Bessie Marjorie Haskell: Notebook, n.d. | 00.4

Historical Sketch:

            Bessie Marjorie Haskell was the daughter of Tarbel Haskell, a farmer from Northboro, Massachusetts. On September 10, 1908, at age twenty-two, she entered Framingham Normal School. She graduated with the class of 1910. Haskell enrolled in the two year elementary course designed for women who were seeking to teach below high-school level in public schools. Musical education was a part of the curriculum; teaching singing was standard in the elementary grades. Included in the course was “[sic] the translation into musical notation of simple melodies or of time phrases sung of played.”

Scope and Content:

            Collection contains softcover notebook inscribed “State Normal School, Framingham, Mass. Note-book of work in (blank), Name: B. Marjorie Haskell.” Words and musical notations for the following songs are included: “Our Flag,” “Waving Flag,” “We March Like Soldiers,” “Little Yellow Dandelion–The Pussy Willow,” “Daffy-down-dilly,” “Bye Baby Bunting,” “Little Jack Horner,” “Song Story-Brownies’ Umbrellas,” “Snowflakes,” “A Birdie with a Yellow Bill,” “Twiddely-winks and Twiddely-wee,” “The Clapping Song,” “The Little Shoemaker,” “Mr. Duck and Mr. Turkey,” and others. Also includes classroom notes and fragments of unnamed melodies.

Provenance: Unknown

Amount: 1 box