M. William Karlins Papers fill 12 boxes and consist almost exclusively of his musical works. The material spans the period 1953 to 2004, with the bulk of the materials dating between 1957 and 1994. Non-musical material includes biographical materials and correspondence; musical materials are grouped into sketches, manuscripts, and scores.

Arrangement Note

The manuscripts and scores are of various sizes, and have been organized by size into legal-size boxes and three sizes of dropfront box: small, large, and extra-large boxes. They have been arranged alphabetically within their respective size and category. Sketches and manuscripts are foldered; note that each folder contains between two and five musical pieces, with the titles of the first and last musical piece indicated in the folder title. Most of the published and bound scores are not foldered, and titles of all scores are listed.

Method of Acquisition

The M. William Karlins papers were donated to the University Archives by Mrs. M. William (Mickey) Karlins as Accession 06-30 on March 7, 2006.

Separated Materials

A few duplicate and extraneous materials were separated and discarded.

Processing Information

Ely Sheinfeld, January-February, 2007.

Title
Guide to the M. William Karlins (1932-2005) Papers
Author
Ely Sheinfeld
Date
01/01/2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635