Scope and Content Note
The Roman Totenberg Papers span the period 1846-2011, with the majority of the materials dating from the 1930s to mid-2000s. The collection includes scores and parts, correspondence, files, photographs, programs, biographical documents, clippings, artwork, sound and video recordings, and other materials. Music materials consist chiefly of printed scores and parts bearing annotations in Totenberg's hand. Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, Milhaud, Mozart, Paganini, and Schubert are among those composers with substantial quantities of works present. Notable materials include cadenzas by Totenberg and Soulima Stravinsky for Mozart's violin concerti, a holograph manuscript violin part for Darius Milhaud's Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 2, and a heavily annotated part for William Schuman's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.
Totenberg's correspondence is sub-divided into two categories: general and family. General correspondence includes public dignitaries, performers, conductors, and other individuals with whom Totenberg had a professional relationship. Acquaintances with substantial amounts of correspondence are Carl Flesch, Darius and Madeleine Milhaud, William Schuman, and Soulima Stravinsky. Totenberg's family correspondence, a mixture of his own letters and those of other family members, is quite striking and illustrates the traumatic hardships endured by individuals of Polish descent in Europe during the Second World War. Many of these letters and supporting documents, such as those of the Ferster family (Totenberg's sister), demonstrate the lengths to which individuals went to escape Nazi persecution. Unfortunately, as these documents attest, several members of the Totenberg family were not successful and lost their lives in Warsaw.
Files in the collection consist of business papers, contracts, financial and travel documents, competition materials, clippings, performer and student resumes, and folders of other subject-related material. These reflect Totenberg's tenure as a violin teacher at the Longy School of Music (1977-1985) and Boston University (1961-1978), as well as his teaching and frequent performances at Aspen, Kneisel Hall, Tanglewood, The Music Academy of the West, Town Hall, and other international venues. The collection also highlights his career contributions as a judge for violin competitions, including the International Tchaikovsky Competition and Menuhin Competition. Totenberg's impressive resume and career are fleshed out further in a small series of biographical materials. Contained within are address books, personal documents, diplomas, performance lists, and essays, as well as a variety of documents related to family members, namely Stanislawa Totenberg. The photographs largely chronicle Totenberg's career as performer and teacher from the 1930s through the 2000s. Notable composers and performers include Carl Flesch, Yehudi Menuhin, Darius Milhaud, Artur Rubinstein, Soulima Stravinsky, Karol Szymanowski, and others.
Totenberg's extensive performing career is well-documented in a chronological run of programs that extends into the late 2000s. The series also contains a variety of programs for concerts and events related to Totenberg, such as for performances by his students. The collection also contains several hundred woodblock prints, drawings, and paintings by artist Ilka Kolsky, with whom Totenberg maintained a close relationship until her untimely death circa 1938. Among these are a print of Totenberg playing violin and a self-portrait in charcoal. The remaining collection materials include financial documents, clippings, inscribed scores and books, posters and brochures, and other assorted items that showcase Totenberg's career.