Von Tilzer / Gumm collection
Contributors: Gumm, H. Harold; Harry Von Tilzer Music Pub. Co; Singer, Dolph, 1900-1942; Nordstrom, Frances; McCree, Junie, 1865-1918; Gumm, H. Harold
Published: 1878
Language: eng
Number of pages: 11000
Subjects: Correspondence; Photographs; Theatrical agents; Popular music; Harry Von Tilzer Music Pub. Co; African American entertainers; Vaudeville; Composers; Music publishing; Musical theater; Music publishers; Music; Archives; Manuscripts; Goldie & Gumm
Description: The collection consists of both personal and professional papers of Harry Von Tilzer and of his brother H. Harold Gumm, and the records of the Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. (HVTMPC). The records of the HVTMPC are inextricably combined not only with Harry Von Tilzer's papers but also with Gumm's papers and those of his firm Goldie & Gumm. Von Tilzer's personal papers include correspondence, including letters to and from one of his primary collaborators, Andrew B. Sterling; writings; legal and financial documents; and drafts of his autobiography. The HVTMPC materials primarily consist of music (manuscript and printed); lyrics (manuscript and typewritten); scripts by such authors as Dolph Singer, Frances Nordstrom, and Junie McCree; legal and financial records; and a catalog of works published by HVTMPC. There is a large collection of songs, ranging from lead sheets without words to complete piano-vocal scores. Most of Gumm's subject files relate to his activities as an agent for many prominent black performers of the 1930s and 1940s, including Georgette Harvey, Jester Hairston, Rex Ingram, and Teddy Hale. In addition, there are papers relating to a touring production of Cabin in the sky. Materials relating to their brothers (music publisher Will Von Tilzer; songwriter Albert Von Tilzer; and Jules and Jack Von Tilzer, who both worked in the family business) also appear in the collection. The collection also contains an assortment of programs from music halls and vaudeville houses; photographs of the Von Tilzer brothers and early vaudeville performers; and clippings.
Notes: Open to research.

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Von Tilzer / Gumm Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress.

Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply.

Acquired; 1982.

Harry Von Tilzer (b. July 8, 1872 in Goshen, Indiana; d. January 10, 1946 in New York) was a songwriter, music publisher and performer. The family name was Gumm, but Harry added "Von" to his mother's maiden name to use as a professional pseudonym. His other brothers, with the exception of H. Harold, followed suit. At an early age, he worked in a circus and medicine show as a singer and tumbler. He performed his own songs on the vaudeville circuit and published his first song in 1892. In 1902, he founded the Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. (HVTMPC) which became one of the most successful American popular music publishing companies in the early 20th century. He may have been responsible for the invention of the term "Tin Pan Alley" when a journalist coined the phrase after noticing Von Tilzer's habit of placing a strip of paper between the strings of the upright piano in his office to produce a more percussive sound. Von Tilzer was one of the few publishers in the late 1920s to remain independent of the radio and cinema companies that began buying up music firms and their songwriting staffs.

H. Harold Gumm (b. 1881 or 1882; d. July 13, 1973 in New Jersey), Harry Von Tilzer's brother, worked as a theatrical agent, producer, and attorney and handled the  legal affairs of the Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co.  He and partner William V. Goldie started the firm Goldie & Gumm and represented some of the best known black performers of the 1930s and 1940s on both East and West coasts. Gumm became president of the Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. after his brother's death in 1946 and served as executor of Harry Von Tilzer's estate.

Other Von Tilzer brothers were involved in music publishing in various ways. Jules Von Tilzer was a manager of Remick's and later president of the Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. Will Von Tilzer was a lyricist and president of the Broadway Music Corporation. Jack Von Tilzer was a co-founder and director of the York Music Co. together with Albert Von Tilzer, who was also a successful songwriter.

Finding aid available in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room and at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu010017