Catalog of Pre-1900 Vocal Manuscripts in the Music Library, University of California at Berkeley

During the thirty-five years from 1946 to 1981, the University of California, Berkeley's Music Library amassed nearly 3,500 manuscript volumes, thanks to the remarkable efforts of Professor Vincent H. Duckies. The Catalog of Pre-1900 Vocal Manuscripts focuses on the third major segment of the library's manuscript collection, featuring over 700 vocal manuscripts with more than 3,300 separate compositions. These works encompass a wide range of musical styles—religious and secular, vocal and instrumental, serious and popular—and date from the eleventh to the late nineteenth century. Although the catalog does not include musical incipits, it provides a valuable inventory of these manuscripts for scholars and researchers. The materials were acquired through various antiquarian dealers across Europe and the United States, and while some background information may have been lost during transfers, the manuscripts remain a rich resource for study. Emerson notes that the collection’s value will ultimately be determined by the scholarly community, whose research and exploration will continue to uncover the insights hidden within these historical documents.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1988.