Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MUSIC BOOK

Date

1901

Materials

PAPER, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.9

Length

30.2

Width

23.4

Description

160 PAGE BOOK WITH PAPER COVER AND BLACK CLOTH TAPE SPINE. COVER HAS FADED LIGHT GREEN BORDERS AND SCROLL WORK. ALSO HAS PICTURE OF WOMAN PLAYING A HARP ON FRONT AS WELL. TITLE READS "STANDARD SONGS" IN LARGE GREEN LETTERS WITH "VOLUME 2, FOR LOW VOICE" BENEATH IT. AT BOTTOM IS "PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL MUSIC CO. COPYRIGHT 1901 BY NATIONAL MUSIC CO." AND "41 W. 28TH ST., NEW YORK" AND "266-268 WABASH AVE. CHICAGO.". THE SAME INFO IS REPEATED ON FIRST PAGE OF BOOK. PAGE TWO HAS TABLE OF CONTENTS AND REST OF BOOK HAS MUSIC. ON BACK COVER IS ADVERTISEMENT FOR MORE MUSIC FROM PUBLISHER. CORNERS ARE SLIGHTLY DOG-EARED AND TORN. TOP AND BOTTOM OF SPINE IS WORN AND BACK COVER HAS PINK COLORED HUE FROM LIGHT DAMAGE. COVERS ARE ALSO SLIGHTLY DIRTY.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

MUSICAL T&E

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

ARTIFACT WAS DISCOVERED IN CONSERVATION LAB WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION OR OTHER ASSOCIATIONS. IT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED INTO PERMANENT COLLECTION BY ACCESSION COMMITTEE WITHOUT HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT. SHE NOTED THAT OF THE 21 BOOKS/SHEET MUSIC THAT WERE ACQUIRED IN 1996 WITH UNKNOWN ASSOCIATIONS OR DONORS, FIVE HAD THE NAME "ESTHER SPONHOLZ" WRITTEN IN PENCIL ON THEIR COVERS. SEARCHING FOR THAT NAME IN THE DIGITIZED LETHBRIDGE HERALD LED TO THE OBITUARIES OF ESTHER GROSE (NEE SPONHOLZ), HER BROTHER EARL, AND HER HUSBAND HARRY. GIVEN THAT ALL 21 OF THE MUSIC BOOKS WERE ACQUIRED AT THE SAME TIME AND ARE OF SIMILAR VINTAGE, IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY ALL BELONGED TO ESTHER SPONHOLZ PRIOR TO HER MARRIAGE TO HARRY GROSE IN 1937. IT REMAINS UNKNOWN HOW THE BOOKS ARRIVED AT THE GALT MUSEUM, AND WHO DONATED THEM. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ESTHER SPONHOLZ GROSE WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED OBITUARIES. ESTHER DOROTHY SPONHOLZ WAS BORN IN 1917 NEAR MEDICINE HAT AND GREW UP IN THE AREA. SHE MET HARRY JAMES GROSE IN CALGARY AND THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1937. THEY LIVED IN MEDICINE HAT UNTIL 1949, WHEN THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE, WHERE HARRY WAS A PARTNER IN NORRIE AND FAWCETT FARM EQUIPMENT. ESTHER WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, AND AN ACCOMPLISHED PIANIST. WHEN HARRY DIED IN 1990, ESTHER MOVED TO CALGARY TO BE NEAR THEIR SON GLEN. ESTHER GROSE DIED ON JANUARY 10, 1996. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF OBITUARIES.

Catalogue Number

P19960000021

Acquisition Date

1996-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail