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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.
Archival processing of the Malvin Newston Artley Collection of West Virginia Fiddle Tunes was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Size | 45 items |
Abstract | Field recordings, 1952-1953, and other materials related to Malvin Newston Artley's Ph.D. dissertation research on traditional fiddlers and fiddle tunes of West Virginia. Artley, a white musician and music educator, recorded and collected these field recordings of old-time tunes played on the fiddle and Appalachian fretted dulcimer while conducting his Ph.D. dissertation research at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill. Artley's recordings were later duplicated by SFC staff and deposited into the collection in 1995. The majority of the recordings feature tunes by Emory Bailey, white fiddler from Shock, Gilmer County, W.Va.; Arden Wilson, white fiddler from Harrisville, Ritchie County, W.Va.; and unidentified dulcimer players. The collection also includes recordings, 1970, of Burl Hammons, white old-time fiddler from Pocahontas County, W.Va., originally recorded by Malcomb Owen, as well as a 1994 interview with Malvin Newston Artley on his dissertation research conducted by Wayne Martin, a white North Carolina based folklorist, fiddler, and arts administrator. The collection contains related documention, including tape logs, interview transcripts, and photocopies of original open reel boxes and field notes. |
Creator | Artley, Malvin Newton. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Anne Wells, August 2019
Encoded by: Anne Wells, August 2019
Archival processing of the Malvin Newston Artley Collection of West Virginia Fiddle Tunes was made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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Malvin Newston Artley (1921-2017) was a white musician and music educator born in Newark, N.J. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Following honorable discharge, he used the GI Bill to earn his Master of Music in Violin Performance from Cincinnati Conservatory, as well as his Doctor of Fine Arts in Musicology from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. While at Chicago College of Performing Arts, Artley conducted his dissertation research on traditional fiddling of West Virginia, which included recording and collecting field recordings of old-time tunes played on the fiddle and Appalachian fretted dulcimer. This work culminated in his Ph.D. dissertation, "The West Virginia Country Fiddler: An Aspect of the Folk Music Tradition in the United States". After completing his Ph.D. dissertation in 1955, Artley moved to Burlington, N.C. to initiate a string program in the Burlington City Schools. He later joined the faculty of Elon College to help develop a college-community orchestra, among other programs. He also adjudicated bands and orchestras throughout the country and played violin in the Roanoke Symphony, the Greensboro, Symphony, and the Winston-Salem Symphony. He was a charter member of the American String Teachers Association, serving as N.C. state president for 5 years, and was a charter member of the National School Orchestra Association, serving as national treasurer, national vice-president, and national president. He was awarded the Elon Medallion for outstanding service to Elon University in 2001. He received the first Maxine Swalin award from the North Carolina Symphony for "instilling and inspiring love of music in North Carolina's children".
Biographical information courtesy of the Time-News, Burlington, N.C.
Back to TopField recordings, 1952-1953, and other materials related to Malvin Newston Artley's Ph.D. dissertation research on traditional fiddlers and fiddle tunes of West Virginia. Artley, a white musician and music educator, recorded and collected these field recordings of old-time tunes played on the fiddle and Appalachian fretted dulcimer while conducting his Ph.D. dissertation research at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill. Artley's recordings on 1/4" open reel and acetate disc were later duplicated by SFC staff onto 1/4" open reel and deposited into the collection in 1995. The majority of the recordings feature tunes by Emory Bailey, white fiddler from Shock, Gilmer County, W.Va.; Arden Wilson, white fiddler from Harrisville, Ritchie County, W.Va.; and unidentified dulcimer players. The collection also includes recordings, 1970, of Burl Hammons, white old-time fiddler from Pocahontas County, W.Va., originally recorded by Malcomb Owen, as well as a 1994 interview with Malvin Newston Artley on his dissertation research conducted by Wayne Martin, a white North Carolina based folklorist, fiddler, and arts administrator. Former SFC staff prepared the related documentation found in the collection, which consists of tape logs, interview transcripts, and photocopies of original open reel boxes and field notes prepared by Artley's sister-in-law. Tape logs include contextual information on the performers, as well as song titles and tunings.
Back to TopArrangement: In order as received.
Processing information: Folder 1 was formerly in Southern Folklife Collection Field Notes (#30025), folder 394. Titles and descriptions compiled from SFC database. Recordings presumed made by Malvin Newston Artley unless otherwise noted.