Music in the Bernardo Mendel Collection [abstract only]

Abstract

In late January of 1969, musicologist Robert M. Stevenson visited the Lilly Library at Indiana University, where he requested permission to study three Latin American manuscripts—Ramírez del Aguila’s Noticias politicas and two others simply labeled “Peru” and “Guatemala.” His visit, the first of several undertaken over a period of many years, was most likely due to an open invitation extended by the library just months before. The manuscripts that Stevenson studied, and from which he would later refer to in his writings, were all part of the Mendel Collection—a unique and extensive archive focused on the Spanish Empire in Latin America and the Philippines—whose foundation was the personal library of Austrian businessman Bernardo Mendel. Now containing approximately 40,000 printed items and 26,000 manuscripts, which embrace the Age of Discovery through the early 20th Century, the collection has been at the library for five decades, in which time its reputation as one of the largest in the United States has not only grown, but attracted much interest from many a scholar. Of particular consideration is the music contained within the collection. And while modest in comparison to other areas, it is nonetheless significant for a handful of items, including the Guatemalan manuscript which attracted Stevenson. In this paper I explore music prints and manuscripts in the collection with a brief survey the contents, acquisition history, and known influence and dissemination. Music-related sources, such as villancico text booklets, are also examined.