Guide to the Papers of Kenneth Hince
MS 2691
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 1970
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Kenneth Hince
- Title
- Papers of Kenneth Hince
- Date Range
- 1844-1969
- Collection Number
- MS 2691
- Extent
- 3.7 metres (23 boxes + 6 folios)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The papers were received in 1969 from Mr Kenneth Hince as part of a larger collection which included 2,500 books and a considerable amount of sheet music. There are some papers relating to Hince's activities as a collector and music critic, but it is basically an "artificial collection", in the sense that the papers were brought together after the actions to which they relate had occurred, not concurrently, and were derived from many sources. Almost all the papers relate to music, and primarily Australian music, and were assembled by Hince over a period of 25 years.
The papers include manuscript and printed scores, manuscript and printed articles, correspondence, programmes, the constitutions of Australian musical organizations, biographical material, newspaper cuttings and photographs. Most of the material belongs to the period 1895-1969, but there are a few letters dating from earlier than 1895.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2604492) for the access conditions.
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Kenneth Hince, National Library of Australia, MS 2691, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Biographical Note
Kenneth Hince was born in 1926 and educated at Xavier College, Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne, where he studied Medicine and later Arts. He served for a year in the Royal Australian Air Force and then taught languages at Xavier College. In 1960 he opened a secondhand bookshop in Melbourne, and concentrated his collecting on Australiana and rare English editions. Since 1964 he has been music critic for The Australian.
Item Descriptions
Series 1. Musical Scores
This series consists of both manuscript and printed scores.
Manuscript scores (Item 1-298A)
Including: C. de Beirot. Fantasia de ballet for violin and orchestra; J.E. Clifton. Ecce Deus Salvator Meus; G Mahler. Das Lied von der Erde; Caro Roma. Don't you mind it, honey; Leslie Howard. Orchestration for the British Ballet; and Adrian Holland's scores and arrangements.
Printed scores (Item 298B-326)
Including: Allan's cornet gems. no.1; Bulch's cornet album nos. 1-2; Frank Bridge. Sonata for violoncello and piano; Nicholas Bochsa. Variations on Nel cor piu non mi sento, Les Plaisirs de la Memorie,Twelve progressive studies for the harp, Forty studies for the Erard Double-Movement Harp: Book 1, and Preludes for the harp, composed and dedicated to Lady Berwick; Hendrik Andriessen. Ricercare; D.S. Moreno. Gregorian manual; Music to be sung at the Empire Concert, 1911; J.F. O'Hagan. After the dawn, waltz ballad; and F. Schmidt. A la mémoire de Claude Debussy.
There is also a photostat copy of one leaf of George Dreyfus's opera Garni Sands.
Series 2. Books and Articles
The series consists of both the manuscripts of articles and published books and articles.
Manuscript articles, 1850-1947 (Item 327-399)
Including: Lecture on psychological effects of music; Music in Australia; A Montague. Seventy years of music; and an untitled film script.
Published books and articles: A.M. Abell. Brahms as I knew him; Pageant of Australian Music and Musicians; A. Dolmetsch. The Viols. Part 2; M. Dumesnil. Saint-Saëns the remarkable; H.P. Hopkin. How Dvorak taught compositions; N. Keshavram Lengar. The present position of North Indian Music; W. Lyle. Some ancient viols; W. Meller. Antipodal; M. Ravel. What I think of modern music; R. Stevenson. The young pianist's Grainger; Sutton. A centenary publication, 1954; Wentzel. The first hundred years of music in Australia chapter three; K. Hince. Music in Australia, 1965; and the review by Hince of Arnold Schoenberg's letters; Contemporary German Music; six Rhyme Sheets by George Baker, George Scott, Frederick Johnston and Geoffrey Scott (Item 400-498)
Series 3. Author Files
Author files on various musicians and composers, both Australian and overseas, make up this series. Files are arranged in alphabetical order. Most files contain only biographical notes and press releases, and in the case of some overseas artists, photographs. The larger files include: (i) Hince: mostly correspondence; (ii) Barrett: lectures and Holford Oration (his correspondence is in Series 6); (iii) Berlioz: unpublished letters; (iv) Dreyfus: autographed leaves of scores; (v) Grainger: correspondence; (vi) Heinze: application and testimonials for professorial appointment; (vii) Holford; (viii) Marshall-Hall: programmes; (ix) Tate: press cuttings. Single newspaper cuttings appear irregularly throughout the series.
Generally, the files contain letters or notes written by the individual listed. In a few cases, they only hold photographs of, or cuttings relating to, the individuals.
Series 4. Subject Files
This series is arranged in alphabetical order. Generally the series consists of letters, circulars, bulletins, magazines, A.B.C. schedules, press cuttings, documents and the constitutions of several musical organizations including the N.S.W. State Orchestra of Henri Verbrugghen and the Lady Northcote Permanent Orchestra Trust. The volumes on Melbourne supplement the bound volumes of newspaper clippings in Series 5. Significant files are those on the Lady Northcote Permanent Orchestra Trust, with letters by Sir James Barrett, the Melbourne University Conservatorium, the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust and the Heidelberg District Musical Society. Other interesting items include a prospectus of the Australasian Grand Opera Company and the 1844 syllabus for Bindfield's Classes in Reading, England.
Series 5. Newspaper Cuttings
Arranged chronologically, the cuttings provided a detailed history of musical groups in Melbourne in the early decades of this century, and supplement the subject files relating to Melbourne. There are two volumes of Melbourne University folios, (1900-1910, 1913-1914) containing material relating to the Conservatorium; a date invoice book showing loans of music material from the University library; two volumes of the music criticism of Henry Tate, 1924-1916; a volume of newspaper cuttings 1903-1906; cuttings of Harold Robb's reviews of operas and concert in Melbourne in 1912; a volume of Angelita Davis documents; "News Cuttings" 1920-1923; Music in Melbourne, 1912; a volume on music in Melbourne from August to September, 1951; a volume of Sydney Music Cuttings from June to July, 1951; two volumes of "News Cuttings", Melbourne 1927-1928 and 1929-1930; volume on Melbourne music 1925-1927; and a volume of newspaper cuttings on opera seasons from the 1890's to the 1940's, especially the Melba opera season. More recent volumes of cuttings are those on Melbourne, 1964; the Christchurch Festival, 1966; and the Festival of Perth in 1966 and 1967.
Series 6. Albums
Four albums form this series. The Marshall Hall cuttings album contains details of the administration of the Marshall Hall Concerts 1903-1911, concert programmes, and details of the Melbourne University Conservatorium. The second album contains letters received by Sir James Barrett while the third album, "Plays I have seen", contains details of plays seen in Melbourne 1875-1896. This supplements "Melbourne 1889-1894" in the subject files, The fourth album is a Musicians Birthday Book with several signatures.
Series 7. Pictures and photographs
The series consists mostly of photographs on Percy Grainger, his mother and home, and reproductions of some of his musical scores. There are also photographs of composers, musicians and conductors, a series on the industrial development of Western Australia, and postcards of musicians. Miscellaneous photographs of overseas and some Australian musicians may be found in the author file.