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Born in Granville, New York, Helen Margaret Hewitt was a pioneering music historian who is best known for her editions of Ottaviano Petrucci's chanson compendia Harmonices musices odhecaton A, and Canti B. Hewitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in 1921, and a Bachelor of Music from Eastman School of Music in 1925. In the summer of 1926, she traveled to France, studying organ with Charles-Marie Widor and harmony with Nadia Boulanger at the Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau. After returning to the United States, Hewitt studied organ with Lynwood Farham at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She began her teaching career at what is now SUNY at Potsdam (1925-1928), and completed a master's degree in sacred music at the Union Theological Seminary in 1932, with an additional Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1933. Hewitt then returned to Europe, studying with Heinrich Besseler at the University of Heidelberg, and earned a Ph.D. from Harvard (Radcliffe) in 1938. Before joining the faculty of what is now the University of North Texas in 1942, Hewitt taught at Florida State College for Women (1938-1939) and Hunter College (1942).
Hewitt published numerous articles, and compiled the first four editions of Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology. While on the North Texas music faculty until her retirement in 1969, she taught classes and served as an adviser or committee member on many theses and dissertations, and remained active in guiding the maintenance and upgrading of pipe organ facilities on campus.
In addition to her distinguished career, Dr. Hewitt was a devoted owner of persian cats, and kept up cordial correspondence with friends and colleagues over many decades, and across continents.
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Collection is housed in the UNT Music Library. Advance notice for use is required. Please contact the Music Library for further information.
Arranged into series based on accruals of materials.
The collection consists of eleven boxes of materials from Dr. Hewitt's research and teaching, and primarily professional correspondence. Those materials include manuscript transcriptions from centuries-old music manuscripts scattered in libraries across Europe, research for articles and conference papers, teaching materials and student projects, speeches, and unpublished writings, along with a box of concordance cards from the preparation of her edition of Ottaviano Petrucci's
Please see also:
Presumably related to the Odhecaton concordance compiled by Hewitt.
Short pieces of cantus firmi from various manuscripts.
File consists primarily of correspondence with Edward Lowinsky and Howard Brown, both of the University of Chicago. Bulk of correspondence occurs between 1962 and 1966.
Numbered, but without titles.
66 is not present, among other gaps.
Note on FS 12: No. 10 (crossed out) 11, Bologna, MS R142 "Josquin a pei" Incomplete work(tenor only)
Note on FS 22: Fors seulement No. 21 Wien, MS 18832 No. 38 "An incomplete (tenor + bass only)." Remark from Martin Picker indicates that No. 21 in the Plamenac book is actually the complete Benedictus of Obrecht's Missa Fors Seulement.
Also in Kop 1848
Hewitt cites date of 1836
Another versionin Casanatense 2856 - Agricola
See also, Lowinsky's "The Goddess Fortuna in Music," which acknowledges Hewitt's help in preparing the article. Musical Quarterly 29/1 Jan. 1943. One version, by Martini, also appears in Casanatense 2856.
Work also appears in Q17, 73'-74. Accompanied by letter from T. Herman Keahey, Austin Peay State Univ, 10/4/1967, requesting permission to use in dissertation, along with a copy of his own rendering (letter and his manuscript = 4 leaves)
According to TrentinoCultura, it is a canon with a retrograde tenor.
Includes photos of Hewitt at various ages, cats, and photographic prints of music manuscript pages.
Writings on a variety of topics, including organ registration and service playing, and various historical subjects, as well as notes on European music manuscripts.
File includes list of holdings at Tulane University, and of K. Parton of Denton.
Apparently compiled and typed by Hewitt.
In alphabetical order by last name.
Alphabetized by title
Previously in Music Library Limited Access as ML95.H48 H3.
Works by other authors, copies and facsimilies, loose pages of unidentified writings
10" record, possibly homemade
Consists of correspondence, organized alphabetically. Barcode 707172.
Christmas card
Three letters
Two letters
Three letters
Two letters
Two letters
31 letters, article by Besseler (1948), and death notice (1969)
Three letters; translation of 1973 letter included
Nine letters
Four letters
Four letters
Four letters
Two letters from Carapetyan, and one dated 1948 May 18 from Hewitt
Two letters
Three letters
14 letters
Two letters
Eleven letters.
Nine letters
Three letters
Five letters
Two letters
Three letters
International Association of Music Libraries (IAML)
Four letters
Two letters
Two letters
Three letters
"Aunt Emma"
Seven letters. Helen Hewitt's mother.
Publishing contract for Odhecaton A, poem in honor of Lloyd Hibberd, letter to Jean Langlais with Braille alphabet card and receipt from Texas School for the Blind for Braille transcription
Compiled by Donna Arnold.
Two letters
Three letters
Six letters
Ten letters
Two letters
Two letters
Dated "July 13," with no year
Four letters
Four letters
15 letters, 1941 and late 1960s
Two letters
Two letters
Two letters
Two letters
Two letters. Second page only for second letter.
File includes copy of June 4, 1925 letter from Carroll A. Wilson of the Guggenheim Foundation to Henry Moe
Four letters
Seven letters
Four letters
Four letters
Five letters
23 letters
Seven letters
One sheet of paper with name and address; second page of letter
Three letters
Four letters
Two letters
Two letters
Four letters
Two letters
Three letters
Four letters
RISM
Two letters
Four letters
Eight letters
Three letters
A Photostat copy of Canti B.