Subseries

This subseries contains documentation pertaining to pianist Willie Eckstein's working relationships and professional engagements. It is composed primarily of agreements, contracts and correspondence written between 1909 and 1964.

These documents give an account of the intellectual property of some of the artist's works, as well as meetings, rehearsals and get-togethers with his employers and colleagues. For example, the subseries contains an agreement signed in 1948 by René Bastien, owner of the Château Ste-Rose in Laval, confirming the hiring of William Eckstein as pianist and bandleader for a period of one year, at a salary of $150/week. A contract, written in 1951, shows the royalties paid to Pat Di Stasio and Billy Eckstein by Les Éditions du Passe-Temps in exchange for the transfer of their rights to the composition entitled "Bonsoir Chérie." Similarly, a certificate of registration issued in 1952 in accordance with Canada's Copyright Act identifies Eckstein as the original creator and holder of the copyright for the song "Follow the Birds to Victoria, B.C." Correspondence from Bert Pearl of the CBC radio show The Happy Gang, songwriter and composer Alex Kramer of the New York music publishing company Kramer-Whitney, the Music Publisher Holding Corporation of New York and the Liberty-Bell Music Publishing Co. of Brooklyn all chronicle Eckstein's efforts to have distributors and music publishers promote songs like "Sweet Kitty Casey" and "It's Easter Again."

A composer of songs for special occasions, Willie Eckstein wrote songs for King George V, President Roosevelt, and Sir Winston Churchill. In fact, correspondence from the American consulate, the Governor General of Canada, Winston Churchill's secretary, Balmoral Castle and Buckingham Palace acknowledge the reception of recordings or scores. The subseries also contains thank-you notes and letters of appreciation from the Unity Club and patients at the Montreal General Hospital. Letters signed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Leader of the Opposition Lester B. Pearson in 1959 are evidence of their interest in the song "Queen of Canada," a tribute composed by Eckstein to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's tour of Canada. In addition, the subseries contains an invitation to the ball of June 25, 1959, organized at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal to mark this occasion, along with greeting cards from Quebec Premier Jean Lesage, Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, and John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson, when they were each Prime Minister of Canada. The support the artist received throughout his career is summarized in a handwritten letter he addressed to the Canada Council for the arts in 1961 as part of applying for a grant to pursue his activities.