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J.E. Roach Banda Mexicana Music Collection

 Collection 0031-SCPA
This collection consists of the extant portions of the J. E. Roach Banda Mexicana library of scores and parts, and includes sections 3, 4, and 5 of the original library. These materials total 208 volumes of music written for 73-instrument band and conductor, published between 1881 and 1906. J. E. Roach's Banda Mexicana was a touring concert band active between circa 1908 and 1911. American conductor, Captain J.E. Roach (dates unknown) recruited over 50 soloists from army and police bands across Mexico to form his touring group. The band also included male and female vocalists and dancers. Its repertoire consisted of standard band arrangements of the day, as well as traditional Mexican music.

Dates

  • 1881-1906
  • Majority of material found within 1881-1906

Use and Access to Collection

The collection is open for research use.

Duplication and Copyright Information

Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Contact the curator for an appointment: http://www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/contact

Extent

15.50 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection consists of the extant portions of the J. E. Roach Banda Mexicana library of scores and parts, and includes sections 3, 4, and 5 of the original library. These materials total 208 volumes of music written for 73-instrument band and conductor, published between 1881 and 1906. The gift was originally accepted because it contained music that was either arranged for the P.S. Gilmore Band or published by the P.S. Gilmore Band Library Publishing Company of St. Louis. A complete list of the score titles found in the collection is available; please contact the Special Collections in Performing Arts curator for assistance.

Administrative History

J. E. Roach's Banda Mexicana was a touring concert band active between circa 1908 and 1911. American conductor, Captain J.E. Roach (dates unknown) recruited over 50 soloists from army and police bands across Mexico to form his touring group. The band also included male and female vocalists and dancers, and its repertoire consisted of standard band arrangements of the day, as well as traditional Mexican music. The band spent the summer of 1910 performing at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in 1911 it headed west to Denver, Colorado. After a series of financial difficulties in Denver early in the summer, the band embarked on a concert tour of the American West. Roach's Banda Mexicana's last known tour stops were in American Fork, Utah and Salt Lake City, Utah, in August of 1911. The band may also have had an earlier European tour (circa 1909), but this has not been confirmed.

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

Gift of Elva Y. Adams of Denver, Colorado, in October, 1976; gift facilitated by Bruce Wilson (agent).

Related Material

  1. Banda Mexicana research notes and newspaper clippings printed from microfilm, assembled in the mid-1970s by Bruce Wilson, former curator.
  2. Legal case: Lane v. J. E. Roach's Banda Mexicana Co. 78 N.J. Eq. 439, 79 A. 365. March 3, 1911. Printed copy.
These materials are stored at the end of the collection. Please see curator for details.

For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.

Processing Information

This collection is comprised of three sets of part-books: No. 3 Palestrina, No. 4 Scarlatti, and No. 5 Spanish. Note: Part books No. 1 and 2 are not included in this collection. They are presumed lost, and their titles and contents are unknown.

The part-books are bound by instrument (i.e., 1st clarinet, 2nd clarinet, etc.; the conductor's books contain 1st cornet parts). The music parts are pasted to the pages of the books; each part is numbered, and a table of contents is pasted into the inside cover of most volumes. It should be noted that the title of each series appears to have no bearing on the contents of the books, except that each book sharing the same title has the same contents. Some volumes contain marginalia, often written in Spanish, such as the soloist's name or the date a piece was performed.

The part-books arrived at Special Collections in Performing Arts in three custom-built travel trunks. The travel trunks were in poor condition and were discarded in the 1990s.

Topics

Administrative Information

Title
J. E. Roach Banda Mexicana Music Collection
Status
minimally-processed
Author
Kevin Pace, March 2005. Revised by Leahkim Gannett, June 2010.
Date
2010-06-17
Language of description
Finding aid written in English

Revision Statements

  • 2008-05-06: EAD markup checked and verified using JEdit software by Jennie A. Levine, May 2008.
  • 2008-06-19: EAD markup checked and verified using JEdit software by Jennie A. Levine, June 2008.
  • 2010-06-24: EAD markup checked and verified using JEdit software by Jennie Levine Knies, June 2010.

Library Details

Library Details

Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library Library

http://www.lib.umd.edu/mspal
Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
8270 Alumni Drive
College Park MD 20742 United States

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