Music Library News

New Finding Aid for Notations Collection

The Music Library's collection of music manuscripts and correspondence relating to John Cage's Notations Project have recently been processed and cataloged in detail to provide improved access to one of our largest and most important archival collections. This collection of 463 manuscripts by 274 composers was brought together by John Cage in the mid 1960s for a project to document the wide range of musical notation being used by composers of that time. After Cage published reproductions of many of the manuscripts in his book Notations (Something Else Press, 1969), the collection was acquired by the Music Library in the early 1970s. Along with all of the original manuscripts that Cage brought together, the collection also includes letters to Cage by many of the composers who contributed to the project.

This new finding aid reflects the Music Library's ongoing efforts to improve access to its archival holdings. With the Notations finding aid completed, we are now at work cataloging the great body of additional correspondence that is part of the John Cage Collection.

See the Music Library's website to view the Notations finding aid, as well as additional information about the John Cage Collection.

Special thanks to Music Library staff members Jennifer Ward and Ruth Young for their work on the Notations finding aid and their continuing work processing our Cage materials.