Finding Aids to Individual Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture

THE ABRAHAM A. SCHWADRON "CHAD GADYA" COLLECTION

AFC 1988/026

Library of Congress
American Folklife Center
September 1997

SUMMARY

The Abraham A. Schwadron "Chad Gadya" Collection consists of manuscript materials and sound recordings compiled by Abraham Schwadron, professor of music at UCLA, as part of his ten-year research on "Chad Gadya" ("One Kid"), a Jewish folksong related to the Passover holiday. The research combines historical and ethnographic perspectives, and includes field documentation as well as bibliographic and discographic materials. It contains recordings and transcriptions of hundreds of versions of "Chad Gadya" from Jewish communities around the world.

The materials were donated to the Archive by Schwadron's family in 1988. Collection materials date from 1973 to 1985. The manuscript material includes correspondence, Schwadron's writings, informant information, background research, and musical and textural transcriptions. The sound recordings include more than 160 versions of the song.

Access and Reproduction: Listening and viewing access to the collection is unrestricted. Duplication of the recorded materials may be governed by copyright.

Primary Languages: Aramaic, English, German, Hebrew, Italian, Ladino, Russian, Yiddish.

Physical Description:

Manuscripts 28 folders, one box index cards (1 linear foot)

Sound Recordings 16 7" reels at 7.5 ips	AFC 1988/026:SR001A-1B AFC 1988/026:SR002A-2B AFC 1988/026:SR003-014 (original field recordings)
14 90-min. audiocassettes	(reference copies of above)
7 90- and 60-min. audiocassettes	AFC 1988/026:SR015-021
4 7" reels at 7.5 ips	AFC 1988/026:SR022-025
2 5" reels at 7.5 ips and 3.75 ips	AFC 1988/026:SR026-027
Graphic Materials	4 b&w photographs

COLLECTION INVENTORY AND DESCRIPTION

Location	Contents
	Archive of Folk Culture Administrative Material
Folder 1	Collection register. The collection guide (this document).
Folder 2	Correspondence, 1988-89. Letters between the Schwadron family and the Library of Congress, as well as internal Library memoranda. Arranged chronologically.
Folder 3	Public relations and promotion. Newsletter articles, photographs, and other documentation on the gift of the collection and related activities.

SERIES I: PRINT and MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS

Folder 4	Correspondence. Letters and notes written between Schwadron and others (colleagues, informants), dated between 1975 and 1985. Arranged chronologically.
Folders 5-6	Writings by Schwadron. Published articles, paper presentations, and other manuscripts written by Schwadron concerning Jewish music and "Chad Gadya." Arranged alphabetically by title. Includes a copy of liner notes to Folkways Recording FR 8920, Chad Gadya [One Kid], 1982.

Research Materials

Box 3	Informant information--index to performers (cards). Names and addresses of informants, arranged alphabetically.
Folders 7-9	Informant information--informants' data sheets. Documents recording pertinent information about each informant and his or her version of the song, arranged alphabetically by informant.
Folder 10	Informant information--performers' agreements. Releases signed by informants concerning permission to use their singing and background information.
Box 3	Background research--bibliography (cards). Index cards listing bibliographic information on published research, arranged alphabetically by author.
Folders 11-13	Background research--collected publications and manuscripts. Copies of articles, newsclippings, papers, and so forth concerning "Chad Gadya" and related topics.
Folder 14	Music research--index to published music. Typed citations of published music found in folders 15- 17.
Folders 15-17	Music research--published music. Copies of published music transcriptions and lyrics of different versions of "Chad Gadya," some with annotations. Arranged in order as listed in the index in folder 14.
Folder 18	Music research--index to unpublished music. Typed index of sources of unpublished music found in folders 19-21.
Folders 19-21	Music research--unpublished music. Copies of music transcriptions and lyrics of different versions of "Chad Gadya," some with annotations. Arranged in order as listed in the index in folder 18.
Folders 22-25	Music research--unindexed music. Copies of published and unpublished music transcriptions and lyrics of different versions of "Chad Gadya" and related songs.
Folder 26	Indexes to recordings. Typed table of contents of field recordings on AFC 1988/026:SR001-014. Includes traditional source, performer, language, recording location, recordist, and location of notation (as found in "published" and "unpublished" music). Arranged numerically by original recording number.
Folders 27-28	Notes and drafts. Miscellaneous notes, ephemera, drafts, and music transcriptions.

SERIES II: SOUND RECORDINGS

AFC 1988/026:SR001-014	16 7" reels containing original field recordings of versions of "Chad Gadya." See folder 26 for the index to the recordings. Reference copies are available in the Folklife Reading Room.
AFC 1988/026:SR001-rl through 14	audiocassette reference copies made from above 16 original.
AFC 1988/026:SR014-rl	NOTE: Collector's original 1A-1B and 2A- 2B tapes were duplicated onto reference tapes 1 and 2. For example, original AFC 1988/026:SR001A and 1988/026:SR001B were combined into reference tape AFC 1988/026:SR001-rl.
AFC 1988/026:SR015-027	13 recordings (7 audiocassettes, 4 7" reels, and 2 5" reels) containing copies of versions of "Chad Gadya" for research purposes and lecture demonstrations. Includes a copy of the Folkways Recording FR8920, Chad Gadya [One Kid] (AFC 1988/026:SR021).

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