Marion Rosette papers
Scope and Contents
The Marion Rosette papers contain scores, working documents, personal papers and recordings from Rosette’s musical career. Series 1 includes manuscript and photocopied scores of children's songs and nursery rhymes composed or arranged by Rosette, alphabetized by title. Series 2 contains miscellaneous manuscript scores and notes. Series 3 contains scores written by Rosette that have been published. Series 4 includes draft manuscript scores, scripts, clippings, and related business correspondence. Lastly, Series 5 consists of clippings, notes, photographs, lyric sheets, correspondence, oversized manuscript scores, and audio recordings.
Dates
- Creation: Approximately 1935-1990
Creator
- Rosette, Marion (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for use at the Peabody Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish or perform materials in this collection must be submitted in writing to the archivist of the Arthur Friedheim Library.
Biographical / Historical
Marion Savage Rosette was a pianist, teacher, and composer of children’s music. Rosette was born in Baltimore in 1900, her father being a successful surgeon at Johns Hopkins. She was involved in music from an early age and earned her Artist’s Diploma in piano from the Peabody Conservatory in 1923. After graduating, she moved to New York with her husband, George Rosette. There the couple teamed up to open a record company where Marion Savage Rosette wrote and recorded hundreds of children’s songs.
She is most known for the compositions that were featured on the popular children’s television show Captain Kangaroo. These songs included “Katie the Kangaroo,” “City Mouse and Country Mouse.” and “The Monkey Who Wanted to Fly.” Many of her songs have also appeared in school books, radio programs, television, and several other record labels.
Rosette frequently performed as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and worked often as an accompanist for many dancers, singers. and instrumentalists.
In 1984 Peabody Institute Director Robert Pierce presented Rosette with the first Director’s Recognition Award for her significant contributions to the world of children’s music. Johns Hopkins University now offers merit scholarships to piano students under the Marion Savage Rosette Piano Scholarship. Rosette passed away in 1991 of brain cancer.
Extent
6.03 Cubic Feet (9 full-size legal boxes, 1 half-size letter box, 1 small card file, 1 medium flat box, 1 record album box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Marion Rosette papers contain scores, working documents, personal papers, and recordings from Rosette’s career as a composer and arranger of children's music.
Other Finding Aids
A detailed container list exists offline. Please contact the Peabody Archives for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Margot Rosette Sohmer in 1991. Some additional material may have been acquired in 2011.
Processing Information
Processed by Kerri Sheehan in 2017.
- Title
- Guide to the Marion Rosette papers
- Author
- Kerri Sheehan
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Peabody Archives Repository
Peabody Institute
1 E. Mount Vernon Place
Baltimore MD 21202 USA
peabodyarchives@lists.jhu.edu