The Harvard Musical Association is a private charitable organization founded by Harvard University graduates in 1837 for the purposes of advancing musical culture and literacy, both at the university and in the city of Boston. Though initially a spin-off of the Pierian Sodality, the association broke its ties with Harvard soon after its founding.[1] The association's most important notable accomplishments include the creation of the country's finest music library of the time,[2] the sponsorship of the first professional and public chamber music series in the United States,[3] the erection of the Boston Music Hall, and the formation of the orchestra which ultimately gave rise to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The association's library catalog may be searched on OCLC with the initials HVDMA.