Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Leroy Ostransky papers, 1950-1993
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Ostransky, Leroy
- Title
- Leroy Ostransky papers
- Dates
- 1950-1993 (inclusive)19501993
- Quantity
- 8 cubic feet, (18 boxes)
- Collection Number
- Mss.022
- Summary
- Leroy Ostransky (1918-1993) was a composer, author, and a professor of music at the University of Puget Sound. An expert on jazz, he was widely recognized for his contributions to education and the arts. This collection contains files, correspondence, audio recordings, manuscripts, class notes, clippings, musical scores and compositions.
- Repository
-
University of Puget Sound, Archives & Special Collections
Collins Memorial Library
1500 N. Warner St.
CMB1021
Tacoma, WA
98416-1021
Telephone: 2538792669
archives@pugetsound.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Leroy Ostransky papers contain Ostransky's compositions, correspondence, manuscripts and teaching material. The bulk of the material is related to Ostransky's writing; this includes correspondence with publishers, numerous annotated drafts, and clippings of reviews. In addition, there are a large number of letters written to Ostransky's wife, Natalie, and lecture notes for the courses he taught at the University of Puget Sound. Ostransky's musical scores and compositions are included, many of which are unidentified.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Leroy Ostransky (January 17, 1918-October 11, 1993) was a composer, author, and a professor of music at the University of Puget Sound. An expert on jazz, he was widely recognized for his contributions to education and the arts. He earned his B.A. from the College of Puget Sound in 1948 (now University of Puget Sound); M.A. from New York University, 1951, and Ph.D. from University of Iowa in 1957. He wrote The Anatomy of Jazz (Seattle : University of Washington Press, 1960), Perspectives on Music (Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1963), The World of Music (Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1969), Understanding Jazz (Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1977), Jazz City : The Impact of our Cities on the Development of Jazz (Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1978), and Sharkey's Kid : A Memoir (New York : Morrow, 1991), along with numerous music scores.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Name of document, date.] Leroy Ostransky papers, MSS.022. University of Puget Sound Archives & Special Collections. Tacoma, Washington.
Restrictions on Use
The University of Puget Sound holds the physical and intellectual rights to the material in this collection.
Collins Memorial Library provides access to its collections in order to support research and education. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the use or reproduction of some items may be restricted by the terms of the gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, or university policy. It is the user's responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or any other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise disseminating materials found in the collections.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
I: General, 1954-1993Return to Top
The General series contains a small amount of ephemera, newspaper clippings and photographs collected by Ostransky.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Ephemera |
1975 |
| 1 | 2 | Excellence in Art Award |
1992 |
| 1 | 3 | The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz |
1986-1988 |
| 1 | 4 | Newspaper Clippings |
1954-1965 |
| 1 | 5 | Newspaper clippings, Ostransky articles reviewing music |
1965-1971 |
| 1 | 6 | Ostransky Obituary |
1993 |
| 1 | 7 | Photographs |
Undated |
| 1 | 8 | Photographs of Ostransky |
1989-1990 |
| 1 | 9 | Photograph of Natalie Ostransky |
Undated |
| 18 | Photographs of Leroy Ostransky by Christopher Petrich |
1980 | |
| Folder | |||
| 17 | 1 |
Verdura, Vegetables, Italian Style manuscript by Viana La Place |
Undated |
II: Compositions, 1950-1980Return to Top
The Compositions series includes handwritten musical scores and recordings of compositions by Ostransky. Compositions have been identified when possible, although a large amount of this material is undated.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
i: Sheet Music |
1949-1950, 1979 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 10 | Compositions |
Undated |
| 18 | Compositions and Notes |
Undated | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 11 | Childs Life;These Are My Brothers; Sonata for Cello; Little Lamb; The Lonesome Trees |
Undated |
| 1 | 12 | Concerto for Violin and Orchestra |
1979 |
| 1 | 13 | Finished Compostitions and Rough Drafts |
Undated |
| 18 | Halleljah; String Quartet No. 2 |
1950 | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 14 | "The Melting of Molly" Opera |
Undated |
| 1 | 15 | "Now Thank We All Our God" |
Undated |
| 17 | 2 | Published Compositions |
Undated |
| 18 | Sonatina for Piano |
May 1950 | |
| 18 | Sonatina for Violin and Piano, String Quartet, "Portugal" for Orchestra, Misc. Compositions |
1949-1950, Undated | |
| Folder | |||
| 17 | 3 | Songs for Julia |
Undated |
| 17 | 4 | Suite for Flute, Duet for Clarinet and Piano, Misc. Compositions |
Undated |
| 17 | 5 | Unpublished Compositions |
Undated |
| 17 | 6 | Violin Concerto, Bass Trio, Concerto Violin and Orchestra |
Undated |
ii: Recordings |
1950-1980 | ||
| Box | |||
| 16 | Memorial Fieldhouse, Concert March |
Undated | |
| 16 | Sonya on TV |
Undated | |
| 16 | Anthem |
1967 | |
| 16 | Symphony No. 1, First Movement |
1956 | |
| 16 | Ft. Lewis |
Undated | |
| 16 | Pioneer Valley |
1956 | |
| 16 | Ellington, Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady and Tattooed Bride |
1950 | |
| 16 | Violin Concerto |
1980 | |
| 16 | Symphony No. 3 "Rainer" |
1971 | |
| 16 | Unidentified |
1960 | |
| 16 | Te Deum, CPS Symphony and Brass Trio |
1955-1956 | |
| 16 | Shar Symphony |
Undated | |
| 16 | Unidentified (2) |
Undated | |
| 16 | American Symphony |
Undated | |
| 16 | Reitan, Songs for Julia |
1973 | |
| 16 | Quartet |
1950 | |
| 16 | Student Compositions |
1961 | |
| 16 | Now Thank We All Our God |
1967 | |
| 16 | Sonya |
1958-1959 | |
| 16 | Symphony No. 5, "Jazz Symphony" |
1978 | |
| 16 | Pioneer Valley |
Undated | |
| 16 | Program Music |
1966 | |
| 16 | Program Music and First Mephisto Waltz, First Les Preludes |
1966 | |
| 16 | Short Symphony |
1975 | |
| 16 | Prelude and (?) |
Undated | |
III: Correspondence, 1955-1991Return to Top
The majority of the Correspondence series has been organized by subject. Ostransky collected reviews of his published work sent by friends and acquaintances and exchanged numerous letters with publishers interested in publishing his literary work. The series includes a large number of letters Ostransky wrote to his wife, Natalie, the bulk of which are undated.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 1 | General
The bulk of this material appears to relate to Ostransky's career at the University of Puget Sound.
|
1955-1978 |
| 2 | 2 | Anatomy of Jazz |
1960 |
| 2 | 3 | Anatomy of Jazz - Advertisements and Reviews |
1960-1961 |
| 2 | 4 | Anatomy of Jazz - Advertisements and Reviews |
1963-1965 |
| 2 | 5 | Anatomy of Jazz - Reviews |
1958-1977 |
| 2 | 6 | Crayola Inc. letter to the Tacoma News Tribune |
1972 |
| 2 | 7 | Ostransky's Education |
1955-1956 |
| 2 | 8 | Jazz |
1979-1982 |
| 2 | 9 | Jazz and the Cities |
1977-1978 |
| 2 | 10 | William Howland Kenny letter to Leroy Ostransky |
1982 |
| 2 | 11 | Leroy Ostransky letter to Mr. Jacobsen and notes on the Jewish Encyclopedia |
1965 |
| 2 | 12 | Leroy Ostransky letters to Natalie Ostransky |
1955-1977, Undated |
| 2 | 13 | Leroy Ostransky letters to Natalie Ostransky |
1956, Undated |
| 2 | 14 | Leroy Ostransky letters to Natalie Ostransky |
Undated |
| 3 | 1 | Regarding Paul Horn |
1990 |
| 3 | 2 | Prentice-Hall, Inc. |
1976-1977 |
| 3 | 3 | Publishers |
1958-1964 |
| 3 | 4 | Publishers |
1980-1981 |
| 3 | 5 | Publishers |
1989-1991 |
| 3 | 6 | Sharkey's Kid |
1991 |
| 3 | 7 | Sharkey's Kid - Reviews |
1982-1991 |
| 3 | 8 | Sharkey's Kid - Reviews |
1991 |
| 3 | 9 | Understanding Jazz |
1977 |
IV: Literary Works, 1957-1979Return to Top
The Literary Works series contains published and unpublished articles and manuscripts by Ostransky. The General subseries includes short articles that are organized by subject; it is unclear if these have been published. The Manuscripts subseries is organized by title and contains short essays, newspaper articles, and manuscripts. For some of Ostransky's better known works, there are multiple drafts, many of which are annotated.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
i: General |
1974, Undated | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 4 | 1 | Book Manuscript Notes & Prentice Hall Publication Application |
1974 |
| 4 | 2 | Essays on Food |
Undated |
| 4 | 3 | Essays on Jazz Music |
Undated |
| 4 | 4 | Notes on Writing |
Undated |
| 4 | 5 | Op-Ed on Instruments |
Undated |
| 4 | 6 | Record Reviews |
Undated |
| 4 | 7 | Short Essay Opinion Pieces |
Undated |
| 4 | 8-9 | Short Stories and Creative Pieces |
Undated |
| 4 | 10 | Travel Memoirs |
Undated |
ii: Manuscripts
The Manuscripts series contains both published and unpublished manuscripts written by Ostransky.
|
1957-1979 | ||
| Box | |||
| 16 |
Anatomy of Jazz (published copy) |
1960 | |
| Folder | |||
| 4 | 11-12 | "Bach Had How Many Kids? An Unnatural History of Music" |
Undated |
| 4 | 13 | "Charles Mingus" (Jazz Musician) |
Undated |
| 4 | 14 |
Daddy's Saloon
|
Undated |
| 4 | 15 | "Dale Carnegie-Go Home!" |
Undated |
| 4 | 16 | "An Easter Story" |
1961-1962 |
| 5 | 1-3 |
A History of Music
|
Undated |
| 5 | 4 | "Kim's Story" |
Undated |
| 5 | 5 | "Lively Arts" Essays |
Undated |
| 5 | 6-8 |
My Life and Good Times
|
Undated |
Ned Rorem
|
Undated | ||
Ned Rorem, Manuscript 2 and Notes |
Undated | ||
Ned Rorem, Notes and Rough Drafts |
Undated | ||
| 15 | "Notes and Comment" Newspaper clippings
Original newspaper clippings of of the "Notes and Comment" column, most of these do not include a date.
|
Undated | |
| Folder | |||
"Notes and Comment" Manuscripts
Drafts of the "Notes and Comment" column, many of these contain what appear to be notes from the editor on whether or not they will be published.
|
Undated | ||
| 8 | 2 | "Notes and Comment" Manuscripts
Drafts for the "Notes and Comment" column, many of these contain what appear to be notes from the editor on whether or not they will be published.
|
1957-1962 |
| 8 | 3 | "Notes and Comment" Manuscripts
Drafts for the "Notes and Comment" column, many of these contain what appear to be notes from the editor on whether or not they will be published.
|
1961-1964 |
| 16 |
Perspectives on Music (published copy) |
1963 | |
| Folder | |||
| 8 | 4 | "Richard Wagner: Gentleman" |
Undated |
| 8 | 5-6 |
Sharkey's Kid, Master Copy |
Undated |
| 8 | 7-8 |
Sharkey's Kid, Repro Copy |
Undated |
Sharkey's Kid
|
Undated | ||
| 9 | 3-4 |
Sharkey's Kid, Manuscript 2 |
Undated |
| 10 | 3 | Copy of Sharkey's Kid
|
Undated |
| 17 | 8 |
Sharkey's Kid, Early Draft |
Undated |
| 10 | 4 |
Sharkey's Kid, Draft |
Undated |
| 17 | 9 |
Sharkey's Kid, Notes |
Undated |
Sharkey's Kid II
|
Undated | ||
| 11 | 2-3 |
Sharkey's Kid Grows Up
|
Undated |
| 14 |
Technique of Orchestra Based on the Use of the Instruments in the Symphonic Poems of Richard Strauss (2) |
Undated | |
| Folder | |||
| 11 | 4 | "There Are No Friendly Games" |
Undated |
| 11 | 5 | "Two For the Money" - Short Essay on Franz Liszt |
Undated |
| 11 | 6-9 |
Understanding Jazz
|
Undated |
| 11 | 10 |
Understanding Jazz, Contract and Bibliography |
1976-1979 |
V: Research, 1960-1993Return to Top
The Research series contains clippings, articles, and notes written by Ostransky during the course of research. Much of this material was unidentified and contains annotations.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 12 | 1 | Articles and Notes |
1965-1986 |
| 12 | 2 | Articles and Notes |
1992-1993 |
| 12 | 3 | Articles and Notes |
1980s |
| 17 | 10 | Articles and Notes (Britten, Barber, and Copland) |
1964-1988 |
| 12 | 4-5 | Jazz Articles and Notes |
Undated |
| 12 | 6 | Jazz Articles and Notes |
1972 |
| 12 | 7 | Jazz Articles and Notes |
1991 |
| 12 | 8 | Jazz Newspaper Clippings and Notes |
1992-1993 |
| 12 | 9 | Newspaper Clippings |
1967-1973 |
| 12 | 10 | New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Acceptance Letter, Manuscripts, Research Articles and Notes |
1980s |
| 12 | 11 | New Yorker Articles on Jazz |
1986 |
| 13 | 1 | Notes for "Possible Columns" |
Undated |
| 13 | 2 | Paul Horn |
1960-1977 |
| 13 | 3 | Paul Horn |
1977-1980 |
VI: Teaching, 1951-1978Return to Top
The Teaching series includes Ostransky's lecture notes, class syllabi, and exam questions. Most of the material is undated, although quite a few of the courses appear to have taken place in 1978. The Music 115 section includes notes for a few of the course lectures.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 13 | 4 | General
Many of the documents relate to an "Introduction to Music" course.
|
Undated |
| 13 | 5 | English 101 |
1978, Undated |
| 13 | 6 | Music 101 |
1978, Undated |
| 13 | 7 | Music 103 |
1978, Undated |
| 13 | 8 | Music 115, The Anatomy of Jazz |
Undated |
| 13 | 9 | Music 115, What is Jazz? lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 1 | Music 115, Improvisation lecture |
Undated |
| 16 | Music 115, Improvisation lecture recording |
Undated | |
| Folder | |||
| 14 | 2 | Music 115, The Elements of Jazz lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 3 | Music 115, The Blues lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 4 | Music 115, Understanding Style lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 5 | Music 115, New Orleans Style lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 6 | Music 115, Pre-Swing lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 7 | Music 115, Swing Era lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 8 | Music 115, Modern Era lecture |
Undated |
| 14 | 9 | Exams |
1958-1970 |
| 14 | 10 | Handy-Aid for Classes... |
1951 |
| 14 | 11 | Lecture Notes |
Undated |
| 14 | 12 | The Orchestra |
Undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Composers--Washington (State)--Tacoma
- Jazz
- Music
- Music teachers--Washington (State)--Tacoma
- Private universities and colleges--Washington (State)--Tacoma
- Publishers and publishing
Corporate Names
- University of Puget Sound. School of Music
Form or Genre Terms
- Music scores
Katie L.B. Henningsen
2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
