Research Guides: Music: Music Collections

Music Collections at University Archives

While many collections at UHM University Archives in Hamilton have items relating to music, there are three main collection from Hawaii musicians. Follow the links to the online finding aids for these collections.

Alexander Borisoff papers Professional papers of musician and composer Alexander Borisoff and his wife and frequent collaborator, June Starr Borisoff. Most papers are manuscript scores for Borisoff's major compositions, including his two works of Hawaiiana: Liliu, an opera, and Impressions of Hawaii, a symphonic work. Other items include news clippings, correspondence, program notes, concert programs and advertisements, and pedagogical materials.
Ruth Orcutt Bacon papers Papers of Viola "Ruth" Orcutt Bacon (1900–2003), a composer, instructor, and musician who taught at Punahou School and performed as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony. The collection consists primarily of musical scores but also includes letters, a copyright confirmation notice, and a vinyl record.
Franz A. Ballaseyus papers Personal papers of Franz A. Ballaseyus (a musician, teacher, and conductor who lived and work briefly in Hawaii), including journals and scrapbooks, military service documents, a marriage certificate, and news clippings.

Special Music Collections

The Sacred Hearts Collection

This collection of piano ensemble music was donated to the University of Hawai`i by the Music Library of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts Convent in Honolulu, Hawai`i. This collection was gathered from a number of donations to the Sisters from the general public and the French Consulate. The collection is primarily piano music for more than one player and includes music for one piano 3 and 4 hands, two pianos 6 and 8 hands, as well as other piano ensemble combinations.

View an index of the piano scores available as a PDF.

UH Alma Mater

View the score and lyrics of the University of Hawai`i Alma Mater, and listen to a MIDI version. View the pdf printer-friendly UH Alma Mater (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Vera Bryner Russian-Language Sheet Music Collection

This collection was donated to the University of Hawai`i in the Fall of 1989. The collection was part of a much larger collection belonging to Vera Bryner (sister of Yul Brynner). The collection is predominantly published music with some hand written copies. This finding aid provides composer and title indexes. Bibliographic citations include composer, title, place of publication, publisher, year, physical description, and brief notes.

Vera Bryner PDF