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Collection Number: 04179

Collection Title: Sarah Louise Dittenhaver Papers, 1941-1971.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

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Size 1.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 700 items)
Abstract Sarah Louise Dittenhaver (1901-1973) was a composer and piano teacher of Asheville, N.C. The collection is chiefly handwritten drafts of musical compositions by Dittenhaver. Also included is a small amount of correspondence relating to piano teaching and music composition contests, miscellaneous notes and printed materials, and drafts of introductory and explanatory comments for Dittenhaver's music books.
Creator Dittenhaver, Sarah Louise, 1901-1973.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Sarah Louise Dittenhaver Papers, #4179, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Transferred from the Music Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, May 1979. Received from Margaret D. Pos, October 1974.
Additional Descriptive Resources
A copy of the original finding aid for this collection is filed in folder 1a.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007

Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, June 2009

This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Sarah Louise Dittenhaver (1901-1973) was a composer and piano teacher of Asheville, N.C. Dittenhaver was born in Paulding, Ohio, and was educated at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio. After graduation she taught at the Smead School for Girls, Toledo, Ohio, 1924-1927, and served as the official accompanist for the Toledo Choral Society, 1926-1927. She subsequently served as director of music in Wyandotte Schools, Wyandotte, Mich., until her move to Asheville, N.C., in 1928. Dittenhaver began seriously composing music in 1940 and was ranked as one of the top 50 American composers by the National Guild of Piano Teachers in 1967. In addition to composing, Dittenhaver taught private lessons from 1943 to 1973.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection is chiefly handwritten drafts of musical compositions by Sarah Louise Dittenhaver. The compositions, often successive drafts, include works for two pianos, songs, choral music, and collections of piano solos that Dittenhaver published or intended to publish as books. Also included is a small amount of correspondence relating to piano teaching and music composition contests, miscellaneous notes and printed materials, and drafts of introductory and explanatory comments for Dittenhaver's music books.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Sarah Louise Dittenhaver Papers, 1941-1971 and undated.

Folder 1a

Original finding aid

Folder 1

Correspondence, 1952-1971 and undated

Folder 2

Miscellaneous notes

Folder 3

Miscellaneous printed material

Folder 4-11

Folder 4

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Folder 11

Piano solos

Folder 12

Compositions for two pianos

Folder 13-14

Folder 13

Folder 14

Songs

Folder 15-22

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

Folder 18

Folder 19

Folder 20

Folder 21

Folder 22

Choral music

Folder 23

Drafts of introductory and explanatory comments for books

Folder 24-25

Folder 24

Folder 25

Beginners' piano solo books

Folder 26

My Piano Sketchbook, Volume II, piano solo book

Folder 27

Seven Pieces in Modal Style, piano solo book

Folder 28

Unidentified musical composition fragments

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