Finding Aid for Matthew de Lacey Davidson Music and Papers, 1929-2022 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Thornton Miller, Kendall McFarlin

Email us about these papers | Print this information

Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Biographical Note

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Music Compositions and Research, 1975-2022

Consists of original music scores and recordings, research conducted by Davidson, programs featuring performances of Davidson's music, correspondence with composers including Stephen Sondheim and William Bolcom, and biographical information on Davidson, documenting his career as a pianist, composer, and researcher. Materials are arranged into two subseries: 1) Original Scores, Recordings, and Programs and 2) Biography, Correspondence, and Research.

Sub-Series 1: Original Music Recordings and Scores, 1975-2016

Consists of recordings and scores of original music by Davidson. Materials are arranged by material type. Recordings are arranged first using a three digit-code assigned by Davidson and then alphabetically. NOTE: The dates listed for the burned CDs frequently correspond to the last modfied date of the file on the CD, which may or may nor correspond to the work's publication date or of the performance date. Scores are arranged alphabetically by title.

Box 1

Item 1: 001 - The Graceful Ghost, 1994

Item 2: 002 - Voodoo Queen, 1995

Item 3: 003 - Sugar's Nightmare, 1996

Item 4: 004 - I Had 5 Long Years, 1994

Item 5: 005 - Quatre mélodies québécoises, 1994

Item 6: 006 - KGNU Interview, 1992

Item 7: 007 - Symphony No. 1 in 20 Keys, 1994

Item 8: 008 - The Singing Lesson, 1994

Item 9: 009 - Le poème inattendu, 1994

Item 10: 010 - Quartetto dell'Arte, 1994

Item 11: 011 - R. Schumann, Quintet for Piano and Strings, orchestrated by Davidson; Music for Viola and Orchestra by Davidson, 1994

Item 12: 012 - Trois œuvres de Rameau; Menuet; Nicklettes; and Music for Piano with Orchestra, 1994

Item 13: 013 - Trio Sonata for Flute, Violin, and Harp; and Bergamasques, 1994

Item 14: 014 - Davidson Performances, 1994

Item 15: 015 - Dekalb, IL Concert, 1991

Item 16: Études, 1994

Item 17: The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags, 1994

Item 18: The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags, 2007

Item 19: I Had 5 Long Years, world premiere, 2009

Item 20: New Zealand Music and Early Works, 1994

Item 21: On the Highwire: Piano Rags, Waltzes and Tangos by Donald Ashwander, performed by Davidson, 2000

Item 22: Pianoforte Anachronisms, 1994

Item 23: Quatre mélodies québécoises, 1994

Item 24: Space Shuffle and Other Futuristic Rags, 1992

Item 25: Stolen Music: Chamber and Electronic Music, 1996

Item 26: Stolen Music, 2000

Item 27: Sugar's Nightmare: Piano Rags to Jazz, 1898-1995, 1996

Item 28: Syncopated Lady, 1999

Item 30: Voodoo Queen: Piano Rags, Jazz and Blues, 1995

Item 31: Whippin' the Keys: 75 Years of Novelty Piano Ragtime, 2001

Box 2

Folder 3: 5 Vignettes for Piano and Three Elusive Rags, 1982-1990

Folder 9: Á la manière de Borodine, by Maurice Ravel, 2020

American Composers Edition (BMI) arranged by Matthew Davidson.

Folder 10: Fragments for Woodwind Quintet , 2020

American Composers Edition (BMI) by Matthew Davidson.

Box 3

Folder 1: Millet Music, Sylvan Catch, and Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues, 1987-2016

Box 5

Item 1: Radio Program CD and DVD Performance, 2001

Includes a CD "The Grand Piano" radio program about the music of Davidson by Leslie Gerber for WMHT-FM, and a DVD of  performances of music by Davidson that are played by himself and Rudolf Haken that can obly be viewed at the Sousa Archive.

Box 6

Folder 1

Sub-Series 2: Music Research and Manuscript Scores by Other Composers, 1982-2022

Consists of original research (which includes sound file examples on CD and written drafts), correspondence with major composers, and manuscript scores sent to Davidson by other composers. Materials are arranged by material type. Recordings are arranged first by a three-digit numeric code that was assigned by Davidson and then alphabetically. Paper records and scores are arranged alphabetically.

Box 1

Item 32: 016 - Swanee Smiles, 1994

Item 33: 017 - Aunt Hagar, 1994

Item 34: 018 - Stomp Off, 1994

Item 35: 019 - Stardust, 1994

Item 36: 020 - 78 RPM Record Collection, 2017-2018

Item 37: 78 RPM Record Collection, 2017-2018

Item 38: Aunt Hagar's Children Blues, 78 RPM Reord Collection, 1994

Item 39: Stardust etc, 78 RPM Record Collection, 1994

Item 40: Stomp Off, Let's Go, etc., 78 RPM Record Collection, 1994

Item 41: Swanee Smiles, etc., 78 RPM Record Collection, 1994

Box 2

Folder 1: Ashwander, Donald - The Brooklyn Stop and Start and Sunday Night, Manhattan, 1975-1984

Folder 2: Bolcom, William - Epithalamium: A Ray, 1993

Folder 5: Correspondence with Donald Ashwander, 1991-1994

Folder 6: Correspondence with Stephen Sondheim, 1982

Folder 11: Rzewski, Frederic - Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues for two pianos, undated

Arranged by composer Frederic Rzewski and sent to Davidson in 1992.

Folder 12: Ashwander, Donald - Compositions by, 1971-1988

Compositions by Donald Ashwander include "Empty Porches;" "Mobile Carnival rag-tango;" "Perdido Bay Moon Rag;" "Waterloo Rag;" "On The Highwire;" "Saratoga Rag;" "Summer Garden;" "October;" "Old Streets;" "Forgotten Ballrooms." Used by Davidson for recordings and performances at the University of Illinois.

Folder 13: Morath, Max - In Seperate Rooms (An American Song Cycle), 1990

This score was the first performance given by Davidson (piano) and Rebecca Toon (soprano) at the University of Illinois in 1992.

Folder 14: Concert Program from Max Mortah's stage show, 1993

Folder 15: Articles by Davidson in The Syncopated Times, 2023-2024

Box 3

Folder 7: Correspondence with Max Morath, 1992-1994

Folder 10: Research - The Effort Before the Prize, 2022

Folder 11: Research - Moonlight Memories: Brunswick Hot Dance Bands on the Early 1920s, c. 2022

Folder 12: Research - "The Remarkable Robert I. Pinsker Meets the Extraordinary Lemuel Fowler", 2022

Folder 13: Research - Society of Composers, Inc., 2012

Folder 14: Research - The Syncopated Times, 2021-2022

Box 5

Item 2: Moonlight Memories

Item 3: Research CDs - Barnhart, Jeff

CD titles include "Thanks for the Melody;" "We Wish We Were Twins;" "Doorways: The Entertainer, vol. 1."