The cultural foundation, musicians and institutions during the early and mid 20th century is the focus of the Musical Developments in southern California collection. The oral histories of both native Californian and relocated musicians provides insight into concert life, repertoire and its acceptance by the public, and significant musical innovations during this period. The collection is comprised of four series, the first of which is focused on performing and composing musicians active in southern California, 1920s to mid-1960s. The oral histories with some of the narrators (Wesley Kuhnle, Gerald Strang, Dane Rudhyar and Richard Buhlig) complement their papers and other materials held in the CSULB Library Archives. The Institutions series focuses on the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society and its early founding members (part of its repository in the Archive); chamber music in Los Angeles, 1922 to 1954; and the Long Beach Symphony. The University Composer series, which includes some narrators who were not residents of Los Angeles, explores how American composers became concentrated in higher education institutions. Finally, the growth and influence of jazz in southern California, 1920s to the present, is traced through a set of interviews with practicing musicians.