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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.
The Addition of 2010 was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 18 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 7700 items) |
| Abstract | The collection of white musicians, Benjamin F. Swalin (1901-1989) and Maxine M. Swalin (1903-2009) contains biographical information, writings, correspondence, subject files, musical scores, teaching materials, and photographs. Materials document Benjamin F. Swalin's life from childhood through his music studies, teaching career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his 33 years as conductor and director with the North Carolina Symphony from 1939 to 1972. Maxine M. Swalin's An Ear to Myself (1996) and other papers document her childhood in Iowa and life with her husband and with the North Carolina Symphony, her approach to life and support of the arts, and her dedication to their collective efforts for music education and appreciation in the state of North Carolina. Also included is a run of Symphony Stories that Adeline McCall wrote for the Symphony's Children's Concert Division, 1950-1973. |
| Creator | Swalin, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1901-1989.
Swalin, Maxine M. (Maxine McMahon) |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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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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Biographical Information
Benjamin F. Swalin (1901-1989) was conductor and director of the North Carolina Symphony, musician, composer, performer, author, teacher, and advocate for music in North Carolina. His wife, Maxine M. Swalin (1903-2009), also an accomplished musician, supported the work of the North Carolina Symphony as its executive assistant for many years.
Benjamin Franklin Swalin led the North Carolina Symphony for 33 years, from 1939 to 1972, revitalizing and expanding the project that Lamar Stringfield had started under the WPA. In 1945, Swalin's work resulted in the passage of North Carolina Senate Bill 248 (dubbed the "Horn Tootin' Bill"). This was the first time that an orchestra was recognized as a state agency in the United States.
Swalin was a tireless promoter of classical music and the North Carolina Symphony. Under his direction, the Symphony maintained a rigorous travel schedule, playing throughout the state. In addition, the Symphony's innovative Children's Concert Division, begun in the 1940s, influenced and educated young people all over the state.
The son of Benjamin and Augusta Swalin, Swalin was born on 30 March 1901 in Minneapolis, Minn. He grew up in a musical atmosphere; his father, a Swedish immigrant, played the violin, and all of the Swalin children played instruments. At the age of 18, Swalin joined the Minneapolis Symphony as its youngest member. He left Minnesota to study music under Franz Kneisel, 1921-1926, and later studied with Leopold Auer. While his chief focus was music, he had a broad range of interests, as evidenced by his M.A. in English from Columbia University.
Continuing his education in Austria, Swalin earned a Ph.D. in music from the University of Vienna in 1932. He taught at Depauw University, 1933-1935 and was accepted as a student of the Moscow University American Institute during the summer of 1934, completing studies in economics. In 1935, he accepted a position with the Music Department at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Swalin met Maxine McMahon in 1926 at the Institute of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School of Music) in New York. The two shared great intellectual curiosity and a life-long interest in music. When he moved to North Carolina, she moved to Boston to pursue a graduate degree at Radcliffe College. After a year's separation, she moved to North Carolina in 1936 with her master's degree. Maxine joined in her husband's dedication to the North Carolina Symphony and music education. She served as the Symphony's executive assistant and frequently played the piano and celesta in North Carolina Symphony performances.
Benjamin F. Swalin retired as Director of the North Carolina Symphony in 1971, but continued his involvement in cultural and civic life. In 1972, the Swalins moved to Norway where Benjamin served as visiting conductor of the Stavanger Symphony. In 1974, he ran as the Democratic candidate to represent the 16th district in the North Carolina Senate, emphasizing the need for increased support of arts and adult education in the state. Throughout retirement the Swalins continued their support of arts appreciation and children's music education in North Carolina through their continued relationships with the North Carolina Symphony, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and other state and civic institutions until their respective deaths in 1989 and 2009.
Benjamin F. Swalin published two books: The Violin Concerto: a Study in German Romanticism (1941) and Hard Circus Road (1987), a history of the North Carolina Symphony. He received the North Carolina Award for Achievement in Fine Arts in 1966, honors from the National Federation of Music Clubs in 1967, the Morrison Award for Achievement in Performing Arts in 1968, and honorary doctorates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971 and from Duke University in 1979.
Maxine M. Swalin published An Ear to Myself (1996), a reminiscence of her childhood in Waukee, Iowa, her life with Benjamin F. Swalin, and her work with the North Carolina Symphony. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Duke University in 1979 and received the North Carolina Award for Public Service for her four decades of pioneering activity in support of the programs of the North Carolina Symphony in 1989 and the North Caroliniana Society Award on her 100th birthday in 2003. The North Carolina Symphony also announced in 2003 its first recipient of the annual Maxine Swalin Outstanding Music Educator Award, which recognizes "an individual who instills and inspires a love of music in North Carolina children." In 2005, she was one of three recipients of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's first annual Lifetime Achievement Award for the Performing Arts.
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Scope and Content
The collection contains biographical information, writings, correspondence, subject files, teaching materials, and photographs of Benjamin F. Swalin and Maxine M. Swalin. Materials document Benjamin F. Swalin's life from childhood through his music studies, teaching career at the University of North Carolina, and his 33 years as conductor and director with the North Carolina Symphony. Published and unpublished writings include notes, poetry, musical scores, and materials relating to Benjamin F. Swalin's Hard Circus Road (1987), a history of the North Carolina Symphony, and to Maxine M. Swalin's An Ear to Myself (1996), a reminiscence of her childhood in Iowa and life with her husband and with the North Carolina Symphony. Correspondence chiefly concerns North Carolina Symphony operations and the Swalins' social and professional relationships with acquaintances and advocates in the arts and legal communities. Subject files include materials relating to the Symphony, especially Benjamin Swalin's forced retirement in 1971; a run of Symphony Stories that Adeline McCall wrote for the Symphony's Children's Concert Division, 1950-1973; items relating to music education and appreciation in North Carolina; and other materials. Photographs document the Swalins from early childhood to old age.
Original file names have been retained throughout the collection.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Biographical Information, 1906-1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
Biographical information includes articles, newspaper clippings, programs, biographies, bibliographies, biographical sketches documenting Benjamin F. Swalin's early music career through his career as director of the North Carolina Symphony. Clippings follow Swalin's musical career from his early performances in Minneapolis, Minn., with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and studies and performances in New York, N.Y., and Vienna, Austria to his role in developing the North Carolina Symphony from its beginnings in 1939 to his retirement in 1972. Items pertaining to memorial services for Swalin are included. A few news clippings are in Swedish or German. There also are diplomas, a scrapbook with clippings and programs, and some biographical materials relating to Maxine M. Swalin.
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Series 2. Benjamin F. Swalin Writings, 1933-1989.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Published and unpublished writings include Benjamin F. Swalin's addresses; speeches; handwritten and typescript notes; musical scores; quotations; lectures; drafts of articles; poetry; reminiscences of travel; and materials relating to Hard Circus Road: The Odyssey of the North Carolina Symphony, The Violin Concerto (based on Swalin's dissertation), and "This is Your Music," a short book written by Swalin that was never published. Most of the material found in this series is the written work of Benjamin F. Swalin, though some articles and addresses written by Maxine M. Swalin are included. Most published and unpublished writings by Maxine M. Swalin can be found in Series 6. Also included are a few letters relating to publication of Swalin's work.
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Series 3. Correspondence, 1932-1993.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chronological, personal name, and subject correspondence of Benjamin F. Swalin and Maxine M. Swalin with social and professional acquaintances and advocates in the arts and legal communities. Most chronological correspondence pertains to the functioning of the North Carolina Symphony, including personnel issues and the 1972 dispute over the search for a new director. Also included are letters about travel, instruments, holiday greetings, Swalin's work at the University of North Carolina, politics, and the publication of Hard Circus Road. There are some letters from Benjamin to Maxine while he was in North Carolina and she was at Radcliffe College and letters from Maxine, thanking friends for their support after her husband's death. Personal name correspondence documents support of Benjamin F. Swalin from friends, politicians, members of the Ad Hoc Committee, and other musicians following his forced retirement from the North Carolina Symphony in 1972. Subject correspondence chiefly concerns the couple's role in the North Carolina Symphony following Swalin's forced retirement. Also included are letters of appreciation from children who attended performances of the North Carolina Symphony.
See also Series 2. for letters relating specifically to publication of Swalin's writings.
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Subseries 3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993.
Correspondence of Benjamin F. Swalin and Maxine M. Swalin. Most correspondence pertains to the functioning of the North Carolina Symphony, including personnel issues. Also included are letters about travel, instruments, holiday greetings, and Swalin's work at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Some correspondence relates to a 1972 dispute about a search for a new director (see also series 3.2 and 3.3 for additional correspondence on this topic). Other letters reflect Swalin's interest in politics, including one, 25 July 1973, from Senator Sam J. Ervin Jr. about Swalin's support for the Watergate investigation. Also included are letters pertaining to the publication of Hard Circus Road and excerpts from letters, 1935-1936, from Benjamin to Maxine while he was in North Carolina and she was at Radcliffe College. Other letters are from Maxine M. Swalin thanking friends for their support after Benjamin F. Swalin's death.
A few letters are in German.
| Folder 54 |
1932-1946 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 54Formerly folder 21. |
Folder 55-56
Folder 55Folder 56 |
1940-1988 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 55-56 |
| Folder 57 |
1950-1969 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 57Formerly folder 22. |
| Folder 58 |
1970-1971 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 58Formerly folder 23. |
| Folder 59 |
1972-1979, 1982-1985 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 59Formerly folder 24-25. |
| Folder 60 |
1989-1993 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 60Formerly folder 26. |
| Folder 61 |
Excerpts, 1935-1936 #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 61Formerly folder 27. |
| Folder 62 |
Undated #04962, Subseries: "3.1 Chronological Correspondence, 1932-1993." Folder 62Formerly folder 28. |
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Subseries 3.2. Personal Name Correspondence, 1940-1988 (1970s).
Personal name correspondence documents support of Benjamin F. Swalin from friends, politicians, members of the Ad Hoc Committee, and other musicians following his forced retirement from the North Carolina Symphony in 1972. See also series 3.1 and 3.3 for additional correspondence on this topic.
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Subseries 3.3. Subject Correspondence, 1944-1987 (1970s).
Subject correspondence chiefly concerns the Swalins' role in the North Carolina Symphony following Benjamin F. Swalin's forced retirement (see also series 3.1 and 3.2 for additional correspondence on this topic). Also included are letters of appreciation from children who attended performances of the North Carolina Symphony.
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Series 4. Subject Files, 1915-1986.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Subject files compiled by Benjamin F. Swalin and Maxine M. Swalin, some touching on his early musical career, but most relating to the administrative functioning of the North Carolina Symphony, including meeting minutes of the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and Ad Hoc Committee; bylaws and contracts; financial material; and personnel files. A significant portion of these materials document the forced retirement of Benjamin F. Swalin in 1971 and efforts made by the Swalins and the Ad Hoc Committee to oppose the actions of the newly formed Executive Committee in order to restore Swalin as director and honor the couple's contributions to the Symphony. Some files apparently were compiled by Maxine M. Swalin for research use for a possible book documenting the individuals and motives involved in her husband's forced retirement. Other materials in the subject files include correspondence and legal documents related to legislation proposed by Benjamin F. Swalin; musical programs and publicity material; material relating to music education and appreciation in North Carolina; and Benjamin F. Swalin's 1974 senatorial campaign.
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Series 5. Pictures, 1906-1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly portraits and snapshots of Benjamin F. Swalin and Maxine M. Swalin from childhood through old age. Early pictures include photographs of Swalin and of his uncle Nels Swalin, his brother Art Swalin, and the Minneapolis Symphony, and a baby book of Maxine M. Swalin. Photographs from the 1920s include pictures of Swalin with Franz Kneisel in Blue Hill, Me.; at Mispa Spring Camp; at Columbia University; with others at Mount Washington; with Professor Leopold Auer; and in a graduation gown. Photographs, 1930s-1970s, include pictures of the Swalins, members of the North Carolina Symphony, and University of North Carolina students. Also included are photographs of Benjamin Swalin receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971 and both of the Swalins receiving honorary doctorates from Duke University in 1979; images used in Hard Circus Road; photographs of a viola, 1990; and woodcut prints and watercolor paintings collected by Maxine M. Swalin.
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Series 6. Maxine M. Swalin Papers, 1909-2006 (Addition of January 2010).
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Acquisitions Information: Accession 101226.
Chiefly materials relating to Maxine M. Swalin's An Ear to Myself (1996), a self-published volume about her childhood in Iowa, marriage to Benjamin F. Swalin, and life with the North Carolina Symphony. Also included are research materials relating to her visual art and music work, Painted Music; personal correspondence; a diary; notebooks; biographical sketches; fundraising material; interviews; and clippings and other materials that document her love of art, music, and nature. Much of the material appears to have been collected during and after Benjamin F. Swalin's illness and subsequent death and reflects Maxine M. Swalin's life as a caregiver to her husband, the mourning of his passing, her approach to life and support of the arts, and her dedication to their collective efforts toward music education and appreciation in the state of North Carolina.
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Series 7. Additions After 2010.
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Subseries 7.1. Correspondence, Writings, and Printed Items, 1985-2006 (Addition of July 2015).
Acquisitions Information: Accession 102286.
Correspondence, newsclippings, magazines, newsletters, programs, writings, notes, guidelines for art collections, and North Carolina Symphony documents.
| Box 34 |
Correspondence, writings, and printed items, 1985-2006 #04962, Subseries: "7.1. Correspondence, Writings, and Printed Items, 1985-2006 (Addition of July 2015)." Box 34 |
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Subseries 7.2. Teaching Materials, circa 1930s-1950s (Addition of February 2017).
Acquisitions Information: Accession 103320.
Notebooks possibly used for teaching music theory and history courses in the Music Department at the University of North Carolina.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Caroline Weaver, October 1999; Jessica Mlotkowski, May 2010; Nancy Kaiser, February 2018
Encoded by: Caroline Weaver, October 1999
The Addition of 2010 was much larger than the original deposit of papers. When the original deposit and the Addition were integrated, the collection was renamed to include Maxine M. Swalin as a primary creator. A new arrangement scheme was also implemented. The first 42 folders were renumbered when the Addition of 2010 was processed. Original folder numbers are indicated in parentheses () in this finding aid.
The addition of 2010 was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.
Updated: April 2019.
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