Collection inventory

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The J. Curtis Shake Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Tim Carter
Date: 2016

Revision history:

Biography

J. Curtis Shake (1918-1999) was a professor of piano at Syracuse University from 1945 to 1983.

Shake graduated with a Bachelor of Music from DePauw University in 1940, 120 miles from his hometown of Princeton, Indiana. He went on to earn his Masters at the Eastman School of Music in 1941. He taught briefly at Arthur Jordan Conservatory and West Virginia Wesleyan College before joining the faculty at Syracuse University in 1945.

During the first decade of his time at Syracuse University, Shake published a number of articles and small books on music pedagogy, including Contemporary Music for the Elementary Piano Student (1950) and Giving Teachers in Training Confidence at the Piano (1952). He earned tenure in 1949 after only a few short years, and he earned his PhD from Syracuse University in 1957. Shake was also founder and president of the Victorian Society and the Syracuse chapter of the national music honor society Phi Kappa Lambda. He was acting dean of the School of Music from 1971 to 1972.

Beyond his role as professor, J. Curtis Shake served as organist for St. Alban’s Episcopal Church for over twenty years and composed numerous carols and songs.

Scope and Content Note

The J. Curtis Shake Papers consist of biographical material, including Shakin’ the Shake Tree, a genealogical history of the Shake family given to him by his son. There is also J. Curtis Shake's correspondence with acquaintences and other musicians, clippings about being appointed acting dean and about his performances, photographs of his family and home, printouts of family photographs, concert programs of his performances, and copies of his writings. There is also a detailed inventory of his home, including his Victorian furniture.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

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

Related Material

The Archives holds a clippings file on J. Curtis Shake.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Shake, J. Curtis, 1918-1999.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Music -- Instruction and study.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Concert programs.
Photographs.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

J. Curtis Shake Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Curtis Shake donated his materials to the Archives in 1993.

Processing Information

Materials were rehoused in acid-free folders.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Papers

Inventory