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Creator
Hempel, Frieda, 1885-1955
Call number
JOB 91-45
Physical description
.2 linear feet (1 box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Frieda Hempel and William Kahn papers, JOB 91-45. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Music Division
Access to materials
Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials

Frieda Hempel (1885-1955) was a German soprano with the Metropolitan Opera. William B. Kahn (1882-1971) was a New York City business man and political writer who married Hempel in 1918, and who continued to serve as Hempel's business manager after their divorce in 1926. The collection primarily includes correspondence between Hempel and Kahn from the year 1950, including letters, cables, and postcards.

Biographical/historical information

Frieda Hempel (1885-1955) was a German coloratura soprano who sang at the Royal Court Opera of Berlin and Covent Garden, before making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1912. In 1919, she shifted her focus from operatic to concert performance. In 1918, she married businessman and political writer William B. Kahn. The two remained married until 1926, at which point Kahn remained Hempel's business manager.

Scope and arrangement

The Frieda Hempel and William Kahn papers consist primarily of correspondence between Hempel and Kahn from the year 1950, including letters, cables, and postcards. Also included is correspondence between Frieda Hempel and others, correspondence between William Kahn and Elizabeth Johnston (Hempel's caretaker during her final illness in 1955), correspondence between Kahn and others concerning the hanging of a portrait of Hempel in the Metropolitan Opera House. A small portion of the collection includes Kahn's 1914 pamphlet, The Avoidance of War, and correspondence about it, as well as miscellaneous documentation of Kahn's family.19th century Kahn family correspondence from the 19th century and the 1920's ; clippings ; and miscellaneous items including a Kahn family tree.

Arrangement

The collection is organized by format, correspondent, or topic. Folder titles were supplied by the archivist.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donor unknown.

Using the collection

Location

Music Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Access to materials

Some collections held by the Dance, Music, Recorded Sound, and Theatre Divisions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. For general guidance about requesting offsite materials, please consult: https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/lpa/requesting-archival-materials