This summer Talbott Library’s CD collection grew from 5,000 to 15,000 thanks to a bequest from the estate of John P. Murnion.

Born in 1936 and raised in the Bronx, NY, John Murnion graduated from Fordham University in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts. A successful writer of mystery fiction, he lived in New York City with his wife, Kathleen, until his death on August 16, 2005.

Murnion had a deep love and profound knowledge of music, all self-taught. The John P. Murnion Collection reflects the breadth and depth of his musical tastes. It includes recordings of repertoire from the Middle Ages through the late 20th century and musical genres as disparate as Gregorian chant, symphonies, opera, jazz, film music, and minimalism.

A preliminary inspection of a portion of the collection provides some insight into John Murnion’s specific interests. Among the highlights discovered thus far by Talbott librarians are 50 volumes in Philips Records’ critically acclaimed series, Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century, and at least 18 recordings of complete operas by Richard Wagner, seven of The Ring cycle. The collection is strongly representative of Hispanic composers, including Manuel de Falla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Isaac Albéniz, Alberto Ginastera, Fernando Sor, and others; and contemporary American composers, including Philip Glass, John Corigliano, John Adams, George Crumb, and Steve Reich. It includes a wealth of recordings by Murnion's favorite pianists (Artur Schnabel, Sviatoslav Richter, and Artur Rubinstein), orchestras (Chicago, New York, and Boston), conductors (Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini, and Wilhelm Furtwängler), and composers (Antonín Dvorák, Richard Strauss, and Sergey Prokofiev).

“A Roman Catholic whose faith was nourished by a passionate interest in music and liturgy, John P. Murnion knew that Westminster Choir College—with its roots in sacred music and its ongoing mission to train music educators—is an appropriate repository for his collection,” said Mi-Hye Chyun, department chair of Talbott Library and acquisitions librarian, who traveled to New York and accepted this extraordinary gift on behalf of Westminster.

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