Performances + Events
Victoria Glaser
Victoria Glaser was born to Otto Charles and Dorothy Merryless Glaser on September 11, 1918 in Amherst, MA.
She received instruction in counterpoint from Dorothy Fay Little and harmony with Stephen Tuttle before attending college. Glaser attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA and earned her B. A. and M. A. She studied theory with Walter Piston, Tillman Merritt, and Nadia Boulanger; flute with Georges Laurent; and piano with Frederick Tillotson.
Victoria Glaser’s History
Glaser was an early pioneer in the development of the Preparatory Division at New England Conservatory beginning in 1957. She taught theory, ear training, sight singing, flute, piano, cello, and organ until 1982. Glaser began her teaching career in the 1940s starting at Wellesley College (1943-1946), followed by the Dana Hall School (1945-1959), Longy School of Music in Cambridge (1972-1993), and the Music School at Rivers (1977-?).
Outside of the classroom, Glaser was the Organist and Choir Director of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge. Also, she composed choral arrangements and original compositions published by E. C. Schirmer and G. Schirmer. Her many instrumental compositions won her recognition in the Boston musical community. This is detailed in Howard Pollack’s book Harvard Composers: Walter Piston and His Students, from Elliott Carter to Frederic Rzewski. Glaser is also known for her own book entitled Training for Musicianship published in 1971.
Archival Collection
The Victoria Glaser Papers consist of 2.4 lin. ft; contained in two record cartons and one manuscript box. This collection consists primarily of paper files.
This collection includes materials belonging to and created by Victoria Glaser, who was an early pioneer in the Preparatory Division at New England Conservatory of Music. This collection was donated to the New England Conservatory by Victoria Glaser in 2007.
Access to the Victoria Glaser Papers is granted by the NEC Archivist. There are no restrictions pertaining to this collection.
Please contact the Archivist regarding copyright restrictions and publication permissions. This collection should be cited as: NECA 19.10. Victoria Glaser Papers, New England Conservatory Archives, Boston, MA.
The Victoria Glaser Papers are organized into nine series:
- Compositions and Arrangements
- Longy School of Music
- Music School at Rivers
- New England Conservatory of Music
- Publication correspondence
- Teaching Materials
- Unitarian Universalist Singles
- Miscellaneous
- Publication manuscripts
The Compositions and Arrangements series includes manuscript vocal and instrumental works composed or arranged by Glaser. Also, there are works of other composers collected by Glaser.
The Longy School of Music series contains materials dating from 1977-1987. These include correspondence, committee records, a newsletter, and a concert program.
The Music School at Rivers series contains a brochure outlining the programs provided for students as well as correspondence, general faculty materials, flyers promoting the programs, newsletters, and student recital programs. These records span the years 1976-1979.
The New England Conservatory of Music series is comprised of correspondence with NEC Presidents, listings of Preparatory School requirements, and concert programs from the Preparatory School. One folder documents various strategic issues that were facing the Preparatory Division, including the relationship between NEC and the Music School at Rivers. Other materials include: records of a Preparatory Theory faculty seminar; a report of the findings of a Ford Foundation Study Group which examined music education for children ages 9-12; and a typed manuscript of the book or paper “Music is for Little People,” written by Lisa Frederick Parker of the NEC Extension Division faculty.
The Publication Correspondence series consists primarily of correspondence regarding Glaser’s book Training for Musicianship. The majority of the correspondence involves copyright permission requests to various publishers for musical examples that Glaser planned to use in her book. There are also letters commenting on the book or requesting copies of the book. The folders in this series are organized alphabetically. The last folder labeled “Other” contains letters from publishers/senders for which there is only one piece of correspondence. This folder is organized alphabetically. Finally, the last folder contains correspondence pertaining to the publication of Glaser’s later book, The Inquisitive Music Lover.
The Teaching Materials contain lesson plans from the classes taught by Glaser during her career at the NEC Preparatory School and other schools. Also included are examples of examinations and assignments given by Glaser. In addition, there are six notebooks which contain more lesson plans and musical examples utilized in classes. While Glaser was at NEC she taught theory, sight singing, ear training and many more courses. Finally there is a “Harmony Course” book written by Nadia Boulanger which Glaser perhaps used in her teaching.
The Unitarian Universalist Singles series includes newsletters from 1981-1983 when Glaser was a forum leader. Also, included are the contracts used to rent church facilities in order to host meetings.
The Miscellaneous series contains a few pieces of general correspondence and unidentified correspondence. It also includes newspaper clippings/advertisements and a folder pertaining to Glaser’s review of a book by Lily Owyang and Linda Ostrander entitled Creative Piano: A Modular Approach for Adult Beginners. A thick notebook containing Glaser’s notes from classes she had taken in college including a Greek literature class and a Music class, as well as an outline for her honors thesis, can be found in this series. Finally, there are four unidentified 3 x 5 photos and two larger images of churches; one appears to be a sketch.
The Publication Manuscripts series contains typewritten drafts of nine chapters of Glaser’s book The Inquisitive Music Lover, a draft of Piano Sight Playing for the Novel Musician, and a complete pre-publication copy of her book Training for Musicianship with pasted-in text and musical examples.
Choral- Children’s Chorus
Folder 1 “An Argument to Set”
Folder 2 “On Seven Winds”
S.A.T.B.
Folder 3 “3001” (Lament for a Dead Planet)
Folder 4 “Freedom Songs”
Folder 5 “Litany”
Folder 6 “London in 1888”
Folder 7 “Oh Soldier, Soldier”
Folder 8 “The White Lie”
Folder 9 “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”
S.A.B.
Folder 10 “Little Christmas”
Folder 11 “Three Carols for Christmas”
S.S.A. / S.S.A.A.
Folder 12 “The Cambric Shirt, Christ now by Thy Passion”
Folder 13 “La Dance”
Folder 14 “Greek Hymn”
Folder 15 “Greensleeves” (What Child is this?), “Homeric Hymn” (2 copies)
Folder 16 “La Musique, Three Canons for Treble Voices” (Brahms; text translations by Victoria Glaser)
T.T.B..
Folder 17 “Wharra fe Dinner?”
T.T.B.B.
Folder 18 “What A Tryin’ Time” (Spiritual)
Mixed Voices (unison)
Folder 19 “Festival Anthem”
Solo Voice
Folder 20 “Easy Choir Song” (with ensemble)
Folder 21 “Summer Song” (“Lyin’ Out Long”) (with piano)
Folder 22 Victoria Glaser Publications: Choral Arrangements
Instrumental
Cello
Folder 23 Plucker’s Harvest
Folder 24 Verses
Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon
Folder 25 A Jazz Counterpoint
Flute and Piano[?]
Folder 25 Berceuse (Chopin/arr. Glaser)
Flute, Viola, Piano
Folder 26 Loeillet Sonata in B minor
Flute, Viola, Cello
Folder 27 Pentaphony
Harpsichord
Folder 28 Recollections
Piano
Folder 29 Inquiry
Folder 30 Prelude and Allegro
Organ
Folder 31 Prelude on Easter Melodies
Folder 32 Prelude on Hymn 79 (Meg Irwin)
Folder 33 Unidentified
Miscellaneous
Folder 34 Epithalamian for Theo and Steve Colburn
Folder 35 Ragtime Romp
Other Composers
Bronneau, Gilles Yves
Folder 36-40 Opus 25: nos. 1-5 (5 Psaumes) (Chorus, Flute, Hautbois, Strings and Organ)
Folder 41 Symphonie 2, Pastorale, Opus 31 (Conductor’s Score)
Folder 42 Sonate Opus 32, numero 3 (Oboe and Piano)
Cobb. C.W.
Folder 43 “Basque Carol” (S.A.T.B.)
Folder 44 “To Mary Sing” (S.A.T.B.)
Glaser, C.
Folder 45 “Dein Auge” (Mezzo-Soprano), “Morgens steh ich auf Fragen,” “Frühlingslied”
Folder 46 “Mes Esta Di”
Neily, Rober
Folder 47 “Away in a Manger” “(S.A.T.B.)
Sukkar, Mary
Folder 48 Lament for Anwar Sadat (Conductors Score)
Virgemah, Kevyn
Folder 49 Conte (Piano)
Unidentified
Folder 50 “Alma Mater” (Voice)
Folder 51 “Margery, Come Feed the Black Sow”
Series 2: Longy School of Music
Box 2
Folder 1 Correspondence
Folder 2 Committee Records
Folder 3 Newsletter
Folder 4 Program
Series 3: The Music School at Rivers
Folder 5 Correspondence
Folder 6 Faculty materials
Folder 7 Flyers/Press Releases
Folder 8 Newsletter
Folder 9 Recital Program
Series 4: New England Conservatory of Music
Folder 10 Correspondence w/NEC Presidents
Folder 11 Preparatory School – Theory Requirements
Folder 12 Preparatory School – Voice Requirements
Folder 13 Preparatory School Programs
Folder 14 Preparatory/Extension Division – Strategic Issues
Folder 15 Seminar with Preparatory Theory Faculty
Folder 16 Ford Foundation Study Group
Folder 17 “Music is for Little People”
Series 5: Publication correspondence
Training for Musicianship
Folder 18 Associated Music Publishers, Inc
Folder 19 Baker and Taylor Co.
Folder 20 Bärenreiter Verlag
Folder 21 Boosey & Hawkes Inc.
Folder 22 Broude Bros. Co.
Folder 23 J. & W. Chester
Folder 24 Elkan-Vogel Company
Folder 25 Frank Music Co.
Folder 26 International Music Corp.
Folder 27 Edwin F. Kalmus
Folder 28 Music & Man
Folder 29 MENC
Folder 30 Music Publishers Holding Corp.
Folder 31 Novello & Co.
Folder 32 Oxford University Press
Folder 33 C. F. Peters
Folder 34 Theodore Presser
Folder 35 Viking Press
Folder 36 Other
The Inquisitive Music Lover
Folder 37 Correspondence
Series 6: Teaching Materials
Lesson Plans
Folder 38 Counterpoint-18th century
Folder 39 Counterpoint-Baroque
Folder 40 Counterpoint-Modal
Folder 41 Harmony I
Folder 42 Harmony II
Folder 43 Intermediate I and II
Folder 44 Introduction
Folder 45 Music 203-A
Folder 46 Music 203-B
Folder 47 Music 203-C
Folder 48 Music 208-A
Folder 49 Music 208-B
Folder 50 Music 208-C
Folder 51 Musicianship I and II
Folder 52 Senior I and II
Folder 53 Teenage Beginners/Juniors
Folder 54 Theory I and II
Folder 55 Assignments
Folder 56 Exams
Folder 57 Notebook 1
Folder 58 Notebook 2
Folder 59 Notebook 3
Folder 60 Notebook 4
Folder 61 Notebook 5
Folder 62 Notebook 6 (oversize)
Folder 63 Harmony Course/Nadia Boulanger
Series 7: Unitarian Universalist Singles Group
Folder 64 Contracts, January 1982-September 1983
Folder 65 Forum Discussion Guidelines and Topics
Newsletter
Folder 66 February 1981-December 1981
Folder 67 February 1982-September 1982
Folder 68 April 1983-September 1983
Folder 69 Miscellaneous
Series 8: Miscellaneous
Folder 70 Correspondence, General
Folder 71 Correspondence, Unidentified
Folder 72 Newspaper Clippings/Advertisements
Folder 73 Review of Owyang/Ostrander Book
Folder 74 Course Notebook
Folder 75 Photographs
Series 9: Publication Manuscripts
Box 3
Folder 1 Draft, The Inquisitive Music Lover, Chpt.1-2
Folder 2 Draft, The Inquisitive Music Lover, Chpt. 3-6
Folder 3 Draft, The Inquisitive Music Lover, Chpt. 7-8
Folder 4 Draft, The Inquisitive Music Lover, Chpt. 9
Folder 5 Draft, Piano Sight-Playing for the Novice Musician
Complete Manuscript Draft, Training for Musicianship
Finding aid compiled by Steven D. Booth, Fall 2007.
