Frederick Freedman (1929-1975) was a noted musicologist, music librarian, pianist, author, publisher, and collector. He held positions as a music librarian at Case Western Reserve University, The University of California at Los Angeles, The University of Iowa, and Vassar College. Additionally, he published more than fifty journal articles and was one of the founders of Da Capo Press. Along with his career in musicology and librarianship, he had a great passion for collecting sheet music and books. In 2018 and 2019, Freedman’s widow, Jacqueline Kahane Freedman, donated his collection of rare books and music to Baldwin Wallace. The donated collection consists largely of scores for keyboard, chamber, and vocal music from the 18th and early-19th centuries. It has been cataloged in a finding aid and is housed in the RBI’s climate-controlled vault.
Some items from the collection have been digitized and can be seen at https://digital.opal-libraries.org/digital/collection/p17342bw17.
In Spring 2023, as their final project, students in Dr. Danielle Kuntz’s Music History and Literature 3 class created online exhibits based on items in the Freedman Collection. Students selectied a work from the collection, and researched its context, form, and publication. Students were able to visit the RBI to see the items in person, then worked primarily from digital copies scanned here at BW. The exhibits feature text written by the students, accompanied by images relating to the composer or the work.Those exhibits will be available in May 2023 at https://libguides.bw.edu/mua242exhibits.
For assistance with the Freedman Collection, please contact Conservatory Librarian Paul Cary.
