This fonds consists primarily of research notes taken from late-19th century Windsor and Essex County newspapers by Dr. Fred Hall. The information was assembled in preparation for his publication “Musical Life in Windsor: 1875-1901,” which appeared in Canada Music Book / Les cahiers Canadiens de musique spring summer 1973, vol. 6, pp. 110-124. The notes document individual performances or articles treating musical subjects and provide citations and/or photocopies of the source material. Dr. Hall’s personal arrangement (consisting of separate sections of a three-ring binder for concerts, musical clubs, instruments, instruction, music in churches, opera, history and criticism, and orchestras and bands) has been preserved. Also included are several prints of late-19th century images from Windsor/Detroit.

This fonds contains five personal volumes of mid- to late-19th century sheet music belonging to female members of the Adams and Bowlby families of Canada West/Ontario. It has been organized into two series, reflecting the two family lines from which the women came: Series I (Adams family) and Series II (Bowlby family). Each volume bears the name of its owner and contains an assortment of vocal or instrumental music designed for domestic use. For the middle-classes of 19th century North America it was common practice to conclude a young woman’s years of musical training by compiling her sheet music into a personalized bound volume. Each volume therefore reflects the owner/performer’s tastes, training, and proficiency, which songs, composers, and social dance styles were popular during the years of her training, and what music was available to her either through purchase or as a gift. The resulting volumes were used in subsequent years for home or community performance among family, friends, and neighbours, as well as for personal entertainment. As such, the Adams/Bowlby volumes offer snapshots of Victorian musical culture in their owners’ small communities during southern Ontario’s late-colonial/early-Confederation period. They also provide a glimpse into one means (musical accomplishment) by which young middle-class women could improve their chances of economic security: either by demonstrating a degree of gentility that resulted in a desirable marriage or by acquiring skills that would allow them to find employment as music teachers. The finding aid contains detailed lists of the content of each volume.