Special Collections

New Day, New Box!

This past November has been a busy month! Sadly, my blogging was pushed aside in favor of a big research request, but now I’m back and ready to start a new box. My first impression is that this box… Continue Reading →

2018/12/03

Richmond Road Trip: Day 1, Going to School

Now that I have properly paid my respects to Mr. Blank, I’m headed to the James Branch Cabell Library to meet with Melissa Marrion, visit VCU’s Special Collections and check out the library’s music score collection. In an earlier blog… Continue Reading →

2018/09/24

Ask This Archivist: What’s the Hardest Part of Processing?

Happy International Archives Day! In celebration I will answer a question posed to be a few months ago. What was the most difficult part of your job? Since, my work is comprised primarily of processing the Allan Blank Papers Collection… Continue Reading →

2018/06/09

The More You Know: Music Archiving

I’m not a musician. I was once…for about a month in sixth grade, but quickly discovered that I didn’t have the dedication to practice. Yet, here I am now, archiving music written by one of Richmond’s most prolific composers. How… Continue Reading →

2018/05/04

Processing Update!

When I originally began this blog the purpose was to highlight Allan Blank’s compositions, share musical observations and impart a bit of archival knowledge. Hopefully Readers, I’m hitting these goals on the mark! In an effort to keep you apprised,… Continue Reading →

2017/10/18

Allan Blank’s life began on December 27, 1925 in New York City. As a composer, Allan Blank was known for his contemporary pieces, utilizing instruments that often seemed strange on the surface, but would work beautifully together. Not only was Blank a talented composer with over 60 published works, he was also a dedicated professor. Teaching at several institutions, the composer ended his teaching career at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1996 to focus more on writing music. Allan Blank was married to Margot Dreyfuss Blank a painter and photographer. Sadly, he passed away on November 12, 2013 from a brain tumor.

Composing a Collection: the Allan Blank Papers

Discovering The Composer Through His Work

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