International Guitar Research Archive

The International Guitar Research Archive (IGRA) is a specialized research collection housed in the University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), dedicated to the guitar and related plucked string instruments. The archive supports scholarly research and performance in classical, jazz, and folk guitar traditions by providing access to rare scores, personal papers, historic instruments, and recordings.

History

The origins of the IGRA trace back to the extensive private collection of Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, an award-winning classical guitarist and influential teacher who helped found the American Guitar Society in 1923. Known as the "grand lady of the guitar," Olcott-Bickford amassed a vast trove of guitar music, correspondence, journals, and instruments during her lifetime.

After her death in 1980, her widower Robert Revere sought to preserve her legacy, and the collection was eventually donated to CSUN in 1987. The move followed years of legal and logistical challenges, including damage to Olcott-Bickford's Hollywood Hills home in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and theft of some rare items while in storage.

CSUN music professor Ron Purcell, a former student of Olcott-Bickford and a leading figure in guitar education, was an early proponent of establishing and growing the archive. Under his direction, IGRA expanded its holdings through additional contributions and grants, notably from the Augustine Foundation.

Collections and scope

IGRA houses over 15,000 pieces of guitar music, thousands of letters, journals, photographs, and rare instruments. The collection includes works and personal materials from well-known guitarists such as:

AndrÃÂ©s Segovia, widely regarded as the father of the modern classical guitar.
Laurindo Almeida, a Grammy- and Oscar-winning guitarist and composer associated with the Bossa Nova movement and Hollywood film scores.
Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, whose collection forms the archive's foundational core.
Reginald Smith Brindle, a British classical composer and guitarist known for his innovative guitar compositions and scholarly writings, which significantly contributed to the modern classical guitar repertoire and its academic study.
Vicente Gomez, a Spanish classical guitarist and composer known for his virtuoso performances, film scores, and for popularizing Spanish guitar music in the United States during the mid-20th century.

Among the many items in the archive are 19th- and 20th-century sheet music, handwritten scores, sound recordings, and guitars dating as far back as 1790. In addition, IGRA holds the institutional archives of the Guitar Foundation of America. and the American Guitar Society.

Public programs and exhibitions

The IGRA has been featured in several public exhibitions at CSUN's University Library. Notable exhibits include:

"Historical Vibrations" (2005), which showcased rare guitars and memorabilia, including an instrument signed by Hollywood stars and used by Almeida on film soundtracks.
The 2005 public debut of the archive, which featured guitars from the 16th to 21st centuries and performances by faculty and students.

The archive also sponsors events such as master classes, including one in 1999 with classical guitarist Christopher Parkening.

Grants and fellowships

In 2008, the Augustine Foundation awarded the archive a $30,000 grant to conserve and catalog its holdings, ensuring long-term access for researchers. An earlier grant helped digitize parts of the collection, enhancing its availability to global scholars.

Since 2013, the IGRA archive and the Ronald and Beth Purcell Endowment have supported an annual student fellowship at the CSUN University Library in Special Collections and Archives.

External links