James Brown manuscripts and papers

Description

Comprises the manuscript notebooks, musical compositions, and associated printed works written and compiled by James Brown between the years 1933 and 2000, along with miscellaneous personalia and an autobiographical fragment. Included in the archive are manuscripts of his 'Baptism of Christ' (1978), 'Piano Concerto' (1993), the cantata 'Ad Incestum Lucernae' (1974), 'Serenade for Orchestra' (1968), 'Symphony' (1956), 'Miniature Symphony' (1964), 'Cello Concerto' (1979), as well as organ works and many songs for various occasions, The manuscript notebooks largely derive from his early years, the earliest being dated 1933-1934. The printed works reflect his particular interests in music over many years.


All sources are the composer's autograph unless otherwise stated.


Former references in the form III B 6 are to the list of Musical Works and Sources, where more information can be found on individual pieces (a copy of this is attached to this collection level entry).

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Biography or history

Born on 18 August 1923 in Ipswich, Suffolk, James Clifford Brown became assistant organist at the Civic Church when aged 15 and organist and choirmaster at All Hallows, Ipswich, at 16. He was a choral student at St John's College, Cambridge in 1941. His war service between 1942-1945 was with the Royal Signals. He returned to Cambridge after the war and was appointed first organ student of St John's College. A member of the Footlights Club, Brown wrote the music for, and took part in, its first production after the war. At 24 he gained his F.R.C.O. with the Read Prize for the highest aggregate of marks for the year. In 1948 he came to Leeds as a member of the University Music Department staff, serving also as University organist until his retirement in 1983. During his early years in Leeds James Brown was official accompanist and organist of the Leeds Philharmonic Society, and was subsequently Staff President of both the University Music Society and the University Union Light Opera Society.
In 1961-1962 the University granted him leave of absence to study contemporary compositional techniques in Rome. In his final years, he lived in Bridlington. James Brown died in December 2004.

System of arrangement

The MS 1707 catalogue is based on an historic inventory. The arrangement of material does not necessarily represent the original order of the archive and it is considered partly processed by an archivist. When making requests to consult, please be aware that there may be discrepancies between description and physical arrangement. The retrievable unit for this collection is file level.

Access and usage

Access

This collection is subject to various access conditions. Please see individual catalogue descriptions for further details on access.

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