McEwen Collection

Sir John Blackwood McEwen (1868-1948) was born in Hawick, and after taking an Arts degree at the University of Glasgow he studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He came back to Glasgow to teach at the Athenaeum from 1895 to 1898, thereafter returning to the Royal Academy as Professor of Harmony and Composition before becoming Principal there in 1924. In 1947, some 11 years after his retiral, he was persuaded to give his compositions to the University of Glasgow Library.

The collection is in two parts. The original acquisition from 1947 consists of some 150 volumes (including manuscript scores and parts). A large proportion of this material is made up of instrumental and chamber music, but there are also a number of songs, part-songs and some orchestral music. This material was supplemented in 1981 by the acquisition of a further 60 items, comprising mainly of drafts, fragments and sketches. About three quarters of the material is unpublished.

How to find material from the McEwen Collection

• Browse through a list of titles for processed printed material available via the rare books search
• Browse through a list of titles for the manuscript material (MS McEwen) available via the manuscripts search 
• Sheila Craik and David Weston:  Tunic, tinsel, toga: an exhibition to mark the centenary of Henry George Farmer, 1882-1965 (Glasgow: 1982). Exhibition catalogue - includes McEwen material.