Collected Works
JD & Harriet Robb, circa 1965
About the Collection
Pursuant to the wishes of JD Robb and his wife Harriet, as set forth in their wills, all personal papers and correspondence, photographs, music scores, field recordings, videos, tapes, and other materials were bequeathed to the University of New Mexico Libraries.
The extensive collection is housed in the Center for Southwest Research located in the Zimmerman Library on the UNM Main Campus. Visit the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections website for hours of operation and information on how to access the collection.
Pursuant to the wishes of JD Robb and his wife Harriet, as set forth in their wills, all personal papers and correspondence, photographs, music scores, field recordings, videos, tapes, and other materials were bequeathed to the University of New Mexico Libraries.
The extensive collection is housed in the Center for Southwest Research located in the Zimmerman Library on the UNM Main Campus. Visit the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections website for hours of operation and information on how to access the collection.
Samples from the Collection
Below are samples from the collection, as well as information on Robb's printed works available for purchase. Click on each tab to view.
MSS 497 BC consists of Robb's personal papers and includes correspondence, scrapbooks, manuscripts of his two books, newspaper clippings, lecture notes, recorded interviews, his compositions, concert programs, and CD's of his works. 122 boxes of materials have been digitized and are available online at the UNM Libraries’ Center for Southwest Research.
Below is a small sampling of manuscripts available at the Center for Southwest Research.
Cradle Song
The Jungle
Scenes from a New Mexico Village: I. The Yellow Aspens
Post-Impressionistic Paintings: I. Merry-Go-Round
String Quartet movement I 1st violin part
Little Jo opera: I. Prologue
Symphony No. 1 for String Orchestra: I. Dance
Pictorial Collections (PICT 000-497) houses photographs and documents donated by Dean Robb and other family members.
Below is a small sampling of the numerous digital images available at the UNM Libraries' Center for Southwest Research.
Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), composition teacher
John Jacob Niles (1892-1980) friend, composer, singer, and “Dean of American Balladeers”
Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) Russian Cellist and friend
A young John Robb in robe
Portrait of young John Robb
Early Robb Family portrait
Friend and conductor, Maurice Bonney, with John Robb and Amplifier
Robb and his Moog Synthesizer
John and Harriet Robb with Synthesizer equipment
Robb with technician
Dean Robb at the 1986 UNM graduation ceremony
Robb honored by NM Governor and Mrs. Jerry Apodaca.
The John Donald Robb Archive of Southwestern Music contains as its core over 3,000 field recordings of Hispanic folk songs recorded primarily in New Mexico and Southern Colorado by Robb from 1946 through 1979.
Below is an example of a field recording housed in the collection. The entry includes:
The audio was recorded in 1963 and features a service at a penitente morada (meeting house/chape). Los Hermanos de la Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (The Brothers of the Pious Fraternity of Our Father Jesus the Nazarene'), also known as Los Penitentes, Los Hermanos, the Brotherhood of our Father Jesus of Nazareth, and the Penitente Brotherhood, is a lay confraternity of Spanish-American Catholic men in northern New Mexico. It is not known from which morada the recording is derived.
- audio recording
- lead sheet notating the melody
- lyric sheet in Spanish translated to English
The audio was recorded in 1963 and features a service at a penitente morada (meeting house/chape). Los Hermanos de la Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (The Brothers of the Pious Fraternity of Our Father Jesus the Nazarene'), also known as Los Penitentes, Los Hermanos, the Brotherhood of our Father Jesus of Nazareth, and the Penitente Brotherhood, is a lay confraternity of Spanish-American Catholic men in northern New Mexico. It is not known from which morada the recording is derived.
John Donald Robb's printed works are available for purchase through the University of New Mexico Press. Click the images below to purchase.
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Cancionero
Songs of Laughter and Faith in New Mexico By John Donald Robb Edited by James Bratcher $29.95 Spiral 978-0-8263-4564-6 December 2015 Created for musicians and vocalists, Cancionero features arrangements for voice with piano or guitar as well as selected concert versions for voice, oboe, harp, and piano. |
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Hispanic Folk Music of New Mexico and the Southwest
A Self-Portrait of a People By John Donald Robb $75.00 Hardcover 978-0-8263-4430-4 March 2014 First published in 1980 and now available only from the University of New Mexico Press, this classic compilation of New Mexico folk music is based on thirty-five years of field research by a giant of modern music, composer John Donald Robb. |
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Hispanic Folk Songs of New Mexico
Selected Songs Collected, Transcribed, and Arranged for Voice with Piano or Guitar Accompaniment Revised Edition By John Donald Robb $29.95 Spiral 978-0-8263-4434-2 May 2008 Folk music fans and teachers will welcome this new edition of a New Mexico classic, now in a useful spiral binding. |