W.C. Handy - note on files



The Handy Museum in Memphis, TN holds much of the historical artifacts.



The musical bibliographies listed in Duckles proved a good

starting point, as did a basic browse of the music reference shelves in the

UNCG and UNC-CH libraries.



HDYBIB - There is a dearth of book-length studies.  The only ones, other

than Handy's autobiography, are the two books for young readers published

by Garrard in the sixties.  In her notes to the letters Handy wrote to

Still, Eileen Southern notes that the definitive study of Handy remains

(and needs) to be written.  See Southern, Eileen. In Retrospect: Letters

from W. C. Handy to William Grant Still, in HDYPER.



HDYCMP - The first entry for each song is usually the original vocal

composition.  This information was taken from the work list in FATHER OF

THE BLUES, and from bibliographies in Groves, et. al.  Other listings are

for various instrumental and choral versions of the song in question.

These were taken from a current and a previous (of indeterminant date)

catalog from Handy Brothers Music Co. Inc., in New York.  The catalogs omit

the original copyright or publication date, and in many cases, the first

names of the arrangers.



HDYWRI Groves and the other general sources in HDYGEN yielded a

comprehensive list of Handy's publications.  Articles by Handy were found

listed in the Music Index, and BLACK MUSIC IN AMERICA.



HDYUPB - There were found in THE BLUES: A BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE.  Research

has not at this time yielded a thesis or dissertation devoted solely to

Handy, suggesting that this may be virgin territory for the scholar.



HDYDSC - The Complete Enyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz 1900-1950

proved helpful here, as did AMMUSIC--UNCG MLC. The Handy Brothers Music

Publishing Co., Inc. Catalog also yielded a discography.  Unfortunately,

the Handy catalog does not provide dates.



HDYARL - The Music Index, as well as bibliographies, yielded information.

The bibliography in BLACK MUSIC IN AMERICA

proved extremely helpful, and apparently comprehensive, or nearly so, for

American publications through 1980.



HDYNSP - newspaper articles



A search of JACLIN, the on-line system for Duke, Chapel Hill and

State, and the computer catalog of the Greensboro Public Library was a good

starting point.  Searches began with BLUES (MUSIC), BLUES - MUSIC - HISTORY

AND CRITICISM, BLACK MUSIC, AFRICAN (or AFRO-) AMERICAN COMPOSERS, AFRICAN

(or AFRO-) AMERICAN MUSICIANS, JAZZ, and POPULAR MUSIC, AMERICAN, as well

as variant and related terms.



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