Administrative/Biographical History
Janet (Knapp) Byles was born on September 1, 1922 in Cobleskill, New York. She attended Oberlin College graduating with an A.B. in 1946 and an M.A. in 1952. Between receiving her A.B. and M.A., Knapp taught in China from 1946 to 1949 as a representative of the Oberlin Shansi Program.
Knapp obtained a Ph.D. in Musicology from Yale University in 1961. Shortly after, Janet Knapp married J. George Huntington Byles on September 7, 1965 in Morristown, New Jersey. They were married until the time of his death and did not have any children.
Byles made her career as a musicologist, teaching music history at the Oberlin Conservatory, Yale, Boston University and Vassar College. She was Professor of Music at Vassar College from 1971-1988, where she received Professor Emeritus status.
As an avid medievalist and violin player herself, her specialty was the study of conductus, a form of medieval music used in processions. She transcribed a 13th century conductus and published a book about the transcription, Thirty-five Conductus for Two and Three Voices, in 1965. Byles made history as the first female president of the American Musicological Society in 1975.
Janet and George moved from Fearrington, North Carolina to Kendal at Oberlin in 1993, where they both remained until the time of their deaths respectively. Byles died Friday, January 22, 2010 at the age of 87 with many surviving nieces and nephews.
Sources Consulted
Oberlin College Yearbook, Hi-O-Hi, Oberlin College Archives, 1945
Associated Emeritae/i of Vassar College website, 2007
Boston University Musicology Newsletter, 2/10/2010
Author: Julie Cowan Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationThe papers of Janet Knapp Byles are modest in volume, and contain both personal and professional papers, several photographs and three scrapbooks. The content of the material largely focuses on Byles' life during and after attending Oberlin College.
The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and scrapbooks, regarding Byles’ family, friends, class reunions and trips abroad. In addition to the photographs and scrapbooks, there are several writings by Byles regarding her class instruction critique notes and her personal musical endeavors. The unpublished works contain writings and reports referencing her three years in China with the Shansi Program. The collection lacks extensive biographical information and correspondence.
The collection is divided into seven series: Series I. Biographical, Series II. Correspondence, Series III. Diary and Notes, Series IV. Photographs, Series V. Printed Matter, Series VI. Scrapbooks and Series VII. Writings.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Biographical, 1945, 1952, 1961, 1965, 1986, 1998 (0.2 l.f.)
This series contains three diploma certificates for Janet Knapp; Oberlin College A.B., 1945, Oberlin College M.A, 1952 and Yale University Ph.D., 1961. Also within the series is an 11” x 14”, string bound festgabe to Janet Knapp given by former students, colleagues and friends at the conference “Music in the 12th and 13th Centuries” at the Ohio State University, a genealogy study of the Knapp Family with information written by Lawrence E. Knapp, a white leather bound marriage service book for G. Huntington Byles and Janet Elizabeth Knapp, including marriage certificate and a green vinyl bound guest book for the marriage service.
Series II. Correspondence, 1963, 1966, 1976, 1979, 1982-1985, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)
The correspondence is comprised of seven documents; appointment to fellowship at the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation from Gordon N. Ray, grant funding announcement from Vassar College, lecture announcement of Janet Knapp from the University of Texas at Austin, handwritten letter to Janet Knapp from Grace Knapp, typewritten letter of reference to Edwin Stein, Dean, Boston University from Leo Schrade, former instructor of Knapp at Yale University, and two typewritten letters, a handwritten receipt and architectural drawings from violin maker Thomas Mace, regarding the commission to make a viola for Byles.
Series III. Diary and Notes, 1968, 1996-1998 (0.1 l.f.)
The series contains one 6” x 8”, spiral bound notebook with musical class critiques from October of 1996 through the summer of 1997, one 6” x 9”, spiral bound notebook with musicological class critiques from December of 1997 through May of 1998, and a vinyl bound trip diary documenting a trip taken to London, England, during May and June of 1968.
Series IV. Photographs, 1850-c. late 1990s [span], n.d. (0.6 l.f.)
Within this series are color and black and white photographs of various size depicting trips to China, Italy and the Alps. There are family, fellowship class and wedding (Janet Knapp to G. Huntington Byles) photographs as well. Also contains black and white photographs of the Knapp Family genealogy.
Series V. Printed Matter, 1969, 1975, 1977, 1999, n.d. (0.1 l.f.)
This series contains six items; two musical scores, three musical programs and one printed memorial booklet of Marian Card Donnelly.
Series VI. Scrapbooks, 1959, 1964, 1979 (0.6 l.f.)
Three scrapbooks of the Oberlin College Class of 1944 are within this series. Each 12” x 14”, white vinyl covered, bound scrapbook contains event brochures, photographs of class members, correspondence, class directory information cards, and newspaper clippings concerning class members and Oberlin. The Fifteenth, Twentieth and Thirty-fifth Year Reunions are represented here within.
Series VII. Writings by Janet Knapp Byles, 1949-50, 1954, 1962-65, 1979, 1984, n.d. (0.2 l.f.)
This series is separated into two subgroups: published and unpublished writings. The published writings subseries contains a good sampling of Byles’ work on conductus research, while the unpublished writings subseries is mainly focused on her work in China in the 1950s.
INVENTORY
Series I. Biographical, 1945, 1952, 1961, 1965, 1986, 1998
Box 1
Diplomas
A.B. from Oberlin College, 1945
M.A. from Oberlin College, 1952
Ph.D. from Yale University, 1961
Marriage guest book, c. 1965
Marriage service book with marriage
certificate, 1965
Festgabe to Janet Knapp Byles, 1986
Genealogy study of Knapp family, 1998
Series II. Correspondence, 1963, 1966, 1976, 1979, 1982-85, n.d.
Box 1 (cont.)
Letters Received
Reference from Leo Schrade, 1963
Appointment to fellowship, 1966
Lecture announcement, 1976
Grant funding, 1979
Grace Knapp, n.d.
Thomas Mace (incls. viola drawing),
1982-85
Series III. Diary and Notes, 1968, 1996-98
Box 1 (cont.)
Personal diary, 1968
Musical class critiques, 1996-98
Series IV. Photographs, 1850- c. late 1990s [span], n.d.
Box 1 (cont.)
Knapp family photographs, 1850-1948, n.d.
Family, various individual and group
photographs, c. 1940s-c. late 1990s, n.d. (2f)
Janet Knapp wedding photo album, 1965
National Humanities Center fellowship class
photograph, 1988
Knapp family group photo, n.d. (in Box 2)
Series V. Printed Matter, 1969, 1975, 1977, 1999, n.d.
Box 1 (cont.)
Musical scores, 1969, n.d.
Musical programs, 1975, 1977, n.d.
Marian Card Donnelly memorial service
booklet, 1999
Series VI. Scrapbooks, 1959, 1964, 1979
Box 2
Oberlin College 15th year class reunion,
Class of 1944, 1959
Oberlin College 20th year class reunion,
Class of 1944, 1964
Oberlin College 35th year class reunion,
Class of 1944, 1979
Series VII. Writings by Janet Knapp Byles, 1949-50, 1954, 1962-65, 1979, 1984, n.d.
Subseries 1. Published writings by Janet Knapp Byles, 1962-65, 1979
Box 3
“Treatises on Modal Rhythm and the
Discant,” Journal of Music
Theory, 1962
“Howard Boatwright, an American master
of choral music,” American Choral
Review, Vol. VI, No. 1, 1963
“Quid to vides, Feremia: Two conductus in
one,” Journal of the American
Musicological Society, Vol. XVI,
No. 2, 1963
“MLA notes, second series,” Vol. XXI, #1-2,
1963-64
“Thirty-five conductus for two and three
voices,” Collegium Musicum, Number
Six, Yale University, 196
“Musical declamation and poetic rhythm in an
early layer of Notre Dame conductus,”
Journal of the American Musicological
Society, Vol. XXXII, No. 3, 1979
Subseries 2. Unpublished writings by Janet Knapp Byles, 1949-50, 1954, 1984, n.d.
Box 3 (cont.)
“A report on my three years in China,
assembly talk,” Finney Chapel, October 1949
“Old Testament 1, the sources of the
Hexateuch,” January 1950
“The aesthetics of Robert Schumann,” April 1954
“Fall convocation address,” Mellon University, 1984
“Description of a previous student,” Tsen Ch’i Lin, n.d.
“Trip to home from Chengtu, China,” n.d.
