Series I: Administrative Records, 1940 - 1968

The Dayton Civic Music Association Collection consists of the papers and scrapbooks of the Dayton Civic Music Association. The Dayton Civic Music Association was founded in 1940 and presented twenty-eight concert seasons before its demise in 1968. The organization provided a social setting where people who liked the performing arts could gather together to enjoy a common interest. The vast majority of this collection consists of records detailing the association's business relations with various talent agencies and chronicling the concerts presented by it during its existence. The collection was donated to the Wright State University Special Collections and Archives by George Bayless in November 1998. Mr. Bayless' father, G. Harold Bayless, was a member of the Dayton Civic Music Association's executive committee and served on its Board of Directors. G. Harold Bayless was also the organization's second president.

Series I Administrative Records

This is the largest series in the collection. It consists of twenty-one file folders and the organization's Articles of Incorporation located in the oversize collection. Files include a wide variety of business-related papers ranging from bills received by the organization and insurance policies to meeting minutes and a list of attractions presented by the Dayton Civic Music Association. However, the most pervasive set of files in the series contain engagement contracts from various talent agencies. The majority of these contracts span the years between 1940 and the early 1960s. These contracts are useful primarily for the information they provide regarding the widely disparate fees received by different performers over three decades.

Series II Clippings

This series consists of one file folder. The series contains clippings spanning the entire twenty-eight years of the Dayton Civic Music Association's existence. However, most of the clippings date from the late 1960s with only a minimal amount from the 1940s and 1950s. In general, the clippings contained in the series are announcements for the annual membership campaigns and articles covering various performances sponsored by the Dayton Civic Music Association. Most of the clippings are from the Dayton Daily News, the Dayton Herald, and the Journal Herald but there are a few articles from other newspapers such as the Houston Post and the Akron Beacon Post.

Series III Correspondence

This is the second largest series in the collection. This series consists of thirteen file folders. The series includes letters to and from members as well as business letters. Though there are letters to members from most years of the organization's existence, they are unfortunately mostly form letters. Many of them are a bit repetitious because each year's letters are often only variations of a similar letter from the year before. For instance, many of the letters discuss membership campaigns and the only difference from the previous year's letter is that the dates of the campaign have changed. The business letters are primarily to and from talent agencies. They usually discuss performer bookings and changes made in contracts.

Series IV Pamphlets

The fourth series consists of two files. The first file contains pamphlets describing the Civic Music Plan to potential members and providing information on how to join the Dayton Civic Music Association. The second folder contains one pamphlet describing the music plan offered by the United Audience Service, Inc. It also contains some pamphlets providing biographical information about performers and/or excerpts from reviews of their past performances.

Series V Photographs

The fifth series consists of two file folders. The first file only contains a photograph of a sign announcing the Dayton Civic Music Association's membership campaign for the 1967-1968 concert season. The second folder contains a couple of performer photographs from ca. 1954 and several artist photographs from ca. 1966 and 1967. Though difficult to ascertain positively, the photographs appear to be publicity shots supplied to the organization by the performers' talent agencies.

Series VI Programs

This series consists of three file folders. The first file contains intermittent programs from the Dayton Civic Music Association's annual campaign workers' dinner. These programs are in essence sheets containing various songs that the guests either sang after the dinner or that were performed for them. The second file mainly contains programs from concerts sponsored by the Dayton Civic Music Association. A few of the earlier programs provided biographical sketches of the artist or group as well as listing the order in which pieces were performed. The later programs only contain the name of the artist and the repertoire they performed at the concert. The majority of the programs are from the 1950s and 1960s. The third file contains a program from a meeting of the Park Layne Sertoma Club.

Series VII Scrapbooks

This series consists of two oversize boxes. The first box contains four scrapbooks spanning the years 1940 to 1955. The second box contains three scrapbooks covering the years 1955 to 1967. The scrapbooks mostly contain newspaper clippings, form letters, concert reminder notices, programs, and a few photographs of performers.

Series VIII Miscellaneous

The last series in the collection contains one file folder. This series includes a magazine about Dayton in 1965, a Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association newsletter, a couple of business cards, a few blank membership cards, and a speech delivered to the Park Layne Sertoma Club among other things.