Music manuscripts, c.1945-c.2002

Component identifier:

Series 3

Content Summary:

Meale's music manuscripts including full manuscript orchestral scores, incomplete orchestral scores, orchestral parts, sketches, vocal scores and drafts written by Meale. This series has been arranged chronologically, with the dates broadly representing when the works were written. The archivist decided on this arrangement, as it appears that Meale himself started to arrange his music chronologically, housing the music in envelopes and assigning a running number.

Different items relating to the same work have generally been housed together, and for some titles there are several copies or versions per work. As much as possible, descriptions of each of the works have been included. File titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Some music has not been dated. These undated manuscripts have been grouped together at the end of this list and are in alphabetical order. Several of the folders in this series have been titled 'Miscellaneous jottings' and the titles of these, together with their contents, have been retained. Approximately nine music manuscript pieces were not titled, dated or were not able to be identified. These have been placed together in a file and have been titled 'Unidentified pieces' by the archivist.

Two of the largest components of this series relate to the two operas composed by Meale - Voss (1986) and Mer de Glace (1991). For both operas, the files were arranged into scene order as much as possible. Unidentified pieces or papers that did not appear to have been sorted or did not have any particular order, have been kept and titled as such towards the end of the list. The last five files for Mer de Glace have been listed and kept in the order that they arrived. These files were considered by the archivist to be an array of fragments, drafts and photocopies of music that did not have any discernible order.

Published versions of these manuscripts may be found in Series 12, 'Published music'. Associated documentation for these is in Series 4, 'Papers documenting Meale's compositions'.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The majority of the records appear to have been created or collected by Richard Meale. The papers were transferred to the Library in six accessions (instalments) throughout 2004, with three transferred directly from Meale. The remaining three were transferred by associates and friends of Meale - two former students and Meale's former agent, Barbara Mobbs. It does not appear that any of these custodians rearranged or added to the records during their period of custodianship. The papers from Barbara Mobbs comprise letters from Patrick White to Meale. They were received at the same time as another collection MS 10106, which also relates to Richard Meale. All six accessions were acquired from Meale in 2004. Further papers were transferred by Amanda Meale in 2010.

Subjects:

Performing arts

Contents

Access and use