OVERVIEW
Minnesota Historical Society
American Guild of Organists. Twin Cities
Chapter.
Guild records.
1910-2008.
Charter, minutes, membership directories, financial records,
committee files, correspondence, convention programs and materials, and oral
histories documenting the organization and activities of the Twin Cities chapter of
a national professional association of organists and choir directors.
3.95 cubic feet (4 boxes).
See [Detailed Description](a9) for shelf
locations.
HISTORICAL NOTE
The American Guild of Organists was founded in 1896, and is headquartered in New York
City. It is an educational and service organization organized to advance the cause
of organ and choral music, to elevate the status of church musicians, and to
maintain standards of artistic excellence among organists and choral conductors. The
organization offers professional certification in organ playing, choral and
instrumental training, and theory and general knowledge of music.
The Twin Cities Chapter was organized in 1910 by George H. Fairclough as the
Minnesota Chapter. Their first public program was held at the Church of St. John the
Evangelist in St. Paul on March 15, 1911.
Sometime between 1958 and 1959 the Minnesota Chapter was reorganized as the Twin
Cities Chapter (TCAGO). Today the Twin Cities Chapter is composed mainly of church
organists, choir directors, teachers, students, and organ builders in the
Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Additional Minnesota chapters have been
organized in the Arrowhead, southeastern, and southwestern regions.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The collection also includes a variety of printed material from the American Guild of
Organists including membership brochures, circular memoranda, information regarding
certification examinations, manuals and guidelines for chapter organization and
programming, and compensation guides for church musicians. A video recording and
educational materials created by the Wichita, Kansas chapter to introduce children
to the pipe organ are also included.
Concert programs associated with the dedication of new organs contain information
concerning organ design and construction. Dedicatory programs dating from the 1970s
contain information concerning organs designed and built by Charles Hendrickson of
St. Peter, Minnesota.
ARRANGEMENT
These documents are organized into the following sections:
- Administrative Records
- Subject and Project Files
- Conventions
- Printed Material
- Oral Histories
RELATED MATERIALS
Pipenotes, the newsletter of the Twin Cities Chapter, is
available in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.
The score of twenty-six choral works that were commissioned for the Guild's national
convention held in the Twin Cities in 1980 are available in the Minnesota Historical
Society library.
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the
catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using
these headings.
Topics:
Music -- Minnesota -- Societies, etc.
Organ (Musical instrument) -- Minnesota.
Professional associations -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan
Area.
Music -- Minnesota -- Performance.
Church music -- Minnesota.
Place:
Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minn.).
Persons:
Hendrickson, Charles.
Organizations:
American Guild of Organists.
American Guild of Organists. Minnesota Chapter.
Types of Documents:
Concert programs -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan
Area.
Occupation:
Organists -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
Church musicians -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan
Area.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here].
American Guild of Organists. Twin Cities Chapter Records. Minnesota Historical
Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,575; 15,652; 15,790; 15,881; 15,980; 16,036; 16,362; 16,409;
16,612
Processing Information:
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project
grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC).
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, February 1992; Monica Manny Ralston, March
2002; Alex Kent, October 2009; December 2009; Shelby Edwards, January 2012
Catalog ID number: 001715827
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Administrative Records
151.F.19.13B
Charter,
1910.
Minutes,
1910-1952, 1960-1962, 1971-1979, 1981-2008.
30 folders.
Includes Board and Executive Board minutes.
Committees:
Committees and related papers,
1957-1981.
Competition Committee,
undated, ca. 1990.
Civic Center Organ Restoration Committee,
1973.
Education Committee,
1995-1996.
Executive Committee beginnings,
1985-1988.
Hospitality Committee,
1995-1996.
Kimball Organ Committee papers,
1989-1991.
Nominating Committee,
1989.
Professional Concerns Committee,
1991-1999.
5 folders.
143.F.4.1B
Program Committee,
1988-1996,
1998-1999.
5 folders.
Program Committee finances,
1981-1984, 1993-1994.
Correspondence,
1973-1976, 1985-1987.
2 folders.
Dean's correspondence,
1951-1953,
1958-1985, 1992-1996, 1998-2002.
9 folders.
Financial:
Financial statements,
1987-1989.
Budget and finances,
1995-1996,
1997-1998.
2 folders.
TCAGO (Twin Cities Chapter American Guild of Organists)
revenue/budget,
1999-2001.
Receipts and disbursements,
1929-1942,
1946-1967.
4 folders.
Miscellaneous accounts,
1946-1953.
Treasurer's annual reports,
1947-1965,
1996.
1 folder and 1 volume.
Membership:
Card file,
[1917-1952].
Card file: Transfers, withdrawals, delinquents and deceased,
[1917-1952].
Correspondence,
1944,
1950-1954.
Directories,
1948-1955,
1957-1964, 1971, 1973-1948, 1987, 1989-1991, 1996-1997.
5 folders.
Membership reports: Renewals, new members, subscribers,
1989-1990.
New member's packet,
2000.
Transfers and new members,
[1917-1952].
Transfers, corrections, and updates,
1976-1981.
2 folders.
143.B.15.4F
Composer commissioning agreement with Libby Larsen,
March 21, 2001.
Internet home-page possibilities,
1997.
Job description: Pipenotes
newsletter editor Barbara M. Herzog,
1988.
Letterhead,
undated.
Operating procedures and AGO by-laws,
1992, 1999,
2000.
Salary guidelines/National guidelines and Salary committee
minutes,
1997-2001.
Photographs: Portraits of Twin Cities Chapter deans,
undated and
[1938-1939, 1996-1998].
Subject and Project Files
143.B.15.4F
75th Anniversary celebration,
1986-1992.
3 folders.
100th anniversary gubernatorial proclamation,
1996.
Children's pipe organ project,
1997.
1 folder containing 1 video recording.
Concert and recital programs,
1911-1953, 1957,
1960-1966, 1969-1978, 1980-1986, 1988-1989, 1998, 1999-2001, 2003-2004.
11 folders.
Concert and recital programs: Guild anniversaries,
1960, 1986,
1996.
Anthology project,
1986.
Education program,
1986.
Ethics issues,
1996-1994.
Kimball municipal organ (Minneapolis),
undated.
LNTS (Luther Northwestern Seminary) grant,
1992.
Minnesota state deans meetings,
1986.
Organists shortage: News articles,
2000-2001.
President's Day workshops, exhibits,
1990-1991.
Seminary project,
1987-1990.
Student scholarship competition,
1992-1995,
1999.
Survey of organists and choir directors,
1961.
Visser-Rowland tracker organ,
March 1991.
ASGIAN/Westminster organ project,
1999-2000.
Conventions
143.B.15.4F
Convention meeting minutes,
1987-1989.
Convention finances,
1988-1990.
Mid-America Region VI convention program,
1985.
Miscellaneous national conventions,
1962-1982.
National/Regional guidelines,
undated, 1983, 1985.
National convention (Twin Cities), 1980:
Executive Committee minutes and related papers,
1978-1981.
Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral, London,
1978-1980.
Program and related papers,
1980.
National convention (Dallas): Program and related materials,
1994.
Miscellaneous regional conventions,
1961-1985.
St. Louis regional convention,
1987.
Regional convention program,
1949.
Regional convention program and committee papers,
1954.
Regional convention committee papers,
1974-1975.
Regional convention program and related papers,
1975.
Regional convention: Committee papers, schedules, correspondence,
1987-1989.
143.F.4.2F
Regional convention: Committee papers,
1989.
Regional convention program and registrants,
1989.
TCAGO to host 2008 National Convention project bid,
2000.
2008 National Convention Files:
Files of General Chairman William Strump. The convention was held in
Minneapolis and hosted by the Twin Cities Chapter.
Agreement with American Guild of Organists,
2005.
American Organist,
October 2008.
Contains detailed reports and photographs of the convention.
Brainstorming sessions,
2002-2003.
Budget,
2006-2008.
Committee lists,
2008.
Composer commissions/letters of agreement,
2005-2008.
Correspondence,
2002-2008.
Criticism for showing Paul Festa's Apparition of the Eternal Church at Orchestra Hall,
2008.
Evaluation form and results,
2008.
Fund-raising,
2007-2008.
Help letters,
2003-2004.
Hilton Hotel (Minneapolis) manual for convention,
2008.
New music,
2004-2007.
Program Committee minutes,
2004-2008.
Promotions Committee correspondence,
2006-2008.
Promotions Committee minutes,
2007.
Region VI convention program photocopies regarding 2008
National Convention,
2007.
Registration/attendance reports,
2008.
Steering Committee final reports,
2008.
Steering Committee minutes,
2004-2008.
Workshops Committee,
2005-2008.
2 folders.
Worship Committee,
2004-2007.
Printed Material
Miscellaneous printed material from the American Guild of Organists.
143.F.4.2F
American Guild of Organists,
undated and
1949-1999.
6 folders.
Minnesota organs,
[1970s].
Oral Histories
143.F.4.2F
Transcripts of recordings:
J. Michael Barone,
November 3, 2009.
James Biery,
March 9, 2010.
Carolyn Bliss,
November 19, 2009.
Jerry Bonstrom,
February 22, 2010.
Philip Brunelle,
November 9, 2009.
Maria Bucka,
April 29, 2010.
Roger Burg,
February 25, 2010.
David Engen,
November 5, 2009.
John Ferguson,
April 12, 2010.
Charles Hendrickson,
November 18, 2009.
Diana Lee Lucker,
January 14, 2010.
Kathryn Moen,
November 10, 2009.
William Stump,
October 21, 2009.
Richard Waggoner,
February 18, 2010.
L. Robert Wolf,
January 7, 2010.
[0.10 cubic feet empty, letter
size.]