The Joseph McGrath Sacred Choral Music Collection
The
Joseph McGrath Sacred Choral Music Collection is composed
of over 340 religious sheet music titles available
at the Central Library in downtown Syracuse. The collection
was organized in the mid-1970s as a cooperative effort
between the Onondaga County Public Library and the
Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The choral music is available for free loan to any
holder of an Onondaga County Public Library card.
Titles may be requested and sent to any OCPL library
for pickup. Multiple copies of each piece are kept
in expandable portfolio files and are checked out
as a single item. An index
by composer and an index
by title are available online as Adobe PDF files.
Print indexes are available at the Central Library
and at city branch libraries. For more information,
contact the Central Library at (315) 435-1900 or reference@onlib.org.
In addition to the McGrath Collection, other choral music is available through the Marcellus Free Library from the Marcellus Chorale Music Collection. This music must be picked up and returned at the Marcellus Free Library.
About Dr. Joseph J. McGrath
Dr. Joseph J. McGrath was born in Oswego, New York
on July 4, 1889. He died in Syracuse, New York on
January 23, 1968.
Dr. McGrath was a graduate of Syracuse University,
a student of Composition under Dr. William Berwald,
studied organ with August Wiegand, Gaston Dethier
and Charles Courboin, and church music under Msgr.
L.P. Manzetti.
A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, he was
Organist and Choir Master of the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception, Syracuse, N.Y. for forty years.
He was teacher of harmony and composition at Syracuse
University and a lecturer at the Catholic University
Summer School.
In 1956 Dr. McGrath was the recipient of an honorary
degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from Le Moyne College.
In 1958 he was cited by the National Catholic Music
Educators Association for outstanding contributions
to music and music education, and his Mass of the
Blessed Sacrament was awarded the Prize for that year.
The National Association of Music Clubs awarded prizes
to his Sonata Romantica and an Organ Sonata.
His published compositions include more than 100
choral compositions for Catholic Church Services,
organ music, a cantata, string quartets and several
piano compositions.
On April 17, 1966, he received a special Papal award, the first time such an honor was given in the Syracuse Diocese.
Last updated: October 16, 2009