The Arthur Mendel Music Library

Arthur Mendel served as Chair of the Department of Music at Princeton from 1952-1967, and held the Henry Putnam University Professorship until his retirement in 1973. He passed away in 1979 at the age of 74.

Mendel was widely known as the foremost American Bach scholar of his generation.  Mendel's editions and studies of Bach's life and works, most notably the documentary biography The Bach Reader (with Hans T. David), and his practical and critical editions of the St. John Passion, brought him great recognition. He was honored by a Festschrift published in 1974 [R.L. Marshall, ed.: Studies in Renaissance and Baroque Music in Honor or Arthur Mendel (Kassel and Hackensack, NJ, 1974)] which includes an essay by William Scheide entitled "Some Miscellaneous Chorale Forms in J.S. Bach's Vocal Work."

In 1997 the music collections of Princeton University were brought together for the first time with the opening of the Scheide Music Library in the Woolworth Center for Musical Studies. Its books on music, printed musical scores, sound and video recordings, microfilms and electronic resources provide important tools for students, faculty and music scholars from around the world. The Library includes listening facilities, a reading room, a graduate seminar room, video, DVD and microformat viewing stations, as well as carrel space for departmental graduate students. 

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Firestone Library complements the music library, for it holds important parts of Princeton’s Music Collection. Foremost among its resources is the Hall Handel Collection, a collection of first and early editions of the works of George Frideric Handel, which is the largest collection in the United States. In a room adjacent to the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, visitors will find William Scheide's private library. Although it is not primarily a music collection, this library includes some extraordinary musical treasurers, such as the fair copy of Wagner's Das Rheingold, a Beethoven sketchbook, and autograph manuscripts of works by Mozart and Bach.

At Mr. Scheide's suggestion, the Music Library has been renamed to honor Arthur Mendel for his contributions as Bach scholar, performer, editor, critic, and teacher to the discipline of music. A sign marking this change appears in the Music Library's foyer and reads as follows:

"The University and the
Department of Music here
gratefully recognize
William H. Scheide
Class of 1936, HD 1994
an original Friend of Music
at Princeton whose generosity
made possible the construction of
The Arthur Mendel Music Library
1997"