John Kenneth Adams Collection

Table of Contents

-Special Collections
-Front Page
-Descriptive Summary
-Administrative Information
-Biography
-Scope and Content
-Series Description
-Container List

Scope and Content

The French music collection includes first editions by Massenet, Chabrier, Ravel, Falla, D'Indy, and Debussy and a series of 1930 copperplate engravings by Bernard Naudin depicting Beethoven and his Immortal Beloved. These engravings illustrate Ludwig von Beethoven in the context of his turbulent relationship with the Immortal Beloved (assumed to be Countess Therese von Brunsvik) and of the countess's proported connection to the Appassionata sonata.

The Adams collection also includes over a dozen photo albums, scrapbooks, and recordings, representing a 40-year performing and teaching career. These materials represent a significant history of the USC School of Music piano program, as well.