Leonard Bernstein Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Leonard Bernstein Collection is as exceptional a collection as its namesake would suggest. Bernstein, one of the most prominent figures in twentieth century American classical music, made his impact as a conductor, composer of classical and theater music, and as an educator through his books, conducting students at Tanglewood, and especially his various televised lecture series that helped define the potentials of that medium.
Bernstein came to national prominence virtually overnight with his last minute conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic, substituting for Bruno Walter on November 14, 1943. He was twenty-five. Because Bernstein was a national figure from the very beginning of his career, and because his friend and teacher, Helen Coates, became his secretary and "preserver of the flame" beginning in 1944, the Bernstein Collection is not only amazingly complete, but much of it is annotated by Miss Coates to an extraordinary degree. These factors combine to make the Leonard Bernstein Collection one of the most exceptional in the Music Division in the variety and scope of material it contains.
Both the construction of this finding aid and the processing of the collection are considered works in progress. Rather than wait until the entire collection is processed before making it available to researchers--our usual practice--we have decided to make each series available as it is completed. For access to the un-processed materials in the collection, written requests should be addressed to Head, Acquisitions and Processing Section, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC 20540-4710. As each series is completed, an introduction to that material will be added at the beginning of the content list to that series.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1900-1995
- Creation: Majority of material found within ( 1933-1990)
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
Access and Restrictions
The contents of the Leonard Bernstein Collection are available for examination and study in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room. As copyright holder, The Leonard Bernstein Office permits researchers to make reference copies of items under its control with the understanding that researchers must obtain the Leonard Bernstein Office's permission to make any commercial or public use of the material, whether for performance, recording, publication, etc. Please consult a reference librarian in the Library of Congress Music Division for further permission information. Requests to make public or commercial use of this Collections' material should be directed to Hannah Webster (she/her/hers), Head of Licensing, The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc., 121 West 27th St., Suite 1104, New York, NY 10001, [email protected].
Copyright Status
Materials from the Leonard Bernstein Collection are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
Biographical Sketch
Biographical Sketch
- 1918, August 25
- Born, Lawrence, Massachusetts, first child of Samuel and Jennie Bernstein
- 1932
- First piano recital
- Began piano studies with Helen Coates
- 1935
- Graduated from Boston Latin
- Began Freshman year at Harvard University
- Piano studies with Heinrich Gebhard
- 1937
- First professional appearance as a solo pianist with orchestra
- Met Aaron Copland, Adolph Green and Dimitri Mitropoulos
- 1938
- Music Editor, Harvard Advocate
- 1939
- Graduated from Harvard cum laude in music
- Composed and conducted score for The Birds
- Entered Curtis Institute, Philadelphia
- Studied conducting under Fritz Reiner
- Studied piano with Isabelle Vengerova
- Studied orchestration with Randall Thompson
- Studied score-reading with Renee Longy Miquelle
- 1940
- Studied conducting under Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood
- 1941
- Graduated from Curtis Institute
- 1942
- Published Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
- Assistant to Koussevitzky at Tanglewood
- Moved to New York
- Completed First Symphony, Jeremiah
- 1943, November 14
- Substituted for Bruno Walter at Carnegie Hall concert
- 1943
- Appointed assistant conductor for New York Philharmonic by Artur Rodzinski
- 1944
- First performances of Jeremiah , Fancy Free and On the Town
- 1945 - 1947
- Music director, New York City Symphony Orchestra
- 1946
- First European conducting appearances in Prague and London
- Conducted U.S. premiere of Britten's Peter Grimes
- 1947
- First visit to Israel
- Conducted in France, Belgium and Holland
- 1948
- Conducted concert at Beersheba during War of Independence
- First appearance as conductor in Munich, Budapest, Vienna, Milan and Rome
- 1948 - 1949
- Musical advisor, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
- 1949
- Piano soloist in first performance of his Second Symphony, The Age of Anxiety , conducted by Koussevitzky
- 1950
- Premiere of Peter Pan
- 1951
- Appointed head of conducting studies at Tanglewood, following the death of Koussevitzky
- Married Felicia Montealegre Cohn
- 1952
- First performance of Trouble in Tahiti
- Daughter Jamie born
- Artistic director, Festival of Creative Arts, Brandeis University
- 1953
- First performance of Wonderful Town
- Conducted Medea at La Scala
- 1954
- Scored the film On the Waterfront
- First performance, in Venice, of Serenade
- First television appearance on Omnibus
- 1955
- Conducted Symphony of the Air season in New York
- Son Alexander born
- First performance of The Lark
- 1956
- Guest conductor, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
- Premiere of Candide
- 1957
- Premiere of West Side Story
- Conducted inaugural concert of Mann Auditorium, Tel Aviv
- 1957 - 1958
- Joint principal conductor, New York Philharmonic
- 1958
- Shared Latin-American tour with Dimitri Mitropoulos
- Conducted first of fourteen seasons of "Young People's Concerts"
- 1958 - 1969
- Music director, New York Philharmonic
- 1959
- Toured Europe and Soviet Union with New York Philharmonic
- Published The Joy of Music . New York: Simon and Schuster
- 1960
- Mounted Mahler centenary season with New York Philharmonic
- 1961
- Toured Japan with New York Philharmonic
- Film version of West Side Story released
- 1962
- Daughter Nina born
- Conducted inaugural concert at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center (later Avery Fisher Hall)
- 1963
- First performance of Third Symphony, Kaddish , in Tel Aviv
- 1964
- Sabbatical year from New York Philharmonic
- Conducted Falstaff at Metropolitan Opera
- 1965
- First performance of Chichester Psalms in New York and Chichester
- Commenced two-year survey of twentieth-century symphonic music with New York Philharmonic
- 1966
- First engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera ( Falstaff )
- 1967
- Conducted concert on Mount Scopus to mark reunification of Jerusalem
- Completed Mahler symphony cycle for CBS
- 1968
- Conducted Der Rosenkavalier at Vienna State Opera
- New York Philharmonic tour of Western Europe and Israel
- 1969
- Named lifetime Laureate Conductor on retirement from music directorship of New York Philharmonic Orchestra
- 1970
- Fund-raising meeting for Black Panthers held at Bernstein's residence
- Conducted bicentennial production of Beethoven's Fidelio in Vienna
- 1970 - 1974
- Artistic advisor, Tanglewood
- 1971
- Premiere of Mass , inaugurating the Kennedy Center, Washington
- Conducted one-thousandth performance with New York Philharmonic
- 1972
- Conducted Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera
- 1973
- Delivered six Charles Eliot Norton lectures, "The Unanswered Question," at Harvard University
- Conducted for Pope Paul VI at the Vatican
- 1974
- First performance of Dybbuk ballet
- Led New York Philharmonic on tour of New Zealand, Australia and Japan
- 1976
- Premiere of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
- Trial separation from his wife
- 1977
- Reconciliation with wife
- First performance of Songfest
- 1978, June 16
- Felicia Bernstein died
- 1979
- Conducted Berlin Philharmonic in Mahler's Ninth Symphony
- 1980
- First performance of Divertimento
- Received the Kennedy Center Honor
- 1981
- Premiere of Halil
- Recorded Tristan und Isolde in Munich
- 1982
- Artistic director, Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute
- 1983
- Premiere of A Quiet Place at Houston Grand Opera
- 1984
- Revised A Quiet Place at La Scala
- Deutsche Grammophon recording of West Side Story
- Daughter Jamie married to David Evan Thomas
- 1985
- Journey for Peace at Hiroshima
- 1986
- Bernstein Festival at Barbican Centre, London
- Inaugurated Schleswig-Holstein Festival
- First performance of Jubilee Games
- 1988
- First performance of Arias and Barcarolles
- Four-day seventieth-birthday celebration at Tanglewood
- 1990 June
- Inaugurated the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan
- 1990, August 19
- Last concert with Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood
- 1990, October 14
- Died at 6:15 p.m. at home in New York
Extent
400,000 items (around)
1,723 boxes
710 linear feet
Abstract
Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, writer, lecturer, and pianist. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, writings, personal business papers, the archives from his corporate identity, Amberson Inc., scrapbooks, clippings and press materials, programs, datebooks and schedules, iconography, address books, and fan mail. In addition, it contains music manuscripts for many of his compositions, including The Age of Anxiety (Symphony no. 2); Candide; Chichester Psalms; Fancy Free; Jeremiah (Symphony no. 1); On the Waterfront; Prelude, Fugue and Riffs; Serenade after Plato's "Symposium"; Trouble in Tahiti; West Side Story; and Wonderful Town.
Organization of the Leonard Bernstein Collection
The Leonard Bernstein Collection is organized in fourteen series:
- Correspondence, 1928-1994
- Writings, 1928-1991
- Personal Materials, 1935-1990
- Music, 1932-1995
- Photographs, 1915-1993
- Datebooks, 1944-1990
- Schedules, 1983-1992
- Address Books and Message Books, 1988-1989
- Iconography
- Programs, 1925-1993
- Fan Mail, 1938-1990
- Press Materials, 1930-1994
- Business Papers, 1944-1994
- Scrapbooks, 1933-1987
Catalog Record
Custodial History
Beginning in 1953, and continuing until 1967, Leonard Bernstein gave many of his most significant music manuscripts to the Library of Congress, including: The Age of Anxiety (Symphony No. 2) , Candide , Chichester Psalms , Fancy Free , Jeremiah (Symphony No. 1) , On the Waterfront , Prelude, Fugue and Riffs , Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" , Trouble in Tahiti , West Side Story , and Wonderful Town . Between 1965 and 1983, Bernstein gave 104 scrapbooks to the Library (five additional scrapbooks were given by Brandeis University in 1973).
Helen Coates, Bernstein's longtime friend and secretary, left ninety-four letters, music manuscripts and other Bernstein related items to the Library of Congress in her will. The Library received the items in 1991. An additional 600 letters, which had been in the possession of Helen Coates, were also given to the Library by the Springate Corporation in 1991.
In 1993, the Springate Corporation, representatives of the Bernstein estate, increased the size of the Bernstein Collection many times over by giving to the Library hundreds of thousands of additional items. This included, not only additional music manuscripts, but correspondence, writings of all types, photographs, commercial and non-commercial recordings and audio-visual materials (now housed in the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division), business papers, programs, fan mail, date books, realia, and other less common items. In addition to Bernstein's personal business papers, the extensive archives for his corporate identity, Amberson Inc., were also part of the gift.
In 1997, Burton Bernstein, brother of Leonard Bernstein, gave the Library of Congress ninety-five additional items to add to the Bernstein Collection. Originally from Jennie Bernstein's apartment, and consisting primarily of letters to their parents; including fifty-two from Leonard Bernstein, one from Felicia Bernstein, one from Aaron Copland and four from Helen Coates.
Provenance
Beginning in 1953, and continuing until 1967, Leonard Bernstein gave many of his most significant music manuscripts to the Library of Congress; between 1965 and 1983, Bernstein gave 104 scrapbooks to the Library (five additional scrapbooks were given by Brandeis University in 1973). Other sources of material: Helen Coates, Bernstein's longtime friend and secretary, left Bernstein related items to the Library in her will (received in 1991); 1991 and 1993 gifts of the Springate Corporation (representatives of the Bernstein estate); in 1997, Burton Bernstein, brother of Leonard Bernstein, gave the Library ninety-five additional items to add to the Bernstein Collection, originally from their mother's apartment. The Bernstein estate donated approximately 1,500 additional letters to the collection in 2011.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Digital Files
Digital files regarding Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts were received on floppy disks. Access to digital content is available onsite only in the Performing Arts Reading Room and requires advance notice. Consult Music Division reference staff for more information.
Microfilm
All of the scrapbooks have been preserved on microfilm because of their fragile nature (Microfilm 99/20002 [MUS]).
Online Content
Digitized images along with identifying information and a narrative introduction are also available through the Library of Congress Web site under the title: The Leonard Bernstein Collection at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/collmus.mu000003.
Transfers
Commercial and non-commercial recordings and other audiovisual materials from the Leonard Bernstein Collection have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, where they are identified as part of the Leonard Bernstein Collection (MAVIS collection no. 2511).
Processing History
Work began on the processing of the Leonard Bernstein Collection soon after the bulk of the materials began arriving in 1993. In the years that have followed, innumerable people have worked on the processing of the collection and the writing and coding of its finding aid, including specialists, technicians, fellows, and interns. It is a collection that continues to grow, with rarely a year passing without significant additions to the collection. The finding aid is continually updated to reflect newly acquired materials that have been processed. There are still portions of the collection not yet processed or whose descriptions have not yet been added to the finding aid. Consult a reference librarian in the Music Division for more information about these materials.
Source
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990 (Creator, Person)
Subject
- Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993--Photographs. (Person)
- Antoniou, Theodore, 1935-2018.--Correspondence. (Person)
- Antoniou, Theodore, 1935-2018.--Photographs. (Person)
- Balanchine, George--Photographs. (Person)
- Behrens, Hildegard--Photographs. (Person)
- Ben-Gurion, David, 1886-1973--Photographs. (Person)
- Bernstein, Felicia--Correspondence. (Person)
- Bernstein, Felicia--Photographs. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Archives. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Autographs. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Caricatures and cartoons. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Correspondence. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Manuscripts. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Performances. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Photographs. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Portraits. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990. (Person)
- Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990. Works. Selections. (Person)
- Bing, Rudolf, 1902-1997--Photographs. (Person)
- Blitzstein, Marc--Correspondence. (Person)
- Blitzstein, Marc--Photographs. (Person)
- Boulanger, Nadia--Correspondence. (Person)
- Boulanger, Nadia--Photographs. (Person)
- Boulez, Pierre, 1925-2016--Correspondence. (Person)
- Burton, Humphrey, 1931- --Photographs. (Person)
- Böhm, Karl, 1894-1981--Correspondence. (Person)
- Callas, Maria, 1923-1977--Photographs. (Person)
- Carlisle, Kitty, 1910-2007--Photographs. (Person)
- Carter, Jimmy, 1924- --Photographs. (Person)
- Chavez, Carlos, 1899-1978--Correspondence. (Person)
- Coates, Helen, 1899-1989--Correspondence. (Person)
- Coates, Helen, 1899-1989--Photographs. (Person)
- Coates, Helen, 1899-1989. (Person)
- Comden, Betty--Correspondence. (Person)
- Comden, Betty--Photographs. (Person)
- Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990--Correspondence. (Person)
- Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990--Photographs. (Person)
- Culshaw, John--Photographs. (Person)
- DePreist, James, 1936-2013--Correspondence. (Person)
- Diamond, David, 1915-2005--Correspondence. (Person)
- Diamond, David, 1915-2005--Photographs. (Person)
- Duke, Vernon, 1903-1969--Correspondence. (Person)
- Farberman, Harold, 1929-2018--Correspondence. (Person)
- Fine, Irving, 1914-1962--Correspondence. (Person)
- Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich, 1925-2012--Photographs. (Person)
- Foss, Lukas, 1922-2009--Photographs. (Person)
- Frantz, Justus--Correspondence. (Person)
- Frantz, Justus--Photographs. (Person)
- Gebhard, Heinrich, 1878-1963--Photographs. (Person)
- Gellhorn, Martha, 1908-1998--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ginastera, Alberto, 1916-1983--Correspondence. (Person)
- Goodman, Benny, 1909-1986--Photographs. (Person)
- Gottlieb, Jack--Photographs. (Person)
- Gottlieb, Jack. (Person)
- Gould, Morton, 1913-1996--Correspondence. (Person)
- Green, Adolph--Correspondence. (Person)
- Green, Adolph--Photographs. (Person)
- Green, Johnny, 1908-1989--Correspondence. (Person)
- Hadley, Jerry--Photographs. (Person)
- Harmon, Charlie. (Person)
- Hellman, Lillian, 1905-1984--Correspondence. (Person)
- Hellman, Lillian, 1905-1984--Photographs. (Person)
- Horne, Marilyn--Photographs. (Person)
- Hume, Paul, 1915-2001--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ives, Charles, 1874-1954--Correspondence. (Person)
- Jones, Quincy, 1933-2024--Photographs. (Person)
- Kaplan, Abraham, 1931- --Photographs. (Person)
- Kostelanetz, Andre, 1901-1980--Correspondence. (Person)
- Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951--Correspondence. (Person)
- Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951--Photographs. (Person)
- Levine, James, 1943-2021.--Photographs. (Person)
- Lieberson, Goddard, 1911-1977--Correspondence. (Person)
- Lipkin, Seymour--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ludwig, Christa--Photographs. (Person)
- Markevitch, Igor, 1912-1983--Correspondence. (Person)
- Mauceri, John--Correspondence. (Person)
- Mauceri, John--Photographs. (Person)
- McClure, John--Photographs. (Person)
- Menotti, Gian Carlo, 1911-2007--Correspondence. (Person)
- Menuhin, Yehudi, 1916-1999--Photographs. (Person)
- Midori, 1971- --Photographs. (Person)
- Milhaud, Darius, 1892-1974--Correspondence. (Person)
- Mitropoulos, Dimitri, 1896-1960--Correspondence. (Person)
- Mitropoulos, Dimitri, 1896-1960--Photographs. (Person)
- Moseley, Carlos--Correspondence. (Person)
- Moseley, Carlos--Photographs. (Person)
- Munch, Charles, 1891-1968--Photographs. (Person)
- Nabokov, Nicolas, 1903-1978--Correspondence. (Person)
- Nagano, Kent, 1951- --Correspondence. (Person)
- Newman, Phyllis, 1935- --Photographs. (Person)
- Nolen, Timothy--Photographs. (Person)
- Oppenheim, David, 1922-2007--Correspondence. (Person)
- Oppenheim, David, 1922-2007--Photographs. (Person)
- Ormandy, Eugene, 1899-1985--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ozawa, Seiji, 1935-2024--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ozawa, Seiji, 1935-2024--Photographs. (Person)
- Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich, 1890-1960--Correspondence. (Person)
- Peress, Maurice--Correspondence. (Person)
- Perle, George, 1915-2009--Correspondence. (Person)
- Perlman, Itzhak, 1945- --Photographs. (Person)
- Piston, Walter, 1894-1976--Correspondence. (Person)
- Popp, Lucia--Photographs. (Person)
- Prawy, Marcel, 1911-2003--Correspondence. (Person)
- Prawy, Marcel, 1911-2003--Photographs. (Person)
- Previn, André, 1929-2019--Photographs. (Person)
- Resnik, Regina, 1922-2013--Photographs. (Person)
- Riegger, Wallingford, 1885-1961--Correspondence. (Person)
- Robbins, Jerome--Correspondence. (Person)
- Robbins, Jerome--Photographs. (Person)
- Rodzinski, Artur, 1892-1958--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rorem, Ned, 1923-2022--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rostropovich, Mstislav, 1927-2007--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rostropovich, Mstislav, 1927-2007--Photographs. (Person)
- Réaux, Angelina--Correspondence. (Person)
- Schuman, William, 1910-1992--Correspondence. (Person)
- Schuman, William, 1910-1992--Photographs. (Person)
- Shapero, Harold, 1920-2013--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sheng, Bright, 1955- --Photographs. (Person)
- Siegmeister, Elie, 1909-1991--Correspondence. (Person)
- Smit, Leo, 1921-1999--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sondheim, Stephen--Correspondence. (Person)
- Sondheim, Stephen--Photographs. (Person)
- Stern, Isaac, 1920-2001--Correspondence. (Person)
- Stern, Isaac, 1920-2001--Photographs. (Person)
- Stevens, Roger L.--Correspondence. (Person)
- Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971--Correspondence. (Person)
- Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971--Photographs. (Person)
- Styne, Jule, 1905-1994--Correspondence. (Person)
- Thompson, Randall, 1899-1984--Photographs. (Person)
- Thomson, Virgil, 1896-1989--Correspondence. (Person)
- Thorne, Francis--Correspondence. (Person)
- Tilson Thomas, Michael, 1944- --Photographs. (Person)
- Toscanini, Arturo, 1867-1957--Photographs. (Person)
- Tourel, Jennie--Correspondence. (Person)
- Tourel, Jennie--Photographs. (Person)
- Urquhart, Craig--Photographs. (Person)
- Wadsworth, Stephen--Correspondence. (Person)
- Wadsworth, Stephen--Photographs. (Person)
- Walker, Nancy, 1922-1992--Photographs. (Person)
- Watts, Andre--Photographs. (Person)
- Yannatos, James--Correspondence. (Person)
- Yardumian, Richard--Correspondence. (Person)
- Zeffirelli, Franco--Correspondence. (Person)
- Zeffirelli, Franco--Photographs. (Person)
- Zirato, Bruno--Photographs. (Person)
- Amberson Inc. (Organization)
Genre / Form
- Address books.
- Appointment books.
- Articles.
- Business records.
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence.
- Drafts (Documents)
- Lectures.
- Notes.
- Photographic prints.
- Photographs.
- Programs (Documents)
- Promotional materials.
- Scores.
- Scrapbooks.
- Scripts (Documents)
- Writings (Document genre)
Topical
- Composers--United States--Correspondence.
- Composers--United States--Photographs.
- Conductors (Music)--United States--Correspondence.
- Conductors (Music)--United States--Photographs.
- Fan mail.
- Music appreciation.
- Music--History and criticism.
- Music--Manuscripts--United States.
- Musicians--United States--Correspondence.
- Musicians--United States--Photographs.
- Orchestral music--Analysis, appreciation.
Uniform Title
- Title
- Leonard Bernstein Collection
- Author
- Processed by the Music Division of the Library of Congress
- Date
- 2005
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Part of the Music Division Repository
Performing Arts Reading Room
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