Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Peter Beemer Music Manuscript, circa 1864
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Peter Beemer Music Manuscript
- Dates
- circa 186418641864
- Quantity
- 0.25 linear feet, (1 item)
- Collection Number
- MSS 268
- Summary
- Manuscript book containing the scores of dance tunes from Warren's Diggins, Idaho in the 1860's. Peter Beemer, a musician with a small dance orchestra, wrote down and arranged the songs which were whistled, hummed or sung to him by various residents of the area.
- Repository
-
Boise State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
1910 University Drive
Boise ID
83725
Telephone: 2084263990
archives@boisestate.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is available for research.
- Languages
- English
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Manuscript book containing the scores of dance tunes from Warren's Diggins, Idaho in the 1860's. Peter Beemer, a musician with a small dance orchestra, wrote down and arranged the songs which were whistled, hummed or sung to him by various residents of the area.
Forms part of the McCain Collection for Western Life.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The first written history of the Beemer manuscript is found in a manuscript by Taylor Smith donated by Smith to the Idaho State Historical Society in 1961. Smith's history is published as an appendix in The Peter Beemer manuscript: dance music collected in the gold mining camp of Warren's Diggins, Idaho in the 1860's, edited by Vivian Williams (Seattle, Wash.: Voyager Recordings and Publications, 2008), which also contains transcripts of the music. Other histories are found in: The Warren collection: music manuscript book from the Warren, Idaho mining camp, 1864, by John Cochrane (M.A. thesis, Boise State University, 1994) and A Survey of musical activity in the mining camps of Idaho through June of 1865, by Rob McIntyre (M. Music thesis, University of Idaho, 1993).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Both the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library (Boise) and the University of Idaho Library Special Collections Department (Moscow) have photocopies of the manuscript.
Preferred Citation
[item description], Peter Beemer Music Manuscript, Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Preservation Note
96 p. of music; 21 x 34 cm.; Sheets of handwritten music are sewn into a canvas binding with "AB 1864" stamped on the cover; Pages in front are numbered 2-40; followed by [18] unnumbered pages including [6] blank pages; numbering resumes with 41-69; remaining pages unnumbered; Last set of unnumbered pages have different "landscape", or vertical orientation with top of the music against the right-hand side of the right page and continuing to the bottom of the music at the left-hand side of the left page.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Dance music
- Mining camps
- Music
- Performing Arts
Geographical Names
- Warren (Idaho)
Form or Genre Terms
- Sheet music
