George L. Bagby papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- George L. Bagby papers
- Date
- 1934, 1940, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Bagby, George Littlejohn (1891-1961)
- Extent
- 0.43 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Classical music
- Composition (Music) -- 20th century
- Grayson County (Ky.)
- Musicology
- New York (N.Y.)
- Philanthropists.
- Scores
- Sheet music.
- Songs -- Texts
- Bagby, George Littlejohn (1891-1961)
- Green, Eleanor Margaret, Princess Viggo, Countess of Rosenborg, 1895-1966
- Weightman, Anne (Anne Weightman Walker Penfield), 1844-1932
- Cincinnati College of Music
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format in two series: Music Compositions and Papers.
- Preferred Citation
- 2025ms005 : [identification of item], George L. Bagby papers, 1936, 1940, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- George Littlejohn Bagby was born on May 19, 1891, in Grayson, Carter County, Kentucky, to Mary Elizabeth Sprague and James Thompson Bagby. His father was a steamboat captain and farmer along the Ohio River.
- A talented tenor, George graduated from the Cincinnati Music School at just fifteen. Between 1915 and 1919, he directed the choir at the Congregational Church and later at the First Presbyterian Church in Huntington, West Virginia, where he taught voice and organ. He then pursued advanced vocal studies in Europe, training under De Felicia in Paris, Jean de Reszke in Nice, Scoatrina in Florence, and Milan, Italy.
- In his early adulthood, Bagby moved to New York City, where he became involved in Tin Pan Alley and composed music and lyrics for musicals. His most notable work, the operetta Fioretta, was performed on Broadway at the Earl Carroll Theatre during the 1928–1929 season. He also served as vice president of Manhattan Music. In 1932, the will of Anne Weightman Walker Penfield, a philanthropist and one of the wealthiest women in the world, left Bagby $600,000.
- Bagby later chaired the Bagby Music Lovers Foundation, established by his cousin, Albert Morris Bagby. The foundation sponsors the annual Bagby Concert, with proceeds primarily benefiting elderly and needy individuals who have contributed to the world of operatic or classical music. Additionally, it supports music schools and societies and provides study grants to aspiring opera and classical musicians preparing for professional debuts.
- In the 1930s, Bagby returned to Kentucky, where he built Faywood Manor in Woodford County. Following his passing in 1962, a portion of his extensive estate, $7 million, was used to establish the George L. Bagby Scholarship, which provides loans to fine arts students at private colleges across Kentucky. Several pieces from his 18th-century European art collection were also donated to the Huntington Museum of Art.
- Sources: "Obituary for George Littlejohn Bagby" Newspapers.com. The Paducah Sun, November 14, 1962. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-paducah-sun-obituary-for-george-litt/167278620/.
- "George Littlejohn Bagby (1891-1961) - Find A..." 2018. Findagrave.com. 2018. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29369070/george_littlejohn-bagby.
- "1932-03-02 Fioretta Writer Willed $600,000 by Mrs Penfield" Newspapers.com. Daily News, March 2, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-1932-03-02-fioretta-writer-wi/98168625/.
- "Colleges Get Big Bequest" Newspapers.com. The Paducah Sun, December 7, 1972. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-paducah-sun-colleges-get-big-bequest/169338358/.
- "The Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts Inc." Charity Navigator. July 10, 2023. Candid Foundation Directory. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=BAGB001.
- Scope and Content
- The George L. Bagby papers (1936, 1940, undated; 0.43 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise original compositions and some personal papers that document the works of the Kentucky born musician and philanthropist to the arts, George Littlejohn Bagby. The compositions include handwritten and some printed music arrangements and notations by Bagby. The papers contain writings and notes on music, history, and Bagby's other interests. Also, included is ephemera like hotel stationary and Cognac bottle labels collected from Bagby's travels.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Music Compositions, undated
Loose composition papers, handwritten, undated
Music composition notebooks, handwritten, undated
"A. Scontrino bass", [Antonio Scontrino], handwritten, undated
"The Dryad", 1928, by Marian Johnson and George Bagby, various arrangement printed, undated
"Reverie" by George Bagby, various arrangements, printed with handwritten notes, undated
"April" by George Bagby, handwritten, undated
"Barcarolle" by George Bagby, printed with handwritten notes, undated
"Contrast" by George Bagby, handwritten, undated
Études by Chopin and Reinhold, printed, undated
"Flowers of May" by George Bagby, undated
"Hasard" by George Bagby, handwritten and printed, undated
"I Know" by George Bagby, handwritten and printed with notes, undated
"Mine" by George Bagby, handwritten, undated
Music composition notebooks, handwritten, undated
"My Lovely Celia" and "Ninetta", undated
"Scherzo", handwritten, undated
Unidentified, incomplete, handwritten with notes, undated
"Valse Romantico" by George Bagby, printed with handwritten notes, undated
"The Wind's Way" by George Bagby, handwritten and printed, undated
"Fioretta" sheet music published by Robbins Music Corporation, New York, copyright 1929, undated
Papers, 1934, 1940, undated
Assorted papers: address list, hospital invoice (1934), notes on physical culture exercises, 1934, undated
Cognac seals in envelope from Hôtel de Crillon, Paris, France, undated
Letter from Norvin Hewitt Green, regarding his sister, Princess Viggo, Countess of Rosenborg (née Eleanor Margaret Green), 1940 June 18
Notes on composers and opera (Italian and German), undated
Notes on musicology, music composition notebook, handwritten, undated
Notes on notable people of the nineteenth century, undated
"The Only Way to Sing", paper by Natalie Townsend with handwritten note to George Bagby, undated
Poems by George Bagby and other authors, undated
"The Totalitarian State Against Man", 1938, by Count Richard N. Coudenhove-Kalergi, translated by Andrew McFadden, handwritten transcription, undated
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
