Harrison Keller

The Harrison Keller Papers are organized into six series:

1. Correspondence
2. Bequests
3. Subject Files
4. Writings (Speeches/Reports/Tributes)
5. Concert programs
6. Photographs

Correspondence

Keller’s correspondence is divided into three categories: correspondence prior to Keller’s presidency; presidential correspondence; and correspondence as president emeritus. 

Keller’s early correspondence dates from 1915-42. There are letters and postcards from Leopold Auer (one of Keller’s teachers), John Alden Carpenter, Ida May Chadwick, Edward Burlingame Hill, Mrs. Edward MacDowell, Wallace Goodrich, and several letters from Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Presidential correspondence includes memoranda to faculty and correspondence with Randall Thompson from Harvard University regarding a possible institutional affiliation, as well as correspondence concerning the Walter Naumburg Foundation, the possibility of a French cultural exchange with NEC, and the Berkshire Music Center. One individual folder concerns the status of then-NEC student Sarah Caldwell.

Keller’s correspondence as president emeritus includes further exchanges regarding the Berkshire Music Center and a French cultural exchange, as well as correspondence with Sherwin Badger, chairman of the NEC Board of Trustees, concerning the troubled financial situation at NEC and also the planning for the Firestone Library. Additional correspondents include: Arthur Fiedler; W. McNeil Lowry of the Ford Foundation; Howard Hanson of the University of Rochester; and Randall Thompson from Harvard University, regarding a possible joint degree program between the two institutions. In addition, this category contains letters from Keller to Donald Martino regarding the Paderewski Fund for Composers, as well as several letters/memoranda from Keller to then President Gunther Schuller. One contains background information on Brown Hall; another includes an outline describing alternative teaching methods that could be employed by the Conservatory in the case of lack of funds. 

There is one last letter included, written by Chester Williams to Mrs. Keller after Harrison’s death, describing what his legacy will be at NEC.

Bequests

Significant bequests described in the Keller papers include the Cobb Walker Library and the Wendell Endicott collection of paintings, as well as a memorandum entitled “Total Funds Received as Gifts, 1931–1946.”

Subject files

The subject files contain a small amount of material relating to NEC’s 90th Anniversary that took place in 1957; a file concerning the planning, construction, and opening of the new dormitory building in 1959; the Harrison Keller String Quartet; and a script for a film about NEC called “Gateway to Achievement.” The film itself has been lost. Also included are information about instruments owned by NEC, Orientation (1955-56), and biographical materials pertaining to Keller.

Writings

Keller’s writings have been organized into four categories: speeches at NEC; reports/essays on NEC topics; tributes; and speeches/reports given outside of the conservatory. 

Among Keller’s NEC speeches are statements that Keller gave to the faculty, including one on the occasion of his acceptance as president. Another speech is Keller’s address to the conservatory community on the occasion of the opening of the dormitory and Spaulding Library in 1959. 

Among Keller’s reports/essays concerning NEC are: “A Brief Account of Fund Raising Activities during the period of 1951-1961,” “The Conservatory’s First Century of Progress (February 6, 1970), “An Introduction to Music” and “Notes from Harrison Keller” (January 30, 1963) and a handwritten statement discussing options during NEC’s financial crisis in 1970. 

Keller’s tributes honor Chester Williams, Carl McKinley, Richard Burgin, Wallace Goodrich, and Maurice Fremont-Smith. 

Keller’s writings outside of NEC include addresses to the Hartt School of Music (Commencement 1955) and the Peabody Institute, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary (‘The Future of the Conservatory’ – February 1957). This series also contains reports to the Middle States Association, Music Teachers National Association and National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the National Federation of Music Clubs (March 1956), and to the President of Mt. Allison University, evaluating that institution’s course offerings.

Concert programs

The fifth series of this collection features a number of concert programs collected by Keller during his days of study in Berlin, dating from 1907-09. These programs were donated by Keller to the NEC library.

Photographs

There are several photographs in this collection (all 8×10) depicting various events. These events most likely include Keller’s inaugural, Keller’s retirement, and professional organization meetings. Also included are a press photo and a photo that was featured in the 1952 class yearbook.