Search Results

1. John Secrist Jr. papers, 1919-1973

   5.75 linear feet (18 boxes). -- Recorded Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Papers, including discographic and photographic materials, included in the John Secrist Jr. Collection of nearly 1,700 operatic sound recordings.

2. Alma Gluck scrapbooks and other materials, 1902-1940

   approximately 200 items. 10 containers. 5.0 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Alma Gluck was a Romanian-born American soprano and voice teacher. This collection principally consists of scrapbooks related to her professional career. It also includes photographs, annotated sheet music, correspondence, clippings, and other assorted materials.

3. Andre Kostelanetz collection, 1922-1984

   approximately 150,000 items. 1293 containers. 7 mapcase folders. 401 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Andre Kostelanetz was a conductor, arranger, and pianist known for juxtaposing popular and classical repertoire in radio broadcasts and concert performances with some of the world's leading orchestras. He also commissioned several compositions which have since become staples in the orchestral repertoire, including works by Aaron Copland, William Schuman, and Jerome Kern. The collection consists of his musical arrangements, correspondence, business papers, programs, photographs, clippings, and scrapbooks, documenting his 50-plus-year career in the United States. It also includes materials related to the career of Kostelanetz's first wife, soprano Lily Pons.

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4. Jessye Norman papers, 1881-2020

   approximately 67,000 items. 296 containers. 106 linear feet. 199 digital files (269.3 MB). -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Jessye Norman (1945-2019) was an internationally recognized American soprano. An alumna of Howard University and the University of Michigan, Norman rose to fame after winning the 1968 ARD International Competition in Munich. She specialized in repertoire by late Romantic composers, garnering critical praise for her roles in Wagnerian operas as well as recitals featuring traditional African American spirituals and songs by Francis Poulenc, Gustav Mahler, Hall Johnson, and Richard Strauss. The Jessye Norman Papers contain correspondence from her managers and assistants, business papers, awards, annotated music, photographs, interviews, and clippings that document her career and philanthropic activities.

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5. Geraldine Farrar papers, 1895-1960s

   approximately 25,000 items. 67 boxes. 5 mapcase folders. 28.5 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Geraldine Farrar was an American opera singer and film actress. The collection consists of Farrar's personal papers relating to her life and career, including correspondence, scrapbooks and clippings, photographs and music materials containing sketches, autograph manuscripts, and printed music composed or edited by Farrar. In addition, the collection contains biographical materials, Farrar's writings, contracts, radio scripts, concert programs, awards, and other miscellaneous items.

6. Dorothea Dix Lawrence collection, 1856-1980

   350 items. 4 containers. 2 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Dorothea Dix Lawrence was a successful opera singer in the 1930s and 1940s who later became a recitalist and folklorist. The materials in the collection include correspondence, photographs, clippings and other items that document her career as a singer and interpreter of American folk music. In addition, the collection includes her articles on American folklore that were published in various journals, and two copies of her famous Folklore Music Map of the United States. The collection also includes piano-vocal opera scores and a large number of American folk songs.

7. Belle Brown collection, 1865-1912

   180 items. 3 containers. 1.75 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Belle Brown was an American soprano who had a brief operatic career abroad around the turn of the twentieth century. Although little biographical information exists about her, the contents of this collection document her relationships with prominent and respected European performers of the day. She studied with many celebrated performers and pedagogues, including Désirée Artôt, Pauline Lucca, and Jean and Edouard de Reszke. The collection contains correspondence with performers and pedagogues; photographs and prints of composers, performers, musicians, and other influential figures in European musical society around the turn of the century; and miscellaneous clippings and ephemeral materials.

8. Helen Traubel papers, 1910-1972

   approximately 3,500 items. 36 containers. 18.5 linear feet. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

   Summary:

   Helen Traubel (1899-1972) was an American soprano and writer. Known for her Wagnerian opera roles, Traubel spent 16 years at the Metropolitan Opera before exploring work in television, musical theater, and nightclubs. This collection documents her career through correspondence, photographs, scripts, scrapbooks, and her annotated music scores and orchestra library.