A Guide to the Carl Venth Papers, 1885-1959
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator: | Venth, Carl, 1860-1938. | |
| Title: | Venth, Carl, Papers | |
| Dates: | 1885-1959 | |
| Abstract: | The Carl Venth Papers, 1885-1959, contains correspondence and memoranda, printed and handwritten sheet music, notes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, and programs concerning the career of Venth. Also included are documents concerning his wife Cathinka. Carl Venth (1860-1938) was a German composer, violinist, conductor, music educator, and scholar. | |
| Accession No.: | 1941; 1943; 1960; 64-107; 64-124; 66-35; 69-14; 71-31 | |
| Extent: | 18 ft., 9 in. | |
| Language: | Materials are written in English, German, and Norwegian. | |
| Repository: | Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin | |
Biographical Note
German composer, violinist, conductor, music educator, and scholar Carl Venth (1860-1938) was a leading classical music figure in Texas in the first half of the twentieth century. After studying with Ferdinand Hiller at the Cologne Conservatory and Henry Wieniawski in Brussels, Venth became the concertmaster of the Flemish Opera House at age 18 and then became the concertmaster of the Opera Comique in Paris in 1879. In 1880 he immigrated to New York City, where he led and organized several orchestras and musical ensembles, such as the Venth College of Music and the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra.
In 1908, Venth moved to Texas to work as violin director at the Kidd-Key College in Sherman. He also served as dean of the School of Fine Arts at Texas Woman’s College (later Texas Wesleyan University) in Fort Worth from 1914 through 1931 and as head of the music department of Westmoorland College (now part of Trinity University) in San Antonio from 1931 through 1938. Furthermore, Venth directed the Frohsinn Chorus, conducted the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and organized and served as the first conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He served as president of the State Music Teachers’ Association, receiving an honorary life membership. He also accepted honorary degrees from the Chicago Musical College and New York College.
On July 13, 1899, Venth married Norwegian-American Cathinka Firth Myhr (1867-1958).
Sources:
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Venth, Carl (1860-1938),"http://www.tshaonline.org /handbook/online/articles/VV/fve5.html (accessed May 14, 2010).
Scope and Contents
The Carl Venth Papers, 1885-1959, primarily consists of printed and handwritten sheet music composed by Venth. The papers also include correspondence and memoranda, notes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, photographs, sound recordings, and programs concerning the career of Venth and his wife Cathinka.
Archivist’s note: A portion of this collection is catalogued in the Reading Room’s Card Catalog – Section A. Please refer to it for specific compositions and locations.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Use of audio material by appointment only; please contact sound archivist.
Use Restrictions
Unrestricted use.
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Venth, Carl, 1860-1938 -- Archives. | ||
| Venth, Cathinka Finch Myhr, 1867- -- Archives. | ||
| Subjects (Organizations) | ||
| C. C. Birchard & Co. (Boston, Mass.) | ||
| Texas Federation of Music Clubs | ||
| Texas Woman’s College | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Music -- United States. | ||
| Opera -- United States. | ||
| Composers -- United States. | ||
| Violinists -- United States. | ||
| Conductors (Music) -- United States. | ||
| Music teachers -- United States. | ||
| Musicians -- United States. | ||
| Places | ||
| Texas -- History -- Sources. | ||
Related Material
See also the Venth (Carl) Papers at the Fort Worth Library in Forth Worth, Texas. |
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Separated Material
Some material has been separated to the Artifact Collection. |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Carl Venth Papers, 1885-1959, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processing Information
This collection contains unprocessed materials.
This collection was processed by Chester V. Kielman and B.S., June-July 1964. Subsequent revisions were made by W.H. Richter, February 1966 June 1969; Sara Rumbo, February 1973; and Laurel Rozema, May 2010.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.
Detailed Description of the Papers