Scope and Content Note
Oldberg's musical oeuvre, as represented in the collection, includes seven symphonies, three piano concertos, several large orchestral works, chamber works, solo piano pieces as well as vocal works. These works span his student days to just before his death and represent, by far, the largest series in the collection. Most of the works contain opus numbers but the numbering system is not always consistent; several pieces share opus numbers, e.g.: Quintet, op. 24 and Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra, op. 24; Sinfonia, op. 48 and Sonata for violin and piano, op. 48; as well as Ballade, op. 53 and Trois chansons françaises, op. 53. An index to musical compositions and opus numbers is found in appendix A.
Some of Oldberg's works exist in several versions (i.e. Symphony no.1, Sonata for violin and piano, op. 48, and Ballade, op. 53). Other pieces lack an opus number entirely, a situation which Oldberg's son, Karl, later attempted to correct by creating "KO" numbers for the unnumbered pieces. Orchestral parts, whether in Oldberg's hand, in that of a copyist, or photocopies, are present for most works. Also included among the music are two folders of material composed by Arne Oldberg's father, Oscar.
Among the notebooks in the collection are numerous harmony and counterpoint studies, as well as copies of works by Rheinberger, all dating from Oldberg's student days. Sketchbooks also exist from Oldberg's days as a professor of composition at Northwestern University. The programs document performances of Oldberg's pieces by a number of American orchestras from 1909 to 1958, most notably the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, though there are some programs from the Minneapolis Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Oldberg's correspondence, once classed as ML 94.055, is now included with the collection. This correspondence details his years in Europe as a student, his involvement with the Chicago Manuscript Society, of which he was a founding member, as well as his later activities as composer and instructor. There is considerable correspondence from Oldberg's father Oscar Oldberg. Notable correspondents include Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, Charles Wakefield Cadman, Arthur Farwell, Arthur Foote, Frederic Grant Gleason, Theodor Leschetizky, Emil Liebling, Wilhelm Middelschulte, Fritz Reiner, George Szell, and Leopold Stokowski.
A small series of biographical materials rounds out the collection. It contains writings by and about Oldberg, bios, several photographs, clippings, financial materials, and other miscellaneous items.