Benedict J. Pullo, Jr. papers, 1925-1980s

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: BCA-054

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Materials created and compiled by Benedict J. Pullo, Jr. in the course of his career as a musician, composer, bandleader and educator, including a big band banner for the Ben Pullo Orchestra; original compositions, arrangements, sketches, and fragments; commercial sheet music used in performance; one copy of Syllabus of Musical History by Louis C. Elson (Boston: New England Conservatory of Music, 1925) with handwritten annotations; copyright documentation; audio recordings on tape of original compositions; and a scrapbook of clippings.

Dates

Creation: 1925-1980s

Creator

Pullo, Jr., Benedict J. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research by appointment. Advance notice is required for access because materials are stored offsite. Use of audiovisual materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Biographical Note

Benedict J. Pullo, Jr. (1906-1996) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor’s of Music degree from New England Conservatory in 1934 and also took courses at the Schillinger House (later Berklee College of Music) in the late 1940s/early 50s. Pullo received his Master’s of Music degree from Boston University in 1961, completing his thesis entitled, “An Investigation of Orchestral Variations from 1876-1945.”

A musician, composer, and educator, Pullo taught music classes and piano instruction, and composed and conducted for the Revere school system glee clubs for decades, primarily Garfield Junior High School, Abraham Lincoln Junior High School, and Revere High School. Pullo also led his own big band, the Ben Pullo Orchestra in the late 30s and early 40s, and published compositions throughout his life.

Pullo resided primarily in Revere, Somerville, and Ipswich, Massachusetts, and died in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1996.

Extent

1.3 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Personal papers of musician, composer, bandleader, and educator Benedict J. Pullo, Jr. (1906-1996), including published and unpublished compositions and related copyright documentation, as well as audio recordings, clippings, and ephemera.