University of British Columbia Archives | Inventories
University of British Columbia Archives | Inventories
Jean Coulthard fonds. -- 1898-1999.
7.11 m of textual records.
263 photographs.
52 sound recordings.
Jean Coulthard was born in Vancouver and began her musical training with her mother Jean Robinson Coulthard at the age of five and by nine was writing her first compositions. In 1928, Coulthard won a scholarship from the Vancouver Women's Music Club enabling her to enrol in the Royal College of Music in London, England and to study under Ralph Vaughan Williams. Upon receiving a Licentiate in Composition from the College (1932), Coulthard returned to Vancouver where she taught music at St. Anthony's College and Queen's Hall College (1932-1938) while continuing to develop her skills as a composer. In 1935, she married Donald Adams, a noted local designer. Coulthard was asked to join the newly created Department of Music at the University of British Columbia in 1947. She remained on staff as a senior instructor and lecturer until her retirement in 1973. Since her retirement, Coulthard has remained active in education, as a faculty member at the Shawnigan Lake Summer School for the Arts (1974-1976), the Victoria Conservatory (1977), the Banff Centre Composers' Workshop (1978-1979) and the Okanagan Music Festival for Composers (1975-1985). Coulthard has composed extensively for orchestras, chamber groups, piano, voice and choir. Well-known compositions include Cradle Song, Threnody, Canadian Fantasy, Ballade, "A Winter's Tale" and her opera Return of the Native. Coulthard has acted as an advocate for the Canadian music community as both a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers (1951-) and as a member and associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre (1959-). She has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Order of Canada (1978), the Order of British Columbia (1994), and honourary degrees from UBC (1988) and Concordia University (1991), in recognition of her significant contributions to Canadian music. Coulthard died on March 9th, 2000.
The fonds consists of Coulthard's incoming family and general correspondence, correspondence from noted English composer Elizabeth Poston, financial records, biographical information, printed material and clippings documenting her involvement in the Canadian and International music communities as advocate, educator and composer. Also included are original manuscripts of Coulthard's compositions as well as published and unpublished sound recordings of performances of her work. In addition, the fonds contains scrapbooks assembled by Coulthard's mother, Jean Robinson Coulthard between 1898 and 1929, family photographs, and a photograph album compiled by her father, Dr. Walter Coulthard, depicting the Rossland area (ca. 1902). Fonds arranged into two sous-fonds: Jean Coulthard sous-fonds and Coulthard family sous-fonds. Jean Coulthard sous-fonds arranged into the following series: Correspondence (two sub-series, Coulthard-Poston Correspondence and Family Correspondence), Financial and Legal, Biography, Programmes, Publications, Press Clippings, Manuscripts, Sound recordings, Miscellaneous, Photographs, Performance Notes and Remarks, Musical Education and Workshops, Inspirations, Journals and Date Books, and Audio Visual.
Title based on the contents of the fonds.
File List available.
Jean Coulthard Sous-Fonds.
- 1898-1999.
6.71 m of textual records.
61 photographs.
52 sound recordings.
Sous-fonds arranged in the following series: Correspondence, Financial and Legal, Biography, Programmes, Publications, Press Clippings, Manuscripts, Sound recordings, Miscellaneous, Photographs, Performance Notes and Remarks, Musical Education and Workshops, Inspirations, Journals and Date Books, and Audio Visual.
Correspondence Series. - 1946-1998.
2.09 m of textual records.
Series comprised of incoming personal and professional correspondence relating to Coulthard's roles as teacher, adjudicator and composer. Also included are some drafts of outgoing correspondence.
Series primarily arranged alphabetically and chronologically based on Coulthard's filing system.
Series includes into two sub-series: a) Coulthard-Poston Correspondence (1948-1979); b) Family Correspondence (1888-1998).
Boxes 1-4(7), 7(7), 8-9(4), 10(4-5, 9-15), 14(2), 14(8)-15(12), 16, 17, 18(2-17), 20(1-27), 21(1-20), 22(1-19), 23(1-19), 24(1-20), 25(1-22), 26(1-21, 24), 27(1-21), 32(1-22), 33(7-21), 34(1-5), 35(1-5), 62(27-30), 65(3), 66, 67.
Coulthard-Poston Correspondence. - 1948-1979.
3 cm of textual records.Sub-series consists of correspondence between Elizabeth Poston and Jean Coulthard recording their friendship and shared professional interests; sub-series also includes a copy of "Elizabeth Poston Post-Centenary 2005 Appreciation" which discusses Poston's friendship and correspondence with Coulthard throughout the years.
Sub-series arranged chronologically.
Family Correspondence. - 1888-1998.
32 cm of textual records.Sub-series consists of correspondence between Jean Coulthard and family members (husband Donald Adams and daughter Jane Adams) as well as early correspondence addressed to Jean Coulthard's parents, Walter and Jean Robinson.
Financial and Legal Series. - 1948-1998.
17 cm. of textual records.
Series consists of royalty statements, invoices, agreements, and writers clearance forms relating to the use and performance of Coulthard's compositions. Also included are materials relating to grants received by Coulthard as well as contracts relating to commissions.
Boxes 4(8-9), 7(15-16), 9(5-6), 11(1), 14(3), 19(4-9), 21(21), 26(22), 27(23-24), 32(25-26), 33(2), 34(6), 62(31), 68(5-6).
Biographical Series.
- 1950-1999.
15 cm of textual records.
Series comprised of biographical materials relating to Coulthard including various versions of her curriculum vitae, bibliographies of her compositions, and lists of her awards and achievements. Also included are materials relating to presentations made by Coulthard including notes and drafts of speeches and transcripts of interviews. In addition, the series contains Coulthard's birth records and staff records related to her time at UBC.
Boxes 5(2)-6(3), 7(17), 9(7)-10(1), 10(7), 11(2), 14(4), 15(13), 18(18-19), 19(10), 20(31), 21(23), 22(20), 23(20-21), 24(21), 27(25), 33(1, 23), 34(10), 59(1), 62(1-26), 64(1-3), 65(1-2), 68(21-26), 70.
Programmes Series. - 1943-1992.
27 cm of textual records.
Series contains a collection of programmes gathered by Coulthard relating to musical and social events at which her music was performed or celebrated.
Boxes 5(2)-6(3), 7(17), 9(7)-10(1), 10(7), 11(2), 14(4), 15(13), 18(18-19), 19(10), 20(31), 21(23), 22(20), 23(20-21), 24(21), 27(25), 33(1, 23), 34(10-13), 63(7-11), 64(10-11), 68(20).
Publications Series. - 1955-1992.
20 cm of textual records.
Series composed of a collection of articles, clippings, and off prints relating to Coulthard or projects with which she was involved.
Boxes 6(4-7), 11(4), 26(23), 33(2), 63(12-18), 64(15-16).
Press Clippings Series. - 1929-1992.
26 cm. of textual records.
Series consists of a collection of newspapers clippings reviewing, discussing or publicizing Coulthard's compositions or projects. Also included are biographical sketches and interviews with Coulthard in the form of clippings.
Boxes 6(8)-7(6), 7(18), 10(2-3, 6), 11(3), 14(5), 15(17), 18(20-21), 19(11), 20(30), 32(27), 33(24), 34(8-9), 63(6), 64(12-14).
Manuscripts Series. -
1917-1997.
3.45 m of textual records.
Series includes handwritten drafts and sketches of Coulthard's compositions. Series includes complete compositions, later published, as well as several unidentified fragments and works in progress. Many manuscripts are annotated with rough notes and performance lay outs. Also included are handwritten exercises produced during Coulthard's studies with Bernard Wagenaar. A major accession received in 2000 included over 400 musical manuscripts created between 1917 and 1997. A detailed chronological description of these manuscripts prepared by researchers William Bruneau and David Duke is available in PDF form here (428 pages, 1.03MB).
Boxes 28-31a, 36-59, 60-61, 62(32-37), 64(4-9), 68(27-29), 70.
Sound Recordings Series. - 1942-1995.
52 sound recordings.
Series contains LPs, 78's, and tape recordings in which Coulthard's music has been recorded by a variety of Canadian and International musicians. Also included are transcriptions of CBC Radio broadcasts during which Coulthard's music was performed. In addition, the series includes several unpublished recordings of her compositions produced by Coulthard.
Many of the published performances have critical notes written by Coulthard on the sleeves of the disk.
Miscellaneous Series. - 1898-1995.
11 cm of textual records.
Series consists of pamphlets, articles, and invitations to social events received and collected by Jean Coulthard. In addition, series contains materials relating to her various awards.
Boxes 10(3), 11(5-8), 14(6), 15(14-16), 19(1-3, 12-16), 20(28-29), 24(23), 25(23-24), 33(3-6, 25), 35(9-12), 62(38-46), 63(1-5), 65(4-5), 68(12-16).
Photographs Series. - 1894-1999.
48 photographs.
Series consists of photographs, many autographed, of Jean Coulthard's colleagues. Series also includes family photographs and formal portraits of Coulthard.
Boxes 13, 35(13), 65(6-9), 68(7-11).
Performance Notes and Remarks
series. - 1955-1998.
0.5 cm of textual records.
Series consists of handwritten notes and remarks by Coulthard herself on various performances of her own music.
Musical Education and Workshops
series. - 1938-1989.
15 cm of textual materials.
Series consists of records documenting Coulthard's involvement with Canada Music Week and the Okanagan Music Festival for Composers along with course material for various music composition classes that Coulthard taught at UBC. Series also includes copies of some annotated compositions of former music students.
Inspirations series. - [n.d.].
2.5 cm of textual materials.
6 books.
Series consists of photocopies of Coulthard's idea book, pamphlets, and a collection of annotated, published books that influenced Coulthard in her musical compositions and lyrics.
Journals and Date
Books series. - 1956-2000.
33 cm of textual materials.
Series consists of Coulthard's journals and date books marking professional and personal engagements of her life throughout various calendar years.
Audio
Visual series. - 1978-1997.
8 video cassettes: VHS.
2 video cassettes:
U-matic.
1 video cassette: Betacam.
1 audio magnetic tape.
Series consists of audio and visual recordings in a variety of formats that document the life and music of Jean Coulthard.
Coulthard Family Sous-Fonds.
- 1898-1944.
40 cm of textual materials.
214 photographs.
Sous-fonds consists of scrapbooks of photographs, clippings, and leaflets assembled by Coulthard's mother, Jean Robinson Coulthard, between 1898 and 1929 documenting her career as a music teacher as well as the recital performances of her children and students. Sous-fonds also includes scrapbooks compiled by Jean Coulthard's sister Margaret, as well as family photographs, and an album compiled by her father, Dr. Walter Coulthard, depicting the Rossland area (ca. 1902).
Boxes 11(9-18), 12, 13, 14(7), 59(2), 63(19), 68(2-4).