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Inventory of the Charles Henry Meltzer Papers, 1839-1940
Inventory of the Charles Henry Meltzer Papers, 1839-1940
Descriptive Summary
| Abstract: | Collection contains correspondence to dramatist Charles Henry Meltzer from well-known composers (1839-1928), including Cécile Chaminade, Gustave Charpentier, Alphonse Daudet, Claude Debussy, Edward Elgar, George Gershwin, Jules Massenet, Felix Mendelssohn-Barthody, Giacomo Puccini, and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. Also includes newspaper clippings relating to Meltzer, and a typescript transcription of Meltzer's biography. |
| Title: | Charles Henry Meltzer papers |
| Creator: | Meltzer, Charles Henry, 1853-1936 |
| Date(s): | 1839-1940 |
| Extent: | 0.2 linear feet (1 slim document box) |
| Repository: | Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 Phone: (843) 953-8016 Fax: (843) 953-6319 URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu |
| Call Number: | Mss 0009 |
| Language of Material: | Materials in English. Some letters in French and German. |
Biographical Note
Dramatist and critic. Born in London in 1853, Charles Henry Meltzer studied at Oxford University, where he won a scholarship at the age of fourteen. Meltzer also studied music in London and Paris. Meltzer became a correspondent for several newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and the New York Herald, and was also a music critic and writer for magazines. From 1912 to 1916, Meltzer was librettist for the Chicago Opera Company. He was the author or adaptor of a number of plays, and founder of Criterion Magazine (1903) and the American Society for the Promotion of Opera in English (1907). A linguist, Meltzer was proficient in seven languages. Meltzer died in New York City in 1936.
Collection Overview
Collection contains correspondence (1839-1928), clippings, and a typescript transcription of Meltzer's biography taken from the National Cyclopedia of American Biography (1938).
Letters and notes to Meltzer include a letter (1928 August 3) from George Gershwin regarding Gershwin's taste in opera, an undated picture postcard from Gustave Charpentier, an undated letter from C.C. Chaminade (with an autographed photo) regarding a visit to the United States, and a letter (1916 April 14) from Edward Elgar concerning a libretto entitled The Garden of Allah. Other correspondents are Alphonse Daudet, Claude Debussy, Jules Massenet, Felix Mendselssohn-Barthody, Giacomo Puccini, and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. Correspondence also includes a letter (1839 December 14) in German from Felix Mendelssohn to F. Tretbar.
Clippings concern Charles Henry Meltzer, Vernon Weston, and the donation of the Meltzer papers to the College of Charleston. Collection includes typewritten transcripts and translations of foreign language letters.
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.Names
- Chaminade, Cécile, 1857-1944
- Charpentier, Gustave, 1860-1956
- Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897
- Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918
- Elgar, Edward, 1857-1934
- Gershwin, George, 1898-1937
- Massenet, Jules, 1842-1912
- Meltzer, Charles Henry, 1853-1936
- Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847
- Puccini, Giacomo, 1858-1924
- Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno, 1876-1948
Subjects
- Composers--Correspondence
- Music--19th century
- Music--20th century
Types of Material
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Letters (correspondence)
- Photographs
- Postcards
Related Resources
Related Material
See also: Meltzer, Harold, All the world's a stage: the lively recollections of an actor who never became a star but played with some of the greatest in England and America, Chicago: Adams Press, 1976. Call Number: PN2287.M44 A3 1976.
Inventory
Taken from The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1938.
Letters and notes relate to a College of Charleston news story about the Charles Meltzer letters.
Regarding a recent trip to the United States; includes autographed photo of Chaminade.
Mentions critic Jules Lemaître, gives Meltzer permission to use Daudet's composition Souls in Purgatory from Les Amoureuses.
Concerning a libretto entitled Garden of Allah.
Mentions work on Esclarmonde.
Includes note about using Mendelssohn autograph letter for an editorial about Meltzer.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Charles Henry Meltzer papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Donated by Harold Meltzer, son of Charles Henry Meltzer, 1939.
Processing Information
Originally processed by Special Collections staff, date unknown.
Reprocessed by Cara McHugh, March 2013.
Encoded by Cara McHugh, March 2013.
Reviewed, edited, and uploaded by Martha McTear, April 2013.
