Series III: Musical Works and Lyrics

Series III: Musical Works and Lyrics, spans the years from the 1950s to 1960s. The bulk of the material falls in the year 1961 when Dowell's largest theatrical work, The Tattooed Countess, opened on Broadway. The work contains book, lyrics, and score by Dowell and signifies the major effort of his theatrical production. Dowell's second largest musical effort, Haymarket, although unfinished, also contains a large number of musical works and lyrics. Most of Dowell's theatrical works are heavily annotated. The lists of song titles included in this material provide an opportunity to study Dowell's creative processes, as he changed or reworked his material. It is not unusual to find a lyric assigned to one of Dowell's musicals also appearing in another of his theatrical works.

Dowell's music and lyrics from the 1950-1953 television series, Once Upon A Tune, are included in the Collection. Although Dowell composed nearly one thousand songs for the weekly broadcast of this show over its run, most of these are not included in his papers.