Fonds F2346 - Keith MacMillan Fonds

Identity area

Reference code

CA OTTCA F2346

Title

Keith MacMillan Fonds

Date(s)

  • 1947-2004 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

66 cm of textual records
1 audio record

Context area

Name of creator

(1920-1991)

Biographical history

Keith Campbell MacMillan (1920–1991) was a composer, administrator, writer, editor, and educator. He was born in Toronto on September 23, 1920, son of the eminent conductor, composer, organist, and educator Sir Ernest MacMillan and Laura Elsie Keith. He attended Upper Canada College and studied piano, music theory, and organ privately. He enrolled at Trinity College, studying mainly biology.

MacMillan graduated from Trinity College with a BA in 1949 and received an MA in 1951 from the University of Toronto. The following year he founded Hallmark Recordings and became a CBC Radio producer. In 1964, he was named executive director of the Canadian Music Centre. His advocacy of Canadian music included writing, lecturing, and consulting. MacMillan was chair of the music department at the University of Ottawa from 1977 until his retirement in 1985.

Keith MacMillan met his wife, Helen Patricia (“Pat”) Dustan, at Trinity College; they married in 1949. They had four children. Keith died on May 20, 1991 in Toronto.
[Sources include Canadian Encyclopedia and the Toronto Star obituary of Helen Patricia (“Pat”) Dustan: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=182489208]

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Materials received October 2017 from two of Keith MacMillan’s children.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Fonds consists mainly of records related to the production of the musical comedy/operetta Saints Alive! (1949) for which Ronald Bryden (later a theatre critic and academic) wrote the libretto and Keith MacMillan wrote the music during their time at Trinity College. Included are copies of the script, libretto, and score; MacMillan’s scrapbook about the show, with his annotations on the script; lists of cast members; programs and reviews. As well, there is a script and parts of the handwritten music manuscript for another collaboration by MacMillan and Bryden: the one-act musical comedy What – No Crumpets! (1947). The fonds includes other creative writing by MacMillan from his Trinity days.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The fond was arranged by the archivist

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open

Conditions governing reproduction

Various copyright holders.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Physical characteristics and technical requirements

    Finding aids

    Uploaded finding aid

    Allied materials area

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    Related descriptions

    Notes area

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Access points

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Name access points

    Genre access points

    Description control area

    Description identifier

    keith-macmillan

    Institution identifier

    Trinity College Archives

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Dates of creation revision deletion

    06/10/2019

    Language(s)

      Script(s)

        Sources

        Accession area