William H. Seltsam., 11/22/1947-03/29/1960

The personal papers of music critic Paul Hume comprise this collection. Highlights include correspondence from luminaries of the music world such as Marian Anderson, Pearl Bailey, Leonard Bernstein, Rudolph Bing, Nadia Boulanger, Antal Dorati, Alberto Ginastera, Serge Koussevitsky, John La Montaine, Lotte Lehmann, John Mauceri, Gian Carlo Menotti, Eugene Ormandy, Rosa Ponselle, Ned Rorem, Mstislav Rostropovich, Bidu Sayao, Beverly Sills, Gerard Souzay, George Szell, Virgil Thomson, Alan Titus, and Justine Bayard Ward.

The collection includes an impressive series of remarkable black-and-white publicity stills, with photographs of many of the foregoing, as well as Samuel Barber, Daniel Barenboim, Maria Callas, Pablo Casals, Van Cliburn, Vladimir Horowitz, Charles Ives, Riccardo Muti, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Leontyne Price, Rosa Raissa, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Artur Rubinstein and Arnold Schoenberg.

Hume's own work comprises an important part of the collection. These include his scripts for programs that he hosted at WGMS-FM radio (Washington, D.C.); as well as both manuscripts and news clippings articles he wrote as music critic for the "Washington Post." The collection also includes several files of research material amassed by Hume and his wife Ruth during the writing of their book on the famous Polish pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski. These include copies of correspondence by Paderewski, as well as by notable individuals in his circle.