Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Folder
Title
Meredith Willson Papers
Date(s)
- 1902 - 2006 (Creation)
Extent
112 lft; 59 Paige boxes, 1 banker's box, 2 gray half-document boxes, 1 drop-front print box, 1 gray card file box, 44 scrapbooks, 3 gray audiocassette boxes, 8 16' transcription disc boxes, 1 white 45rpm box, 5 metal slide boxes, 1 slide projector, 1 slide carousel, 2 8TB hard drives, 1 4TB hard drive, 3 2TB hard drives, 1 1TB hard drive.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Robert Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was born in Mason City, Iowa, to John David and Rosalie Reininger Willson. Although Meredith started out playing the piano, his mother saved enough money to order a flute for him. At the age of 17, after high school graduation, he moved to New York to study the flute at what is now the Julliard School of Music. He performed small gigs as a flautist until hired as first flute with the John Philip Sousa Band. He toured with the Sousa Band from 1921 – 1923. He also worked with New York's Rialto theater orchestra, under the leadership of Hugo Riesenfeld. From 1924 to 1929, he played for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Chamber Music Society. Willson joined the Army, serving as a Major in World War II, after which he worked as music director of ABC radio and television networks. He did a radio show called The Maxwell House Show Boat from Hollywood, which was later renamed Good News. He was also involved in the Armed Forces Radio Service for a time.
Willson married three times: first to his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, whom he married on August 29, 1920 and later divorced; Ralina "Rini" Zarova, whom he married on March 13, 1948 and who died, December 6, 1966; and Rosemary Sullivan, whom he married on February 14, 1968. Meredith Willson died on June 15, 1984, in Santa Monica, California; his wife Rosemary survived him.
In 1924, Meredith Willson published his first piece of music: a composition called “Parade Fantastique.” Willson’s first big musical success was with his smash hit, The Music Man, which premiered December 19, 1957 at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It has since had two Broadway revivals, one in 1980 and one in 2000. Willson also contributed scores and librettos to the musicals The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 1491, and Here’s Love. Acting as lyricist and composer for most of his career, Willson wrote memorable standards including “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas”, “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You”, “You and I”, “Two in Love”, “76 Trombones”, “Goodnight, My Someone”, “Till There Was You”, “Trouble”, “My White Knight”, “Lida Rose”, “I Ain’t Down Yet”, “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys”, “The Big Clown Balloons”, “Pine Cones and Holly Berries”, “My Wish”, “Iowa Fight Song”, “I See the Moon”, “Ask Not” and “Symphonic Variations on an American Theme.” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982. In 2020, The Great American Songbook Foundation inducted Willson into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The personal and business papers of Meredith Willson, author and composer of "The Music Man" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," along with photographs, sheet music and arrangements, sound recordings, and audiovisual recordings from his personal collection.
System of arrangement
The Meredith Willson Papers are divided into five series: Personal, Business: Musicals, Business: Other, Meredith’s Music Collection, and Audiovisual Materials. Within each series, items are broken down into alphabetized categories.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Access to and use of some of the materials in this collection is restricted because of the nature of the material. Access is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library & Archives.
Physical access
Some of the materials in this collection are fragile due to age and/or poor physical condition and may be inaccessible. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.
Technical access
Obsolete audiovisual materials in this collection have been digitally preserved. Access copies are available through Indiana University's streaming platform Media Collections Online. Consult the Library and Archives staff at info@thesongbook.org for access to these materials.
Conditions governing reproduction
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Great American Songbook Foundation. Music written prior to 1923 is in the public domain. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library & Archives.
Languages of the material
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Received from The Music Man Foundation, formerly the Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charitable Foundation, on September 5, 2012.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Meredith Willson Music Collection, The Juilliard School;
Kermit Bloomgarden Papers, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
W. Earl Hall Papers, University of Iowa Special Collections;
Related descriptions
Publication notes
McHugh, Dominic. 2021. "The Big Parade: Meredith Willson's Musicals from The Music Man to 1491." New York: Oxford University Press.
Notes element
General note
Separated materials: Published materials were removed from the collection and cataloged. They can be found in Worldcat and Libraryworld.
Specialized notes
- Citation: Meredith Willson Papers, The Great American Songbook Foundation.
- Conservation: Obsolete audiovisual materials have been transferred to digital format.
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding aid created by Jessica Frederick and Janice Roger. Completed March 2014.
AtoM description created by Ashlee James, December 2017.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Digital object metadata
Filename
GASF_019.jpg
Media type
Image