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A guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives

Processed by Megan MacDonald and Ryan Lee.

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
Focus Recordings.

Title
Focus Recordings records, 1980-1996, bulk 1993-1995

Collection No.
C300

Extent
1.6 cubic feet (3 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
The Early Music Institute was founded in 1980 by Thomas Binkley to create professional-level training for both performers and collegiums in music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Focus Recordings is the label of the Early Music Institute and provides high-quality recordings of rare and unique early music performances. Focus Recordings employs faculty, guests, students and former students to perform on the recordings. All the performances are faithful to the practices of the composer’s time, and utilize period instruments, and original manuscripts when possible. This collection consists of three series: administrative files such as correspondence, contracts, advertising material, and production notes; orders and sales records from several organizations, and recordings.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Administrative History

The Early Music Institute (EMI) was founded in 1980 by Thomas Binkley to create professional-level training for both performers and collegiums in music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Focus Recordings is the label of EMI and provides high-quality recordings of rare and unique early music performances. Focus Recordings employs faculty, guests, students and former students to perform on the recordings. All the performances are faithful to the practices of the composer’s time, and utilize period instruments, and original manuscripts when possible.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into three series: Administrative files, Orders and sales, and Recordings.

Scope and Content Note

The Focus Recordings collection spans the period from 1980-1996, with the majority of the records being from 1993-1995. The collection is arranged into three series: Administrative files, Orders and sales, and Recordings.

The first series, Administrative files, spans the years from 1981-1996, and contains records that document the general activities of Focus Recordings and Records. This series includes correspondence, contracts, and records related to permissions and rights in using recordings, and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Prominent subjects include advertising, artwork, financial matters, and production.

Orders and sales, the second series, spans the period from 1983-1996, and contains records relating to orders, advertising, contracts, and sales to or from a number of specific organizations or institutions that did business with Focus Recordings. The organizations represented here include: Albany Music Distributors, Continuo, Indiana University Press, and the Musical Heritage Society. Albany Music Distributors focuses their sales on classical music and is located in Albany, New York. Continuo is a magazine of early music and also distributes musical recordings. The Indiana University Press is a self-financed, not-for-profit publisher located on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. The Musical Heritage Society is a record label for classical music recordings. Most of the records in this series relate to orders and sales. However, the files from IU Press and the Musical Heritage Society also include information on tapes and royalties. All recordings are purchased through an on-line catalog and are not available in retail stores. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization.

The third series, Recordings, is further sub-divided into two sub-series: Numerical recordings and Miscellaneous recordings and projects. These files range in date from 1980-1996. The numerical recordings are arranged by the number corresponding to the recording (i.e. 931: Clavichord Music). The miscellaneous recordings and projects are arranged alphabetically. Some of these files contained transparencies, color slides and negatives, which have been pulled from the collection and stored separately. 945: Zephyrus Production contains a CD of Mozart in Mannheim. 941: Dufay Ecce Aucilla Domani contains an audio cassette.

• 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
  • Focus Recordings --Archives.
  • Focus Recordings --Records and correspondence.
• • Topics
  • Sound studios --Indiana --Bloomington --Archives.
  • Early-music groups --Indiana --Bloomington --History --Sources.

Separated Material

Photographs from the collection have been pulled and stored separately. Please contact the University Archives staff if you would like to view the photographic materials from this collection.

Folder name and contents:
Focus 913: Robin and Marion: 1991-1993 images of text and musical scores. 1 negative of Adam De La Halle
Laude Project: 1990-1991- 1: image. Possible cover art
Passion Play: 1983-1984: images of the Early Music Institute performance of the Passion Play from Carmina Burama at the Cloisters, NYC, 1982. 2 color slides of Jesus.
Focus 933: Popular Elizabethan 1993-1995: 3 group images of Swanne Alley. 3 transparencies of artwork.
Focus 932: Hurdy-Gurdy(materials sent to the artist), 1993: 1 image of Robert Green and Hurdy-Gurdy. 2 images of Hurdy-Gurdy. 6 color negatives of a hurdy-gurdy.
Focus 945: Zephyrus 1994-1995: 1 image of Zephyrus. Members include Courtney Westcott, Ingrid Matthews, Dana Maiben, Shelly Taylor, and Byron Schenkman
Focus 936: Flute Sonatas-4 color slides of flutes.
Focus 935: David Rogers-9 color negatives of an arch lute.
Artwork: 1994 negatives of musical score.

Related Material

Additional records such as newsletters, annual reports, bulletins, and publications may be accessed in the Archives of Institutional Memory

Archived web sites for this organization may be included in Archive-It

Related photographs may be available in the University Archives Photographs Database

See also C294, Early Music Institute director’s records.

Administrative Information

Container List

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