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Ruth K. Inglefield papers and harp music collection

 Collection
Identifier: PIMS-0111

Scope and Contents

The Ruth K. Inglefield papers and harp music collection (assembled approximately 1960-2018) contain music for harp from the collection of former Peabody Conservatory faculty member Ruth Inglefield. Most items are printed scores or reproductions and contain Inglefield's annotations. Many scores of chamber music include parts. The bulk of the scores are of works composed between 1960 and 2010. The collection also contains a copy of Inglefield's dissertation and a small amount of professional ephemera.

Dates

  • Creation: Assembled or created approximately 1960-2018

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for use at the Peabody Institute's Arthur Friedheim Library.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

Born in New Jersey in 1938, Ruth Inglefield was drawn to the harp at age 12. At age 15, while studying with Marcel Grandjany, she gave her debut performance with the New York Philharmonic. She then studied with Pierre Jamet and Nadia Boulanger at the Paris Conservatoire and continued her career in Europe for over 10 years as a concert harpist. Inglefield then returned to the United States and earned a PhD in musicology from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory in 1973, writing a dissertation on the Bernhard Jobin lute books of 1572 and 1573. She spent 16 years on the faculty at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and 30 years at the Peabody Institute, where her daughter Sonja is also a member of the Harp Department faculty. Ruth Inglefield died in 2019.

Inglefield wrote and edited several works about music for harp, including Writing for the Pedal Harp: A Standardized Manual for Composers and Harpists (1985, co-authored with Lou Anne Neill) and Writing Marcel Grandjany: Concert Harpist, Composer, and Teacher (1979).

Inglefield regularly worked with contemporary composers and performed new music. She helped found the composition contest of the USA International Harp Competition in 2003 and served as the contest's director and jury chair for six cycles.

Extent

1.68 Cubic Feet (5 flat boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Ruth K. Inglefield papers and harp music collection (assembled approximately 1960-2018) contain music for harp used by former Peabody Conservatory faculty member Ruth Inglefield. Most items are printed scores or reproductions composed between 1960 and 2010 and contain Inglefield's annotations. Many scores of chamber music include parts. The collection also contains a copy of Inglefield's dissertation and some professional ephemera.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Sonja Inglefield in 2019.

Related Materials

Published works by Inglefield, including Writing for the Pedal Harp and a 1983 recording for Orion Records, can be located through the library catalog.

Separated Materials

Some additional scores from Ruth Inglefield's personal collection were added to the Arthur Friedheim Library general collection.

Processing Information

Processed by Matt Testa in 2019-2020.

Source

Title
Guide to the Ruth K. Inglefield papers and harp music collection
Author
Matt Testa
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Peabody Archives Repository

Contact:
Peabody Institute
1 E. Mount Vernon Place
Baltimore MD 21202 USA