John Owen Ward papers
Collection
0167-SCPA
John Owen Ward (1919-2000) was an English editor and music publisher. He is best known for his work at Oxford University Press, where he served as the editor for several well-known music publications, such as The Oxford Dictionary of Music. In addition to his work with OUP, Ward served as Director of Serious Music for music publisher Boosey & Hawkes and served as Vice President and President of the Music Publishers’ Association. The John Owen Ward papers consist of professional materials, correspondence, subject files and clippings, programs, recordings, photographs, biographical materials, and ephemera.
Materials from Subseries I.1 and VIII.1 contain restricted 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. Please make an appointment with the curator: Tel: 301.405.9220, Email: scpa@umd.edu
82.00 Linear Feet
The professional and personal papers of John Owen Ward (1919-2000), noted music editor, fill 172 document cases. The collection consists of subject files on a variety of musicians and musical topics, correspondence and other papers documenting Ward’s tenure as Manager of the Music Department of Oxford University Press in New York, published and unpublished articles by Ward, and some musical scores and sound recordings of interest to Ward. An important part of the collection documents Ward’s service in WWII through letters and photographs.
The English editor John Owen Ward (1919-2000) is best known for his work at New York's Oxford University Press and his oversight of The Oxford Companion to Music. Before and after World War II, Ward worked as an antiquarian book and music dealer.
During the war, Ward served as a member of the Royal Artillery. In addition, his language skills allowed him to serve as a translator during prisoner interrogations in Rome, and upon his return to England he was in charge of all intelligence, internal administration, and welfare of the large Italian and German prisoner of war camp at Holsworthy, Devon.
After the war, Ward resumed his activities as a book dealer and became assistant to Percy Scholes (1877-1958), author of the Oxford Companion to Music as well as other books on music for the general reader. Ward earned his BA (1952) and MA (1956) at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, specializing in French and German. In 1957, he was appointed Manager of the Music Department for Oxford University Press in New York, a position he would hold until 1972. During that time he was the sole editor of the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music, the Oxford Junior Companion to Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music. He also wrote Careers in Music (1968) along with a number of articles and reviews. In 1972, Ward was made director of serious music for Boosey & Hawkes in New York, a position he would hold until 1979. Also in 1972, Ward was elected first Vice-President of the Music Publishers' Association of the United States, of which he would become President in 1974.
Ward was married to Maya Riviere (d. 1989). Riviere was a graduate of Agnes Scott College and earned her doctorate at Oxford as one of the first group of Fulbright scholars. She was Executive Director of the National Council on Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Codes. They had two children, John Dudley and Edith Mary (Snow).
This collection is organized into eight series.
Gift to the University of Maryland Libraries from Jody Shields on behalf of the Ward estate.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library