Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896-1977): Undeserved Obscurity

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

I was reading about Blackface Minstrelsy this morning, and reading about Mr Du Bois brought to mind his less famous but equally talented wife, Shirley. I owed the library blog a blogpost, so I put these various strands together …

Dr Karen E McAulay's avatarWhittaker Live

Image from Wikipedia

Born in Indianapolis into a religious and politically active family (her father was an African Methodist Episcopal Minister), Shirley Graham Du Bois was a writer, playwright, novelist, composer and an activist for black rights.  The Harvard Radcliffe Institute has a page on this remarkable woman – and she features in Nathan Holder’s book for young adults, Where are all the black women composers?, which we have in the Whittaker Library. 

Nathan Holder – Where are all the Black Women Composers?

There’s also an entry in Oxford Music Online:

Wright, J.  Du Bois, Shirley (Lola) Graham. Grove Music Online. 

Shirley studied composition and orchestration in France in her early thirties, and then studied music at Oberlin College in the United States, also beginning a PhD in English and Education at New York University. Nate Holder tells us that she worked for Morgan College…

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Writing, Writing! Review Essay published …. Books on Robert Burns

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Today saw the publication of my review essay of four new books on Robert Burns, in the Spring 2022 issue of Eighteenth-Century Scotland: The Newsletter of the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society.

It’s apparently embargoed for sharing until the newsletter goes online publicly in “a few months”, so no link to share just now. But if you subscribe to the newsletter, then keep a look-out for my piece! These are the titles I review:-

  • Ian Brown and Gerard Carruthers, ed., Performing Robert Burns: Enactments and Representations of the “National Bard”. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2021. Pp. vi + 210.
  • Katherine Campbell and Emily Lyle, Robert Burns and the Discovery and Re-Creation of Scottish Song. Musica Scotica Historical Studies of Scottish Music Volume 4. Glasgow: Musica Scotica Trust, 2020. Pp. xi + 233.
  • Morag J. Grant, Auld Lang Syne: A Song and Its Culture. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2021. Pp. xvii + E-book: https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0231.pdf
  • The Oxford Edition of the Works of Robert Burns, Volume 4: Robert Burns’s Songs for George Thomson. Edited by Kirsteen McCue. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. xcvi + 692.

(As an aside, it was quite a substantial piece of work – I am astonished that by some wizardry all those words fit 3 pages of pdf!)

Am Writing: New Book Contract

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Yes, folks, there really is going to be another book. Following on from my first one, date-wise, but with more social history, more about publishers, and more about amateur music making between 1880-1950.

Exciting? You bet!

Provisional Title

A Social History of Amateur Music-Making and Scottish National Identity: Scotland’s Printed Music, 1880-1950

Copyright in 18th Century Plays: new book by Jane Wessel

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Idly browsing Twitter whilst eating my Shreddies (edible cardboard, but good for me), I suddenly put down my spoon at the sight of something far more interesting. Here’s mention of a new book about intellectual property and plays in eighteenth-century Britain!

Owning Performance | Performing Ownership:

Literary Property and the Eighteenth-Century British Stage, by Jane Wessel

‘How playwrights, actors, and theater managers vied for control over the performance of popular plays after the passage of England’s first copyright law.’

The book is published by the University of Michigan Press later this year. I shall clearly have to add this to the Claimed From Stationers’ Hall network bibliography!

Students’ Song Books

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Today, I’m working from home wearing my library hat, but I have august company on the desk beside me. My fingers itch to give these new personal acquisitions a closer inspection, but they have to wait until tonight. Meanwhile, I can just look, and gloat.

The British Students’ Song Book
The Sottish Students’ Song Book

LATER, MUCH LATER. How helpful! There’s a page at the back actually listing the history of editions of the Scottish Students’ Song Book. That saves me having to unpick the history from newspaper adverts.

Also interesting to note that Janey Drysdale contributed a couple of songs to the British Students’ Song Book, that were arranged by her late brother. Marjory Kennedy Fraser contributed a couple of songs too, the lyrics of which were by Dr Charles Kennedy, whilst she had arranged the musical settings. Neither woman contributed to the earlier Scottish book.

Students were, of course, mostly male. Marjory had been one of the first women to attend music lectures at Edinburgh University, but she didn’t graduate until she was awarded an honorary doctorate much later.

Now, there’s one burning question. Who was the third woman that contributed to the British Students’ Song Book? Yes, I need to know! I have a book to write.

Which half of me is winning?

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Librarian. Time mainly spent cataloguing and working on the library equality and diversity project. In connection with this, I’m commited to giving a talk next month, and to submitting a librarianship-related journal article arising from a talk I gave earlier this year.

Musicologist. [2nd] book proposal submitted. Already committed to producing two book chapters for essay collections being edited by other folk.

Librarian meets Musicologist. Article straddling both worlds, due out in the next month or so. Also giving a talk in Edinburgh in June, in my capacity as Honorary Wighton Librarian.

If only I had a garden big enough for a secluded Writing Shed!

CILIP Copyright Conference, 18 May 2022

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

SHAMELESSLY sharing this call for papers, word for word. Maybe one of the Claimed From Stationers Hall networkers might feel inspired to talk for five minutes?

“Speaking at a conference is a big step on your career journey & lightning talks are an ideal way to dip your toe in the water. We’re searching for speakers for 5-min lightning talks CILIP’s Copyright Conference (18 May, online).”

Here’s the link for more info.

The deadline is 1 April 2022. (No kidding.)

ResearchFish

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

There comes a time in every funded researcher’s year, when they have to upload evidence of writings and speakings and anything else that may have emanated from their funded research.

Research Fish – as imagined

I struggled this month. There didn’t seem to be much to report, given that I’ve been focused largely on my present writing project, which is not (currently/yet, depending on optimism) funded. Nonetheless, I did it. And cheerfully tweeted my relief that it was done. I shared my favourite image of a fish mosaic on social media to celebrate.

Today, imagine my surprise – ResearchFish actually SENT me a Research Fish! I shall treasure this gesture.

Outreach and engagement

(On a slightly more serious note, this is possibly the first time an article in The People’s Friend has been cited as a research output – it counts as outreach!)

Has Anyone Got This Music?!

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

It’s just a wee song written by a 1950s Scottish comedian – ‘Let Scotland Flourish’, by Alec Finlay. Yes, published by Mozart Allan (who else?!)

I found a picture of the cover – oh, yes! But I really would like to see inside, and also the back of it! There’s every probability it’s just a “variety theatre” kind of song – it may have a Scottish flavour. But I’d still like to see for myself …

Women’s Study Group CFP

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to contribute to this book, since I am researching a later era at the moment. (My latest heroine wasn’t even born by 1837, and she has just had a whole article written about her for another journal, so I haven’t much more to contribute at the moment.) Nonetheless, I share this for anyone who might be interested:-

Women’s Studies Group 1558 – 1837: Women’s and gender studies in the early modern period and long eighteenth century

Book: Call for Proposals:
WSG Edited Collection of Essays, “Global Exchanges”