University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Ralph Shapey Papers circa 1930-2003

Descriptive Summary

Title:	Shapey, Ralph. Papers
Dates:	circa 1930-2003
Size:	387 linear feet (278 boxes)
Repository:	Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.
Abstract:	Ralph Shapey (1921-2002), was a composer and professor of music at the University of Chicago (1964-1991). Papers include musical scores and recordings, advertising and programs related to performances of Shapey's music, professional and personal correspondence, and a small selection of memorabilia. Materials span circa 1930-2003 with the bulk of the collection dating to Shapey's activities from the early 1970s through to the late 1990s.

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research, with the exception of material in Series XI.

Materials in Box 266 are restricted for 30 years from date of record creation.

Materials in Box 267 are restricted until 2023 at the request of the donor.

Materials in Box 268 are restricted until 2033 at the request of the donor.

Materials in Box 269 are restricted until 2043 at the request of the donor.

Materials in Box 270 are restricted for 50 years from date of record creation.

Materials in Box 271 are restricted for 70 years from date of record creation.

Materials in Box 272 are restricted for 80 years from date of record creation.

Materials in Boxes 273 to 276 are restricted indefinitely, at the request of the donor.

Restrictions on Use

Series VIII, Audiovisual, does not include access copies for all materials. See staff for information about access to audio recordings.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Shapey, Ralph. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Biographical Note

Ralph Shapey was an influential composer and conductor, best known for his innovative and atonal compositions. He was born in Philadelphia on March 12, 1921. His father, a cabinet maker, was a Russian immigrant, and his mother worked throughout his childhood at various department stores. An unremarkable student academically, he attended public school in Philadelphia. He began his musical studies at the early age of seven. At sixteen, he studied the violin under Emanuel Zetlin, the youth conductor at the Philadelphia National Youth Symphony Orchestra, and studied composition under the German composer Stefan Wolpe. He transferred to Mastbaum Vocational High School in his junior year of high school, graduating in 1939, and completing his formal education.

Shapey served for three years in the Army during World War II. He was granted an emergency furlough to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert on April 29, 1942. After the war he embarked on a career as a freelance violinist, then as a composer, conductor, and finally as a teacher. In 1945, he moved to New York where he studied Abstract Expressionist painters and continued his studies with Zetlin and Wolpe. He married Sylvia Goldberg, a pianist and artist, in 1954. They divorced, amicably, in 1957, the same year he married his second wife, Vera Klement, with whom he had his only child – a son, Max, born 1959. By 1962 he had composed over forty works. He left New York to move to Philadelphia in 1963, where he conducted the orchestra and chorus at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1964 he was offered a position as Professor of Music at the University of Chicago. It was during his first year in Chicago that Shapey founded the Contemporary Chamber Players, serving as both its music director and conductor for the next 30 years. Shapey wrote more than 200 works, receiving commissions from the Fromm Foundation, the Library of Congress-Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation, the Koussevitsky Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure at the University of Chicago he received many awards; a George Gershwin Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, a Friedheim Award, the Brandeis Creative Arts Award, and a National Foundation of Arts and Letters Award.

While he retired from the University of Chicago in 1991 he remained an active force in the contemporary music world. He was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1989 and to the American Academy of Arts and Science in 1994. According to his widow, Shapey was still composing music a few days before his death, at 81, in 2002.

Scope Note

The Ralph Shapey papers are organized into eleven series.

Series I, Personal, contains materials that are primarily useful for biographical purposes; address books and daily planners, interviews and articles about Shapey, obituaries, copies of articles written by associates and friends, lists of published and recorded music, and information booklets about Shapey and his associates. The collection also contains a small selection of miscellaneous desk material – primarily cartoon clippings and humorous notes, along with a curriculum vitae and Shapey's military discharge records. Materials span 1942-2003 and are arranged chronologically.

Series II, Correspondence, contains outgoing and incoming correspondence. The bulk of the material pertains to the publication and performance of Shapey's music, and his teaching and conducting activities. There is also a small amount of fan mail, personal letters, and correspondence with music stores and businesses. Materials span 1948-2003 and are arranged alphabetically by correspondent with separate folders for frequent correspondents.

Series III, Scores and Compositions, contains published and manuscript scores by Ralph Shapey. The bulk of the scores are conducting scores, or published orchestral scores, with a small selection of handwritten scores. Partial scores and scraps of unidentified compositions are also included in this series. Many of the conducting scores have markings and notes in Shapey's hand. Materials span 1939-2002 and are arranged chronologically as much as possible with some scores slightly out of order due to their size. Undated material is arranged alphabetically by title at the end of the series.

Series IV, Scores and Compositions by Others, contains sheet music by composers other than Shapey. Many of the conducting scores have markings and notes in Shapey's hand. Represented are compositions by students and former students, Contemporary Chamber Players members, prominent composers of the time, and some classical composers. The majority of the scores are conducting scores – printed scores are from Shapey's personal or teaching collections. Printed scores are either published copies of music (publication information included) or printed sheet music (no publication information included). Materials span 1913-1994 and are arranged alphabetically by composer.

Series V, Recordings and Performances, contains materials relating to the performance and dissemination of Shapey's music. This series is split into four subseries. Subseries I, Concerts, contains posters, advertising materials, programs, performance notes, and reviews of concerts in which Shapey conducted, or in which his music was performed. Subseries II, Festivals, contains advertising materials, programs, and reviews connected to festivals in which Shapey conducted, or in which his music was performed. Subseries III, Recordings, contains advertising materials and reviews of commercial recordings of Shapey's compositions. Subseries IV, Contracts and Copyrights, contains a collection of publication or recording contracts. Materials are arranged chronologically within each subseries.

Series VI, Teaching and Writings, contains materials connected to Shapey's teaching and lecturing activities, primarily at the University of Chicago, with some material from a lecture at Yale University. This series includes lecture outlines, course outlines, and departmental guidelines. This series also contains both a manuscript and print copy of Shapey's book "A Basic Course in Music Composition". Materials are arranged by type (Teaching, followed by Writing) and then chronologically.

Series VII, Honors, Certificates, and Awards, contains copies of certificates for awards and prizes granted to Shapey, as well as materials relating to the McArthur Fellows Program. Large certificates and award plaques can be located in the oversize series. Materials span 1942-1998 and are arranged chronologically.

Series VIII, Audio-Visual, contains audio recordings and photographs. Audio materials are a combination of performances of Shapey music, primarily by the Contemporary Chamber Players, music by other composers, and a small collection of interview and lecture recordings. The photographs are primarily publicity and professional photos, with a small selection of personal photos from Shapey's home and events. Oversize posters, artwork, and photographs can also be found in Series X. CDs 5-8 of the Shapey Archive are not included – they are recordings of Elsa Charleston's Alice Tully Hall Debut and remain in her private collection. When known, performer name and performance location are noted in parentheses. Materials span 1949-2003 and are arranged by medium, and then alphabetically.

Series IX, Memorabilia, contains Shapey's collection of smoking pipes and his baton.

Series X, Oversize, contains larger materials, including several bound albums of photos and correspondence, large posters, and framed artwork.

Series XI, Restricted, contains restricted materials. This includes restricted correspondence, grant materials, letters of reference and evaluations, faculty appointments, and materials relating to Stefan Wolpe.