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This collection is made up of 51 handwritten music books dating from 1764 to 1890, with the majority being from the 19th century. The music includes from transcriptions/variations of famous works, chorale music, original compositions, and dance music. Much of the collection has no stated geographical location, though Pennsylvania is well represented.

The manuscripts are predominantly in English or German. Vocal tunes comprise a majority of the music present, regardless of genre. Multiple volumes includes music with antiquated form of the C clef. Both men and women wrote or were in possession of these manuscripts and many include dedications to friends or family members. Some of the manuscripts are transcribed copies of popular music theory books; in these cases, the author only transcribed a portion of the original. Several manuscripts include multi-colored, watercolor or pen and ink illustrations and lettering.