Guide to the Papers of the Alpen Family

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MS 5710

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Alpen Family
Title
Papers of the Alpen Family
Date Range
1864-1971
Collection Number
MS 5710
Extent
1.38 metres (1 box + 3 folio boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection includes music scores of Hugo Alpen's compositions, song books and text books containing Alpen's work, letters of Alpen's wife Sarah to her daughter (Ida Crisp), photographs, cuttings and a cutting album. Attached to many items are typescript notes of explanation written by Paul Alpen in 1971. Also included is Paul Alpen's translation, in 1957 for the Cabinet Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Department, of a theoretical study of the European Economic Community written in Dutch by P. J. Verdoorn and entitled 'An economic integration of Europe: a study of its background and consequences' (The Hague, 1952).

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2626718).

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of the Alpen Family, National Library of Australia, MS 5710, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Library by Mr C. Paul Alpen (Hugo Alpen's grandson) in 1971. Further material was received from Mrs Olive Mulholland in 1980.

Biographical Note

Hugo Alpen was born in Kellinghusen, Germany on 26 October 1842. He came to Australia in c. 1858 and settled in Melbourne. In 1869 he married Sarah Brown in Albury and they had 13 children.

Alpen studied music with Jacques Schmidt in Germany and Charles Horsley in Australia. He was a choral conductor, pianist and public school singing master in rural New South Wales, before succeeding James Fisher as singing master at teacher training colleges in Sydney. Alpen was superintendent of music in the New South Wales Department of Public Instruction between 1884 and 1908.

He composed several school cantatas, including 'Arbor day' in 1891. Alpen also wrote patriotic songs and sacred works and published school songbooks.

Alpen died in Sydney on 20 June 1917.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Music scores

Australia's song (Item 1)

Arbor day (Mss. and printed) (Item 2)

Cantata ode - possibly part of Welcome cantata and ode (Item 3)

The Diamond Jubilee (Item 4)

Eldorado (Item 5)

Federated Australia (Item 6)

George (?) (Item 7)

Gavottes - Burschen and/or Studenten (Item 8)

Grand patriotic fantasia - Boer War (Item 9)

Jubilee ode - Fort Street (Item 10)

My song (Item 11)

One people, one destiny (Item 12)

Religious compositions - Ave Maria and litany (Item 13)

Sing us a song of Empire (Mss and printed) (Item 14)

Songbooks and textbooks (Item 15)

Including: The Commonwealth School Paper, Feb. 1906. 'The New Year' by H. Alphen; Australian Song book, 1926. Weber's 'Evening meditation' arranged by H. Alphen; Practical Hints for the Teaching of Vocal Music by H. Alpen. Collins Bros., 1897; A New Books of Songs for Schools and Singing Classes, Ed. By H. Alpen. Angus & Robertson, 1901

Welcome cantata (Mss. and printed) (Item 16)

Welcome ode, No.1 (Item 17)

Series 2. Papers

Letters (3) by Alpen's wife, Sarah, 1902 (Item 1)

Copybook kept by Sarah containing verse, cuttings on her wedding and children, list of her children, etc. (Item 2)

Album of miscellaneous papers, including cuttings, printed material, botanical specimens, photographs and programs (Item 3)

Cuttings from papers recording Alpen's concerts in Tumut, Albury and Sydney, c.1864 (Item 4)

Sketchbook kept by Alpen's daughter Dagmar (Item 5)

Poem by H. Cappell titled 'This day'; ramed; presented to Alpen during World War I (Item 6)

Letter of appreciation to Alpen from the Under Secretary and Director of Education (Item 7)

Frames; presented upon Alpen's retirement from the Department of Public Instruction in 1908 (Item 8)

The Australian Pastoral Directory, 1897 (Item 9)

Series 3. Photographs

Early photograph of Alpen, n.d. (Item 1)

Beatrice Alpen, 1877-1907 (Item 2)

Alpen's daughters, n.d. (Item 3)


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