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A Guide to her Papers at the Indiana University Archives

Finding aid prepared by Carrie Schwier.

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
MacWatters, Virginia, 1912-2005

Title
Virginia MacWatters papers, 1862-1994, bulk 1919-1994

Collection No.
C352

Extent
8 cubic feet (11 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
Soprano Virginia MacWatters was known not only for her impressive operatic career during which she performed in opera houses throughout the United States, Europe, and South America, but also for her dedication to teaching. In 1957 she joined the voice faculty of the Indiana University School of Music where she remained until her retirement in 1982. She was awarded the prestigious the Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for excellence in teaching in 1979. The collection consists of biographical materials, clippings, programs, teaching files, correspondence, photographs, and scrapbooks.

Access Restrictions

Teaching related materials such as course lists, student evaluations, and recommendations from MacWatters’s dossier for the Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching are closed to researchers. In addition access to student papers are also restricted. Restricted files are noted in the folder list.

Biographical Note

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 19, 1912 to Frederick K. and Idoleein (Halloway) MacWatters, Virginia MacWatters began her musical studies in piano at the age of eight at the Zeckwer Hahn Musical Academy in Philadelphia. This led to a one year scholarship at the age of twelve to study voice with Henrietta Conrad, formerly of the Dresden Royal Opera. Her first appearance in a singing role was as Mabel in "Pirates of Penzance" while still in junior high school. After graduating from the Philadelphia Normal School for Teachers, she supported her studies through substitute teaching and singing primarily in churches throughout the Philadelphia area. She received a scholarship to the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and went on to study opera and acting under Ernest Lert and Greta Stauber.

After taking second prize in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air in 1941, she made her debut with the New Opera Company in the leading role of Adele in "Rosalinda," the Broadway adaptation of "Die Fledermaus," which ran for 540 performances. Her opera debut occurred with the San Francisco Opera in 1944 as Micaela in "Carmen," and in 1946 she received great acclaim for her performance as Zerbinetta in the New York City Opera's pivotal production of "Ariadne auf Naxos" at City Center. The performance led to engagements at London’s famed Covent Garden, the Edinburgh Festival, and at opera houses in Central and South America. She also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C., the New York Philharmonic, and with the Cleveland and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. In 1952 she made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera singing Adele in "Fledermaus," and she remained as a principal soprano with the Metropolitan for a number of years. While in San Francisco in the 1950s she met Paul Abée, a transplanted German hotel manager, and the two married in 1960.

In 1957 a twenty-five year dual performing/ teaching career began when Dean Wilfred Bain of the Indiana University School of Music offered her a position on the voice faculty. Known as "Miss Mac" to her students, her devotion to teaching was apparent, and in 1979 she was awarded the university’s most prestigious honor, the Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for excellence in teaching. Noted students of MacWatters who went on to careers in performance include Lorna Dallas, Lila Deis, Sylvia McNair, and Carol Malone.

Following her retirement in 1982 with the rank of Professor Emeritus, she continued to teach privately. Virginia MacWatters died on November 5, 2005 at the age of 93.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into five series: Biographical; Professional files; Correspondence; Subject files; and Scrapbooks.

Scope and Content Note

With materials ranging in date from 1862 through 1994, the Virginia MacWatters collection is organized into four series: Biographical, Professional files, Correspondence, and Scrapbooks.

The Biographical (1862-1992) series includes a wide range of materials, including numerous appointment books dating from 1922-1989 which document MacWatters’s daily activities and the times and locations of the rehearsals and performances; several recordings and transcripts of interviews of MacWatters, including one titled "Faith in Our Time" from 1953; awards such as the Frederic Bachman Lieber Award which she received in 1979, and an undated notebook filled with her thoughts on her family and her profession. This series also contains the papers of some of MacWatters’s family members, including records relating to her sister Kathryn MacWatters’s employment with the U.S. Army, and to Edward T. Harlan’s work with the 1863 Military Commission.

The second series, Professional files (1933-1989), is further organized into two sub-series. The first, Performances files (1933-1989), contains those materials relating to MacWatters’s performing career such as clippings, contracts, programs and press releases. This sub-series also contained numerous recordings of her performances on both reel-to-reel and LP record formats. The Teaching files (1958-1989) sub-series, contains materials relating to her teaching career at Indiana University, such as clippings and programs on her students, doctoral exam questions, transcripts of voice lessons with her students, as well as her compiled dossier for the Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching. Several recordings of her students’ performances were transferred to the Music Library.

Correspondence (1891-1994), the third series, contains both personal and professional related correspondence. The majority of the early correspondence until 1929 is addressed to Idoleein Hallowell MacWatters, Virginia’s mother. This early correspondence also includes invitations to events, Christmas cards and correspondence with acquaintances. Later material includes personal correspondence with her mother, father, and sister Kathryn as well as with her future husband Paul Abée. Prominent subject matter includes information on her daily activities and performances. Additionally, this series contains a great deal of correspondence related to her professional activities. Prominent correspondents within the professional correspondence include the Matinee Musical Club of Philadelphia in the early years, the Radio Corporation of America, Columbia Concerts, Inc., Columbia Artists Management, National Artists Corporation, the Metropolitan Opera Association, and numerous letters from acquaintances regarding her performances.

The Subject files (1935-1988) series contains miscellaneous materials such as clippings on the Indiana University School of Music and on MacWatters’ two voice teachers, Henrietta Conrad and Greta Stauber; general music related clippings and programs, and a reel-to-reel recording of a speech by Winston Churchill. Other materials included in this series include the transcript of a talk by MacWatters titled "The Theatre as Part of Our Life" as well as notes and clippings gathered for a book she had planned to write on vocal pedagogy.

The final series, Scrapbooks (1930-1992) includes newspaper clippings, programs, news releases and photographs relating to MacWatters’ extensive career as an opera singer. The two most recent scrapbooks were compiled in celebration of her 80th birthday and include information on and photographs of her students.

Note that several hundred photographs were separated from the papers and are now stored with the Archives Photographs collection. Contact the Archives Photographs Curator for more information.

• Indexing Terms

• The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the catalog using these terms.

• • Names
  • MacWatters, Virginia, 1912-2005 --Archives.
  • MacWatters, Virginia, 1912-2005 --Correspondence.
  • Indiana University, Blooington --School of Music --Faculty --Archives.
• • Topics
  • Voice teachers --Indiana --Bloomington --Archives.
  • Sopranos (Singers) --Archives.

Separated Material

The oversized Military Commission papers for Edward T. Harlan (1863) and Wayne Guards Company 124th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Roster (1862) were moved to the oversized drawers in the photo collection.

Hundreds of loose photographs relating to MacWatters’ professional career and from her personal life as well as the photographs from several scrapbooks were pulled and transferred to the photograph collection. Consult Archives Photographs Curator for details.

Administrative Information

Container List

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