Correspondence FROM Olive Alwyn (nee Pull) to William Alwyn, 18th July 1924 - 15th October 1972
Scope and Contents
Letters to and from William Alwyn.
The principal family correspondents for WA were his two wives, Olive Pull and Doreen Mary Carwithen; his sons Jonathan and Nicholas Alwyn; his grandson and granddaughter Richard and Sarah Alwyn (Jonathan’s children); his brother James “Jim” Smith and his sister Vida Slinn; Barbara Jackson nee Carwithen - Doreen Carwithen’s sister, and her son Mark. The bulk of the correspondence between Olive and William is from the 1920s and 1930s during their engagement and from the period when William was travelling in Australia and Canada, while working for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music as an examiner. The catalogue does not generally distinguish between letters and other forms of correspondence, such as postcards, telegrams and greeting cards.
Dates
- Creation: 18th July 1924 - 15th October 1972
Creator
- Alwyn, Olive, 1900-1981 (composer) (Correspondent, Person)
- Alwyn, William, 1905-1985 (composer) (Correspondent, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Most of the archive is available to researchers at Cambridge University Library. Some items are closed.
Extent
53 item(s)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Description
53 letters [8 JUL 1924]-15 OCT 1972 [[8 JUL 1924, 5 SEP 1924], 1 MAR 1925, [11] AUG 1925, 20 AUG 1925, 2 OCT 1925, 13 OCT 1925, 16 OCT 1925, [18 OCT 1925], 25 OCT [1925], 6 NOV [1925, 10 NOV 1925, 17 NOV 1925], 27 NOV 1925, 2 DEC [1925], 14 DEC 1925, 8 JAN 1926, [12 APR 1926, 14 APR 1926], 19 APR [1926], 29 JUL 1926, 21 JAN 1927, 12 FEB [1927?, 15 JUN 1927, 16 JUN 1927, 17 JUN 1927, 1 JUL 1927], 6 SEP 1927, [6 SEP 1927], 7 SEP [1927], 6 NOV 1927, 5 DEC 1927, 6 DEC [1927], 7 DEC 1927, 8 DEC [1927], 9 DEC 1927, 24 DEC 1927, 5 MAR 1928, [5 APR 1928, 21 MAY 1928], 10 letters n.d. [between 1925-1928], [20 MAR 1955] ; 1 SEP 1972 ; 15 OCT 1972.
Personal material – the letters dating from the 1920s cover the period of WA leaving the Royal Academy of Music following his father’s sudden death, his time teaching at a prep school, and his subsequent travels around the country playing in small orchestras. Throughout this time Olive was attending the Royal Academy, and teaching music. Part way through the correspondence they became engaged to be married. Many of the letters are signed “Peter,” WA’s nickname for Olive, and the inspiration for some of his early works, notably the Peter Pan suite. Envelopes with different addresses have been left with letters to indicate where William Alwyn was at the time of writing.
Repository Details
Part of the Cambridge University Library Repository
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