Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Clark Music Company (Syracuse, N.Y.)
Title:	Clark Music Company Records
Inclusive Dates:	1889-1960
Quantity:	24.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Records of the musical instrument retail business in Syracuse, New York; founded in 1889. Correspondence (1889-1960); memoranda (1921-1960); and merchandising and financial records (1894-1960), including bank statements, inventories, ledgers, price lists and catalogs, repairs records, and marketing information.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The papers of the Clark Music Company are the records of the retail trade in musical instruments and materials which was carried on from 1889 to 1960 by a family-owned firm in Syracuse, N.Y. Melville Clark (1883-1953) managed the company for many years, lending to the business his considerable fame as a harpist and musical inventor and collector. This collection contains material on the changing musical tastes of America over a span of seventy-one years, as well as information on the development of modern techniques of advertising and selling. The papers date from 1889 to 1960, with the bulk falling in the years after 1900. They have been organized in four sections: Correspondence, Memoranda, Merchandising and Financial Records, and Miscellany.

Correspondence (boxes 1-24), which dates from 1889 to 1960, has been arranged chronologically by year and month. One important correspondent was Thomas Mott Osborne, noted prison reformer from Auburn, N.Y. His letters date from 1910 to 1915. Osborne's interests as an amateur musician led to his acquaintance with Melville Clark, and various members of the Osborne family purchased a considerable amount of stock in the firm. The correspondence generally provides a wide-ranging description of the business contacts and methods of operation of Clark Music.

The Memoranda (boxes 24-25) date from the last years of the 1950's. These have also been arranged chronologically. They relate primarily to problems of internal company organization and management.

The Merchandising and Financial Records section (boxes 25-30), dating from 1894 to 1960, contains all manner of material on musical instruments and their sale, as well as financial records of company operations. This section contains colorful detail on player pianos, harps and talking-machines, as well as the first radio and television. Of special interest are the subsections on advertising and sales promotions, which provide information on the development of modern marketing methods. Also included are: bank statements, records, dealership agreements, guarantees, inventories, ledgers, personnel records, price lists and catalogs, repairs records, shipping and receiving registers and time purchasing contracts. The materials are arranged chronologically within each subsection.

Miscellany (boxes 30-31), 1893-1958, contains various types of ephemera which are related largely to musicians, concerts, and social events. There is also some biographical material on the Clark family, as well as assorted newspapers, magazines, clippings and separates.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Clark Music Company Records,
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Dorothy Clark, July 1965

Finding Aid Information

Created by: FED
Date: Mar 1971
Revision history: 20 Sep 2006 - converted to EAD (AMCon); 10 Sep 2015 - packages rehoused, inventory updated (MRC); 22 Jul 2021 - magazines added (RMH)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		Undated
Box 1		1893-1900 (14 folders)
Box 2		1901-1906 (9 folders)
Box 2		1907 General [undated], Jan-May (6 folders)
Box 3		1907, Jun-Dec (7 folders)
Box 3		1908 General [undated], Jan-Feb (3 folders)
Box 4		1908, Mar-Dec (10 folders)
Box 4		1909 General [undated], Jan-Mar (4 folders)
Box 5		1909, Apr-Dec (9 folders)
Box 5		1910 General [undated], Jan-Mar (4 folders)
Box 6		1910, Apr-Sep (6 folders)
Box 7		1910, Oct-Dec (3 folders)
Box 7		1911 General [undated], Jan-Apr (5 folders)
Box 8		1911, May-Nov (7 folders)
Box 9		1911, Dec
Box 9		1912 General [undated], Jan-Nov (2 folders)
Box 10		1912, Dec
Box 10		1913 General [undated], Jan-Oct (1 folder)
Box 11		1913, Nov-Dec (2 folders)
Box 11		1914, General [undated], Jan-Sep (10 folders)
Box 12		1914, Oct-Dec (3 folders)
Box 12		1915 General [undated], Jan-Jul (8 folders)
Box 13		1915, Aug-Dec (5 folders)
Box 13		1916 General [undated], Jan-Apr (5 folders)
Box 14		1916, May-Dec (8 folders)
Box 14		1917 General [undated], Jan-Apr (5 folders)
Box 15		1917, May-Dec (8 folders)
Box 15		1918-1920 (5 folders)
Box 16		1921-1924 (4 folders)
Box 16		1925 General [undated], Jan-Sep (10 folders)
Box 17		1925, Oct-Dec (3 folders)
Box 17		1926-1930 (6 folders)
Box 17		1935
Box 17		1939
Box 17		1941
Box 17		1942 General [undated], Jan-Jun (7 folders)
Box 18		1942, Jul-Dec (6 folders)
Box 18		1943-1946 (5 folders)
Box 18		1947 General [undated], Jan-Jun (7 folders)
Box 19		1947, Jul-Dec (6 folders)
Box 19		1948-1950, General [undated] (5 folders)
Box 20		1950, Jan-Dec (2 folders)
Box 20		1951-1955 (6 folders)
Box 20		1956, Jan-Jun
Box 21		1956, Jul-Dec
Box 21		1957 General [undated], Jan-Jul (8 folders)
Box 22		1957, Aug-Dec (5 folders)
Box 22		1958 General [undated], Jan-Apr (5 folders)
Box 23		1958, May-Dec (8 folders)
Box 23		1959 General [undated], Jan-Jun (7 folders)
Box 24		1959, Jul-Dec (6 folders)
Box 24		1960

	Memoranda
Box 24		[General] Undated
Box 24		[General] 1921-1955 (6 folders)
Box 25		[General] 1956-1960 (5 folders)

	Merchandising and financial records
		Advertising
Box 25			Budgets and costs 1906-1959
Box 25			Contracts and agreements 1906-1959
Box 25			Copy undated
Box 25			Cuts and flyers undated (3 folders)
Box 26			Cuts and flyers Undated
Box 26			Cuts and flyers 1895-1956
Box 26		Bank statements 1906-1959
Box 26		Bids and proposals 1924-1959
		Cash books, unbound
Oversize 1			General 1947-1949
Oversize 1			Sundry charges 1947-1948
Box 26		Credit and collections 1907-1960 (2 folders)
Box 26		Dealership agreements 1897-1957
Box 26		Guarantees 1894-1916
Box 26		Inventories 1959
		Ledgers, unbound
Oversize 2			General 1928-1937
Oversize 3			General 1948, Jan-May
Oversize 4			General 1948, Jun-Oct
Oversize 5			General 1949
Oversize 6			Accounts payable 1946-1947
Oversize 7			Accounts payable 1947-1948
Oversize 8			Accounts payable 1948
Oversize 9			Accounts payable 1949
Oversize 9			Accounts payable 1950-1951
Oversize 10			Profit and loss 1928-1937
		Personnel
Box 27			Miscellaneous 1953-1959
Box 27			Applications 1905-1959
Box 27			Appointments and duties 1913-1950
Box 27			Expense accounts 1958-1960
Box 27			Reports 1916-1929
		Price lists and catalogs
Box 27			undated
Box 27			1893-1960 (4 folders)
		Repairs
Box 28			Miscellaneous
Box 28			Shop reports 1957-1958 (6 folders)
		Sales promotions
Box 28			Miscellaneous 1911-1959
Box 29			Developmental plans 1910-1918
Box 29			Form letters undated
Box 29			List of prospects 1916, undated (3 folders)
Box 29		Securities 1907
		Shipping and receiving
Oversize 11			Goods in and out books 1941-1945
Oversize 12			Goods in and out books 1945-1947
Oversize 10			Goods in and out books 1953
Box 29			Receiving book (vol. 1) 1957-1959
Box 29			Receiving book, records and sheet music (vol. 2) 1951-1952
Box 29			Shipping book (vol. 3) 1957-1959
Box 30		Statistics 1911-1959
Box 30		Time purchasing contracts 1897-1959 (5 folders)

	Miscellany
Box 30		American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists 1915-1916
Box 30		Biographical material, Clark family 1922-1949
		Ephemera
Box 31			Miscellaneous 1904-1946
Box 31			Concerts and social events 1898-1958
Box 31			Musicians 1906-1950
Box 31		Magazines, Symphony Notes 1945-1946 (5 issues)
Box 31		Magazine separates 1908-1922
Box 31		Newspaper clippings 1893-1929
Box 31		Newspapers and magazines 1901-1907

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