The collection consists of 123 scores of compositions by Leo Smit, principally in copies of holographs. There are 21 scores of works by other composers arranged or transcribed by Smit. The remaining 41 scores are works by other composers either inscribed to Smit or marked for performance by Smit.

Leopold Mannes (1899-1964) was an American musician, educator, inventor, and son of the founders of the Mannes School of Music, David and Clara (Damrosch) Mannes. Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky, Jr. invented Kodachrome color photography. Mannes became president of the Mannes School of Music in 1948. This collection contains music manuscripts of Mannes's compositions, including arrangements of pieces by other composers.

The Kendrick Philander Shedd Papers include correspondence about his resignation from the University of Rochester faculty for socialist sympathies; reminiscences of the socialist movement in Milwaukee, 1915; personal scrapbooks and autobiography; as well as published and unpublished writings. There are also scrapbooks of minutes, correspondence, and clippings on Socialist Educational Federation of Rochester, sponsored by the Progressive Working People's Lyceum and Local Rochester, Socialist Party, 1914; letters and papers concerning the Rochester Socialist Sunday School and Young People's Socialist League; scrapbooks about the Social Center at School No. 9, Rochester, 1908-10; and a defense of Shedd by Lloyd Somers, with exhibits.

Julius Rudel (1921-2014) was an opera and orchestra conductor who graduated from the Mannes School of Music in 1942. He served as music director for several organizations, most notably as director and principal conductor for New York City Opera from 1957 to 1979. The collection includes annotated conducting scores, notes, a scrapbook of news clippings, programs and playbills, correspondence, biographical material, and photographs.

The collection contains scores of 33 musical works by composer, singer, and librarian Joseph Chouinard.

The collection contains scores of five compositions by John Myhill in varied states of completion and a folder of sketches and musical analyses. The collection also contains a folder of prose writings and a single piece of correspondence to Myhill.

Joe Williams (1918-1999) was a celebrated vocalist known for his collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra, as well as a successful solo career. The Joe Williams annotated scores collection is comprised of over thirty scores.

Scores owned by percussionist and conductor, Jan Williams. The majority of the scores were marked by Williams for use in performance. Some scores bear inscriptions from composers to Williams.

This collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, opera librettos, songs, short stories, novels, sketches, and critical reviews. It also has personal family papers of Kurt (Ashley Vernon) and Greta Hartwig Manschinger, paintings and writings by and other records from Greta's sister Mela Hartwig and her husband Robert Spira, audio recordings, scores, and sheet music, as well as audio recordings of performances.

Personal papers documenting volunteer activities of Gloria Tetewsky within three Jewish organizations in Buffalo. Includes newspaper clippings, newsletters, flyers and invitations relating to her volunteer service for Kehilat Shalom, Hadassah and Chabad House of Buffalo.