Paolo Conte Papers, 1890-1994

Paolo Conte Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Paolo Conte Papers, 1890-1994

ID: OGLMC1290

Primary Creator: Conte, Paolo (1890-1966)

Extent: 2.5 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 07/15/1994. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Music, University of North Dakota - Music, University of North Dakota - Wesley College

Languages: English

Abstract

1890-1966; Wesley College faculty member and music composer

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection includes many compositions of Paolo Conte and other music related items. Also included is biographical information on Dr. Conte, his wife, and his parents; many clippings and scrapbook materials; and information on the Conte Foundation. Most of this collection has been left as arranged by William Conte. His inventory has been placed in box 1, folder 1. William Conte labeled all materials within the collection, which correspond to numbers on his inventory. Conte's listing of compositions according to the Master File number as well as his compositions can be found in box 2.

Collection Historical Note

Dr. Paolo Conte was born February 29, 1890, in Palermo, Italy, to Gaetano and Clorinda Conte. His musical talents were demonstrated at age four when he was heard improvising on the piano. He received his musical education in Venice, where he was a student of Tagliapietra, Wolf-Ferrari, and Busoni. He earned a master's degree in psychology and his doctorate in musicology from the University of Padua. In August 1914, Dr. Conte came to Grand Forks to teach piano and composition at Wesley College. Here, Conte met his bride. Mary Esther Johnson, who was his first student to enroll for private instruction. They were married August 10, 1915, in Dunseith, ND. Their only child, William R. Conte, was born May 26, 1921. In the fall of 1923, Dr. Conte became dean of Fine Arts at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK. He remained there until 1936 when he accepted a position at the University of Wichita in Kansas. He was also minister of music at First Baptist Church in Wichita. In 1952, he moved to his summer home in Colorado Springs, CO, where he was semi-retired. He served as an organist of Audubon Heights Baptist Church in Colorado Springs and taught piano in the Pikes Peak Region. Paolo Conte died September 11, 1966, in Colorado Springs at age seventy-six. His compositions number in the hundreds and have been used in teaching, radio, and movies.

Subject/Index Terms

Music
University of North Dakota - Music
University of North Dakota - Wesley College

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional donations were made by Mary Margaret Frank, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on April 9, 1996 (96-2067), and by William Conte on June 29, 1998 (98- 2201).

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: William R. Conte, Olympia, Washington

Acquisition Method: Donation; 94-1962

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Paolo Conte Papers. OGLMC 1290, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in October 2014.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Photographs :],
[Separated Materials :],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: William Conte's inventory.
Folder 2: Hymnal: "Great Redeemer, Composition #95".
Folder 3: A composition in Braille: "At Sunset, #4".
Folder 4: Libretto: "A Prince Has Come to Town" (A Musical Comedy).
Folder 5: Libretto: "Idylwild Inn" (A Musical Comedy).
Folder 6: A player piano roll: "The Old Love Story".
Folder 7: Music Company Catalogues.
Folder 8: The Toronto Conservatory of Music Catalogue indicating numbers composed by Paolo Conte acceptable for auditions and in competitions.
Folder 10: The Johnson's of ND, an account of Mary Esther (Johnson) Conte's family.
Folder 11: Paolo Conte: A Musician for the Plains, an Addendum.
Folder 12: Newspaper clippings and documents concerning a Christmas party in Boston for Italian children, Shakespeare Masque in Grand Forks, UND fraternity houses (symbols of Conte's Americanization), ZAI Music Sorority, an introductory concert at the Oklahoma Baptist University, a concert in Colorado, and an introduction to the University of Wichita, 1902-1937.
Folder 13: The University of Wichita Biennial Catalogue, 1938-1939, 1939-1940.
Folder 14: An album of clippings from Italy and North Dakota with flyers relating to concerts in North Dakota, 1913-1918.
Folder 15: Documentation regarding naturalization and tickets of passage, programs of interest in North Dakota and Oklahoma, Conte's concerts, a bulletin about "Downtown" University of Wichita, a biographical sketch and death notices; 1927-1966.
Folder 16: Oklahoma Baptist University Bulletins, 1923-1936.
Folder 17: Clippings from Oklahoma Baptist University Newspaper regarding Conte's work there, 1923-1936.
Folder 18: The Conte Foundation.
Folder 19: Albums containing programs, announcements, clippings, and flyers, 1891-1931, plus some undated material.
Folder 20: Gaetano Conte: His Life and His Works.
Folder 21: Correspondence between the Conte family and the Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of North Dakota, 1923-1969.
Folder 22: Pages from Oklahoma Baptist University yearbook, Yahnseh.
Folder 23: Vital statistics, family tree, location of Conte writings, and addresses of family members as of summer, 1994.

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Photographs :],
[Separated Materials :],
[All]

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids