A Preliminary Inventory of Her
Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Munsel, Patrice, 1925-2016
Title:
Patrice Munsel Collection
Dates:
circa 1940-1969
Extent:
81 boxes, 5 record storage cartons, 1 oversize box (43.07 linear feet)
Abstract:
This collection consists primarily of musical works (orchestral parts, vocal scores,
piano/conductor scores) used by Munsel for her performances in opera, concert, musical
comedy, and television productions. The scores range from grand opera arias to popular
ballads of musical comedy. The orchestral arrangements for the most part are the
workof the award-winning composer, conductor, and orchestrator Irwin Kostal. Also
present are music, scripts, and other materials related to her television show, The
Patrice Munsel Show, 1957-1958.
Call Number:
Performing Arts Collection PA-00141
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials. Part or all of this collection is housed off-site and may require up to three business days’ notice for access in the Ransom Center’s Reading and Viewing Room. Please contact the Center before requesting this material: reference@hrc.utexas.edu
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information
that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers
are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable
living
individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals
may have
legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy
may
arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be
deemed
highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University
of
Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of
the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder
which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom
Center's Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Patrice Munsel Collection (Performing Arts Collection PA-00141). Harry Ransom Center,
The University of Texas at Austin.
American soprano Patrice Munsel (born Spokane, Washington, 14 May 1925), studied in
New York and made her debut as Philine in Mignon at the Metropolitan in 1943. The
youngest singer ever to be engaged by the company, she appeared in the principal roles
of the coloratura repertory -- Lucia, Rosina, Gilda, Olympia and the Queen of Shemakha
(The Golden Cockerel). Rudolf Bing presented her in soubrette roles including Zerlina,
Despina, Strauss's Adele and, particularly, Offenbach's Perichole, in which she was
extremely popular. Following her many successful concerts and recordings, her European
tour, and her own radio show, she hosted a weekly musical variety series, The Patrice
Munsel Show, for one season on ABC Television, 1957-1958. In 1953 she starred in
Melba, a British film biography of the Australian singer. By 1960 she had virtually
retired from opera.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists primarily of musical works (orchestral parts, vocal scores,
piano/conductor scores) used by Munsel for her performances in opera, concert, musical
comedy, and television productions. The scores range from grand opera arias to popular
ballads of musical comedy. The orchestral arrangements for the most part are the
workof the award-winning composer, conductor, and orchestrator Irwin Kostal. Also
present are music, scripts, and other materials related to her television show, The
Patrice Munsel Show, 1957-1958.
A more detailed description of the music (whether vocal, piano-conductor, or full
score, parts present, number of pages) is available in the repository for items with
“PM” or “M” numbers in the box list for the collection.
Related Material
For additional materials related to Patrice Munsel at the Harry Ransom Center, see
the Music Manuscripts Collection, and the Sheet Music Collection.
