Guide to the Urban Schnurr collection, 1886-1973
Overview of Collection
| Repository: | University of Dayton. University Archives and Special Collections |
| Creator: | Schnurr, Urban, 1906-1972 |
| Title: | Urban Schnurr collection |
| Dates: | 1886-1973 |
| Quantity: | 31.2 linear feet (38 boxes, 30 scrapbooks, and 50 books) |
| Abstract: | Posters, playbills, photographs, scrapbooks, programs, and other memorabilia of the theater and performing arts collected by Urban Schnurr (1906-1972). The collection is international in scope and covers the early to mid-20th century. Includes Schnurr's personal papers. |
| Collection Code: | SC 6 |
| Language: | Materials in English, German, French, Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Czech, Italian, and Russian. |
Biography of Urban Schnurr
Urban Schnurr was born in 1906. He graduated from the University of Dayton Preparatory School in 1925. Schnurr was avidly interested in music and opera, and he amassed a large collection of books and memorabilia pertaining to those interests. Schnurr was active in bringing performances to Dayton, and it is believed, based on Schnurr's notes, that he may have seen more than 65 different operas in his lifetime, several of them more than once. For a time, Schnurr worked with the Charles McLean bookstore, which may have facilitated his collecting so many rare books. He died in May 1972.
Scope and Content
This collection highlights music and theater performances within the U.S. and abroad during the mid-20th century through programs and playbills, newspaper clippings, books, and photographs. Materials originating in Dayton and Cincinnati form a large part of the collection, although the geographic range is extensive, with some materials from Europe, South America, and Asia. One series is dedicated to the personal papers of Urban Schnurr, including his correspondence, military papers, photographs, and movie reviews. Particularly unique is Schnurr's collection of celebrity autographs. The collection fills 38 boxes in addition to 30 scrapbooks and 50 books.
Statement of Arrangement
The Urban Schnurr collection is arranged into five series and six subseries.
Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Dayton Libraries Catalog. Researchers may use these headings to search the catalog for resources on related topics, persons, or places.
Personal Names
Schnurr, Urban, 1906-1972
Subjects
Opera
Performing arts
Playbills
Theater programs
Theatrical paraphernalia
Administrative Information
Access to Materials
This collection is open and available to the public for use in the University Archives and Special Collections reading room. All materials are non-circulating.
Copyright
The materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.
Acquisition Information
Urban Schnurr bequeathed this collection of opera materials to the Dayton Opera Association. In March 1975, the D.O.A. donated it to the University of Dayton Archives. The bulk of Urban Schnurr's book collection (nearly 1,000 books) was donated to the University of Dayton Library upon his death in May 1972.
Preferred Citation
Urban Schnurr Collection, 1886-1973. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.
Box and Folder Listing
| Series 1: Programs and handbills, 1903-1973 (26 boxes) | |||||||||||
| The records are in English, with some in German, French, Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Czech, Italian, and Russian. | |||||||||||
| Arranged according to the geographic origin of the materials. There are six subseries: | |||||||||||
|
Subseries 1: Dayton
Subseries 2: Cincinnati
Subseries 3: Chicago
Subseries 4: New York City
Subseries 5: Other American cities
Subseries 6: Outside the U.S.A.
|
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| Subseries 1: Dayton, 1911-1973 | |||||||||||
| Handbills, programs, and circulars that Mr. Schnurr collected from performances he attended in Dayton, OH. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Programs, 1919-1922 | 1 | ||||||||||
| One bound volume of the Brownell Stork Weekly (1919 season) and two bound volumes of the Mabel Brownell Weekly (1921 and 1922 seasons). | |||||||||||
| Victory Theatre, December 1919-June 1927 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Victory Theatre, July 1927-July 1930 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| Victory Theatre, 1924-1967 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
| Wright Players; Kenley Players; Lyric Theatre; Dayton Theatre Guild, June 1926-July 1971 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Dayton Civic Theatre; Dayton Playhouse Group, 1938-1942 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||
| Dayton Art Institute, 1931-1968 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
| NCR Schoolhouse, 1923-1941 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||
| Dayton Churches; Dayton Opera; Dayton Ballet, 1923-1968 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| O'Brien School; Marjorie Squires; Women's Music Club; Y.M.C.A.; miscellaneous theatres, 1921-1958 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| Dayton Civic Orchestra; Dayton Symphony Association, 3 January 1924-15 March 1931 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||
| Dayton Symphony Association, 1915-1931 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Dayton Civic Music League, 1914-1923 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||
| Dayton Civic Music League, 1924-circa 1972 | 6 | 2 | |||||||||
| Dayton Music Club; Dayton Civic Music Association; Chamber Orchestra Society, 7 November 1928-20 March 1962 | 6 | 3 | |||||||||
| Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, 1934-1967 | 6 | 4 | |||||||||
| Memorial Hall, 1915-1932 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| Memorial Hall, 1933-1938 | 7 | 2 | |||||||||
| Memorial Hall, 1939-1956 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||
| Memorial Hall, 1957-1961 | 7 | 4 | |||||||||
| Memorial Hall, 1962-1972 | 7 | 5 | |||||||||
| Circulars, 1932-1936 | 8 | 1 | |||||||||
| Circulars, 1932-1941 | 8 | 2 | |||||||||
| Circulars, 1928-1958 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous, 1912-1970 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous, 1911-1973 | 8 | 5 | |||||||||
| Subseries 2: Cincinnati, 1913-1972 | |||||||||||
| Yearbooks, programs, and other materials that Mr. Schnurr collected from performances in Cincinnati, OH. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra yearbooks, 1915-1920 (4 yearbooks) | 9 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra yearbooks, 1921-1926 (3 yearbooks) | 10 | ||||||||||
| Yearbooks for the years 1921-1922, 1922-1923, and 1925-1926. | |||||||||||
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra yearbooks, 1927-1928, 1958-1959 (2 yearbooks) | 11 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra programs, 1928-1940 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra programs, 1946-1972 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati Music Hall, 1913-1969 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati May Festival programs, 1929-1967 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati May Festival programs, 1968-1970 | 15 | 1 | |||||||||
| Cincinnati May Festival brochures, 1931-1971 | 15 | 2 | |||||||||
| Cox Theatre; Erlanger Opera House; Emory Auditorium, 1927-1949 | 15 | 3 | |||||||||
| Shubert Theatre, 1927-1966 | 15 | 4 | |||||||||
| Taft Auditorium; Taft Theatre, 1929-1942 | 15 | 5 | |||||||||
| Playhouse in the Park; Edgecliff; Theatre Guild; University of Cincinnati; miscellaneous, 1918-1972 | 15 | 6 | |||||||||
| Cincinnati Summer Opera, 1930-1969 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Subseries 3: Chicago, 1930-1972 | |||||||||||
| Programs and announcements from performances in Chicago, IL. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Chicago Lyric Opera announcements, 1957-1972 | 17 | 1 | |||||||||
| Chicago Lyric Opera News, Vol. 3-9, June 1958-September 1964 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||
| Chicago Lyric Opera News, Vol. 10-15, February 1965-September 1971 | 17 | 3 | |||||||||
| Chicago Lyric Opera programs, 1958-1971 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 1954-1967 | 18 | 1 | |||||||||
| Chicago Opera programs, 1930-1938 | 18 | 2 | |||||||||
| Blackstone Theatre; Studebaker Theatre; Ravinia, 1934 1961-1971 | 18 | 3 | |||||||||
| Goodman Theatre; Auditorium, 1963-1972 | 18 | 4 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous programs, 1930-1970 | 18 | 5 | |||||||||
| Subseries 4: New York City, 1903-1971 | |||||||||||
| Programs and playbills from performances at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, and other venues in New York, NY. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Metropolitan Opera, 1903, 1926-1971 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Playbill, 1932-1951 | 20 | ||||||||||
| Play programs, 1919-1964 | 21 | 1 | |||||||||
| Radio City; Carnegie Hall, 1903-1960 | 21 | 2 | |||||||||
| American Ballet Theatre; other ballet companies, 1938-1966 | 21 | 3 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous, 1910-1960 | 22 | 1 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous, 1904-1964 | 22 | 2 | |||||||||
| Subseries 5: Other American cities, 1925-1972 | |||||||||||
| Programs and handbills from Milwaukee, San Francisco, Cleveland, Columbus, and Boston, among others. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Milwaukee, WI, 1964-1972 | 23 | 1 | |||||||||
| Dallas, TX, 1959-1968 | 23 | 2 | |||||||||
| San Francisco, CA: Symphony; Light Opera; miscellaneous, 1953-1971 | 23 | 3 | |||||||||
| San Francisco Opera, 1953-1971 | 23 | 4 | |||||||||
| Cleveland, OH, 1930-1942 | 24 | 1 | |||||||||
| Cleveland, OH, 1925-1972 | 24 | 2 | |||||||||
| Springfield, OH, 1928-1941, 1965 | 24 | 3 | |||||||||
| Yellow Springs, OH: Antioch College, 1936-1971 | 24 | 4 | |||||||||
| Columbus, OH, 1930-1957 | 24 | 5 | |||||||||
| Detroit, MI; Ann Arbor, MI; St. Louis, MO, 1931-1965 | 24 | 6 | |||||||||
| Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; miscellaneous, 1927-1967 | 24 | 7 | |||||||||
| Subseries 6: Outside the U.S.A, 1932-1972 | |||||||||||
| The records are in French, English, Italian, German, Russian, Czech, Spanish; Castilian, Chinese, and Thai. | |||||||||||
| Programs from Europe, Argentina, and the Far East. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| France, 1944-1948 | 25 | 1 | |||||||||
| The records are in French and English. | |||||||||||
| Belgium; Luxembourg; Spain; Switzerland; Italy, circa 1940s | 25 | 2 | |||||||||
| The records are in English, French, and Italian. | |||||||||||
| England, 1932-1972 | 25 | 3 | |||||||||
| Germany, 1936-1964 | 25 | 4 | |||||||||
| The records are in German and English. | |||||||||||
| Opera de Marseilles, 20 September 1946-26 November 1946 | 26 | 1 | |||||||||
| The records are in French | |||||||||||
| Czechoslovakia; Austria; Denmark, circa 1940s | 26 | 2 | |||||||||
| The records are in German, English, Czech and Russian. | |||||||||||
| Argentina; Far East, circa 1930s-1940s | 26 | 3 | |||||||||
| The records are in English, Spanish; Castilian, Thai, and Chinese. | |||||||||||
| Series 2: Personal papers of Urban Schnurr, 1886-1971 (3 boxes) | |||||||||||
| This series contains the personal papers of Urban Schnurr, including personal and business correspondence, military papers, a list of performances seen, and movie reviews written by Mr. Schnurr. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Photographs, 1886-1968 | 27 | 1 | |||||||||
| Bookworms Club, 1932-1938 | 27 | 2 | |||||||||
| Business correspondence, bills, and other materials, 1932-20 June 1967 | 27 | 3 | |||||||||
| Performances seen, 1934-1948 | 27 | 4 | |||||||||
| Postcards, mass cards, invitations, thank you letters, 1904-1971 | 27 | 5 | |||||||||
| Military papers, 25 July 1942-28 January 1955 | 27 | 6 | |||||||||
| Personal correspondence, circa 1920-1949 | 28 | 1 | |||||||||
| Personal correspondence, 1950-1972 | 28 | 2 | |||||||||
| Christmas cards, circa 1940s-1970s | 28 | 3 | |||||||||
| Movie reviews by U. Schnurr, 27 August 1935-1 November 1937 | 29 | 1 | |||||||||
| Movie reviews by U. Schnurr, 16 March 1935-12 June 1937 | 29 | 2 | |||||||||
| Movie reviews by U. Schnurr, 20 May 1935-8 July 1935 | 29 | 3 | |||||||||
| Castings of plays seen by U. Schnurr from 1921-1935, circa 1930s | 29 | 4 | |||||||||
| Castings and reviews of plays seen by U. Schnurr, undated | 29 | 5 | |||||||||
| Series 3: Photographs and other materials, 1879-1970s (9 boxes) | |||||||||||
| This series consists of Urban Schnurr's collection of more than 500 photographs, including autographed photos. An alphabetized list of all identified photographs is included for reference. Schnurr wrote to famous musicians, actors, actresses, and other celebrities in hopes of receiving autographed photos from every celebrity he had met or seen perform. Autographs of such people as Jean Harlow, John Philip Sousa, and Helen Keller can be found in this series. Other materials include Victory Record catalogs, maps and guidebooks, pictures and postcards, and ballet programs. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| Photographs, A-B, undated | 30 | 1 | |||||||||
| Photographs, C-E, undated | 30 | 2 | |||||||||
| Photographs, F-I, undated | 30 | 3 | |||||||||
| Photographs, J-L, undated | 30 | 4 | |||||||||
| Photographs, M, undated | 30 | 5 | |||||||||
| Photographs, N-R, undated | 31 | 1 | |||||||||
| Photographs, S, undated | 31 | 2 | |||||||||
| Photographs, T-Z, undated | 31 | 3 | |||||||||
| Group photographs, undated | 31 | 4 | |||||||||
| American Opera Co.; Chicago Opera Paris; Opera House; Salzburg Opera; Motion pictures, undated | 31 | 5 | |||||||||
| Victory Record catalogs, 1912-1934 | 32 | ||||||||||
| Victory Record catalogs, 1936-1954 | 33 | ||||||||||
| Maps and guidebooks, undated | 34 | 1 | |||||||||
| Pictures and postcards, undated | 34 | 2-3 | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous and unknown photographs, undated | 34 | 4 | |||||||||
| Ballet programs, 1924-1971 | 35 | ||||||||||
| Ballet programs, 1935-1959 | 36 | ||||||||||
| Oversized and encapsulated programs, 1879-1960 | 37 | ||||||||||
| Oversized photographs and miscellaneous programs, 1904-1970s | 38 | ||||||||||
| Series 4: Books, 1890-1972 (3.5 linear feet) | |||||||||||
| This series contains 50 books, most of which focus on music or recording. | |||||||||||
| A Catalog of Music for the AMPICO. New York: The Ampico Corporation, 1925 | |||||||||||
| Barnes, Harold. Claudia Muzio. Princeton: Princeton Press, 1947 | |||||||||||
| Barnes, Harold M. Mary Garden on Records. San Angelo, Texas: The Holcombe-Blanton Printery, 1947 | |||||||||||
| Complete List of Columbia Records. New York: Columbia Graphophone Company, 1919 | |||||||||||
| Complete List of Columbia Records. New York: Columbia Graphophone Company, 1921 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Records Complete Catalog. New York: Columbia Graphophone Company, 1922 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1923 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1924 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1925 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1927 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1928 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Phonograph Company, 1929 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Records Complete Catalogue. New York: Columbia Recording Corporation, 1940 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Recording Corporation, 1942 (2 copies) | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Recording Corporation, 1946 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Record Catalog. New York: Columbia Recording Corporation, 1945 | |||||||||||
| Alphabetical Catalogue of Columbia Records. New York: Columbia Records, 1947-1948 | |||||||||||
| Coda. 5th Anniversary Columbia Record. New York: Columbia Records, 1953 | |||||||||||
| Columbia Records, circa 1917 | |||||||||||
| Garbett, A.S. Gallery of Musical Celebrities. Philadelphia: Theodore Presser Co., 1909 | |||||||||||
| Gramophone Shop, Inc. The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1942 | |||||||||||
| Halline, Allan Gates. American Plays. New York: American Book Co., 1935 | |||||||||||
| Hurst, P.G. The Golden Age Recorded. Henfield, Sussex: P.G. Hurst, 1946 | |||||||||||
| Key, Pierre, ed. Pierre Key's Musical Who's Who. New York: Pierre Key, Inc., 1931 | |||||||||||
| Key, Pierre, ed. Pierre Key's Music Yearbook. New York: Pierre Key Publishing Corporation, 1935 | |||||||||||
| L and M Record Supplement. No. 163. Haverford, Pennsylvania: Lambert and Mycroft, 1939 | |||||||||||
| L and M Record Supplement. No. 164. Haverford, Pennsylvania: Lambert and Mycroft, 1958 | |||||||||||
| Landone, Brown. Prophecies of Melchi-Zedek. New York: The Book of Gold, 1940 | |||||||||||
| Lebow, Bernard, comp. American Record Index. Vol. 1, No. 1. New York: The Elaine Music Shop, 1950 | |||||||||||
| Lebow, Bernard, comp. American Record Index. Vol. 1, No. 2. New York: The Elaine Music Shop, 1950 | |||||||||||
| Leonard, William, ed. Chicago Stagebill Yearbook. Chicago: Chicago Stagebill, 1947 | |||||||||||
| London Records Supplement to March 1954 Catalogue. New York: London Records, 1955 | |||||||||||
| Recorded British Music. New York: London Records, 1953 | |||||||||||
| The Martha Kinney Cooper Ohioana Library Association. Ohio Year Book - Ohio in the Entertainment World. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1962 | |||||||||||
| Moses. Julian Morton. Collectors' Guide to American Recordings, 1895-1925. New York: American Record Collectors Exchange, 1949 | |||||||||||
| Moses, Julian Morton. Price Guide to Collectors' Records. New York: American Record Collectors Exchange, 1952 | |||||||||||
| Pierre Key's Music Yearbook. New York: Pierre Key, Inc., 1925-1926 | |||||||||||
| Pierre Key's Music Yearbook. New York: Pierre Key, Inc., 1926-1927 | |||||||||||
| Pierre Key's International Music Yearbook, 1928. New York: Pierre Key, Inc., 1928 | |||||||||||
| Popper, Eva and Francis Robinson, eds. Metropolitan Opera Association Annual Report, 1970-1971 | |||||||||||
| Reader's Digest, 50th Anniversary Issue. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., February 1972 | |||||||||||
| Review of Reviews. The Story that Transformed the World. London: Mowbray House, 1890 | |||||||||||
| Saerchinger, Cesar, ed. International Who's Who in Music. New York: Current Literature Publishing Company, 1918 | |||||||||||
| Seattle and Puget Sound [Brochure]. Seattle: C.P. Johnston Co., circa 1960s | |||||||||||
| Portraits of Musical Celebrities. New York: Steinway and Sons, 1915 | |||||||||||
| Tupper, Turner, ed. The Angel World of Classical Music. Los Angeles: Angel, 1965 | |||||||||||
| United States of America. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.Cabrillo National Monument. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1962 | |||||||||||
| A Musical Galaxy. Camden, New Jersey: Victor Talking Machine Company, 1927 | |||||||||||
| Waldrop, Gid, ed. Anderson's Review of Recorded Music. Vol. 18, No. 1. New York: Gainsburg-Shack, Inc., 1955 | |||||||||||
| Winter, William. Tyrone Power. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1913 | |||||||||||
| Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1892-1946 (30 items) | |||||||||||
| Thirty scrapbooks of playbills, newspaper clippings, and pictures pertaining to the theater. | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1919-1923 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1919-1925 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1924-1925 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1925-1926 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1926-1929 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1927-1928 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1930-1931 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1930-1934 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1932-1933 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1936-1937 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1938-1939 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1942-1944 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook, 1945-1946 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 1, 1859-1902 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 2, 1902-1911 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 3, 1911-1915 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 4, 1916-1919 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 5, 1919-1923 | |||||||||||
| Playbills scrapbook, No. 6, 1923-1930 | |||||||||||
| Theatrical scrapbook, No. 1, 1892-1901 | |||||||||||
| Theatrical scrapbook, No. 2, 1902-1904 | |||||||||||
| Theatrical scrapbook, No. 3, 1906-1911 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook of playbills, 1911-1930 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook of newspaper clippings and playbills, 1917-1925 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbook of newspaper clippings and playbills, 1925-1928 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbooks of magazine and newspaper pictures, undated (2 scrapbooks) | |||||||||||
| Scrapbooks of playbills and pictures, undated (3 scrapbooks) | |||||||||||