Collections in Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound

Reza Abdoh was an Iranian born theatrical director, known for his emotionally charged and controversial subject matter. He died in May, 1995 of AIDS. Collection consists primarily of original sound tapes for two Dar a Luz theatrical productions titled Tight, Right, White and the Law of Remains. Also included are 5 Compact discs titled Dar a Luz / Spew music and 3 unidentified cassettes. less

The Paul Robeson Award is presented annually by Actors' Equity Association to honor an individual for both artistic achievement and exemplary humanitarian service. The collection consists of recordings of the award presentation ceremonies, from 1978 to 1996. Recipients include: Sam Jaffe (1978) ; Harry Belafonte (1979) ; Alice Childress (1980) ; Studs Terkel (1981) ; Ed Asner (1982) ; John Henry Faulk (1983) ; Lena Horne (1984) ; Arthur Mitchell (1985) ; Vinie Burrows (1986) ; Joseph Papp (1987) ; Jacques D'Amboise (1988) ; Bill Ross & Dr. Margaret Burroughs (1989) ; Maya Angelou (1990) ; Gordon Parks (1991) ; The 20th Anniversary ceremony (held in 1991) ; Gil Noble (1995) ; George C. Wolfe (1996). Speakers at these ceremonies include Theodore Bikel, Ellen Burstyn, Barbara Colton, Colleen Dewhurst, Carl Harms, Nancy Marchand, Frederick O'Neal, Susan Robeson, Tom McDermott, and Stuart Hutchinson, among many others. less

Lorenzo Alvary, a hungarian born operatic bass, hosted the radio program titled "Opera Topics" between 1963 and 1984. It aired principally on WNYC, New York, and consisted of interviews with contemporary opera singers, historians, and impresarios, as well as reports of operatic performances from around the world. Selected guests include: Claudio Abbado; Licia Albanese; Ezio Flagello; Boris Goldovsky; Herbert Graf; Dimitri Kabalevski; Lauritz Melchior; Gian Carlo Menotti, among many others. Collection consists of recordings of the radio program "Opera Topics" from broadcasts on WNYC. Includes notebooks containing press releases describing the subjects discussed in chronological order. less

These noncommercial spoken word and music recordings concerning Scandinavia were collected under the auspices of the American-Scandinavian Foundation. Most of the spoken word recordings consist of panel discussions in English hosted by William Kennedy and Vernon Brooks. Topics of these programs include Swedish film, Danish ballet, and a discussion of the music of Harald Sæverud. Additional spoken word recordings include an interview with Anaïs Nin. less

James Barton was a character actor and veteran of burlesque and Broadway. Collection includes sound recordings of many radio and television programs that Barton performed in, as well as private recordings of interviews, songs, and theatrical performances. less

Collection consists of audio-visual materials representing selected productions that Jerry Bock wrote between 1960 and 2006. While there are some items containing complete audio or video productions of the shows, the majority are unpublished pre-production materials, including rehearsals, demo recordings, and "working copies" of songs, including a song about the race horse "Fly so free". There are also some documentary materials, such as awards show footage and radio shows about the productions. Many of the items are from Bock's more popular Broadway shows, including Fiddler on the Roof, The Rothschilds, She Loves Me, and Fiorello! Also represented are some of Bock's less well known works including 1040, (a show about the tax code), Happy Birthday Mr. Abbott, and Regarding the Lindsay Years, as well as many of his children's musicals including Brandon Finds his Star, The Land of Broken Toys, Danny and the Dragon, The Magic Journey, and the Adventures of Pinocchio. less

The collection consists of noncommercial recordings of radio broadcasts of primarily classical music. The largest portion of the collection consists of broadcast of The New York Philharmonic, with selected concerts from 1952-1963. Conductors of the New York Philharmonic concerts on these recordings include Franco Autori, Leonard Bernstein, Guido Cantelli, Dmitri Mitropoulos, Paul Paray, George Szell, and Bruno Walter. Guest soloists include Claudio Arrau, Robert Casadesus, Van Cliburn, Clifford Curzon, Rudolf Firkušný, Zino Francescatti, Jascha Heifetz, Myra Hess, Byron Janis, Martha Lipton, Artur Rubinstein, Irmgard Seefried, Rudolf Serkin, and Richard Tucker. less

The Gena Branscombe collection contains noncommercial recordings primarily of radio broadcasts made by the Branscombe Choral from 1935-1954, and of works by Gena Branscombe performed by other choral groups, soloists, and instrumentalists. Among the Branscombe Choral broadcasts are a number of works by American composers, including many of Branscombe's own choral arrangements and compositions, many of them first radio performances. less

Interviews recorded for an article published in the ARSC Journal. Robyn discusses his early life in Latvia and arrival in America, as well as his career, recordings, and acquaintances between 1919-1931. He also discusses his birthname, (Rubin) and use of many pseudonyms, including Wolf Scarpioff, John Spear, Edward Hamilton, and Mario Rubinoff, among others while he was performing in vaudeville and recording. He recorded first for Emerson, but then for Columbia, Pathe, Okeh, Brunswick, and Victor. Topics discussed include Cameo Records, Eugene Ormandy, "Roxy" (Samuel Rothafel) and the Roxy Theater, and various other music halls. Also discusses recording processes and studios, radio, his records, and "Roxy's Gang" of which he was a member. less

Al Carmines served as minister at the Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square beginning in 1961 and was director of the Judson Poets' Theater. He began composing in 1962 and won several awards for his off-Broadway productions. Sound recordings from original productions of several off-Broadway musicals written by Al Carmines, including a Look at the fifties; Christmas rappings; Listen to me; Platon; Making of Americans; May day garland; Future; Life of a man; Religion; the Faggot; and Joan. less

Gilbert W. Chapman was a business executive in New York City who served as Director of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The New York Public Library. The collection consists of noncommercial sound recordings including performances by Jascha Heifetz and Larry Adler of popular chamber music; a performance of Aaron Avshalomoff's Symphony no. 2 by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thor Johnson; a speech by Mrs. Gilbert Chapman broadcast in 1943 promoting the American Women's Voluntary Services; and radio and television interviews with Gilbert W. Chapman and dancer Alexandra Danilova. The interviews with Chapman were recorded from 1956 to 1962 and concern literacy and education in the United States. Notable television and radio programs represented in the collection include the Tex and Jinx television program; a Monitor radio program; and a Lee Graham television interview. Also included is the opening address (given by Mr. Chapman) of the New York Public Library 50th anniversary convocation, and a radio program featuring a story about the WNYC book festival. less

The Collegiate Chorale was named after the space in which it held its first rehearsals: the Marble Collegiate Church. It was founded in 1941 by Robert Shaw, and has since had performances with many notable conductors including Toscanini, Beecham, Bernstein, Koussevitzky, Maazel, Mehta, and Mitropoulos. The collection consists of recordings of Collegiate Chorale concerts between 1944 and 1974 (with the bulk in the 50s and 60s). All recordings have been individually cataloged. To locate recordings, search for the title "Collegiate Chorale collection of performance recordings.". less

These noncommercial music and spoken word recordings were collected by Henry Cowell and primarily consist of his own compositions and lectures, as well as numerous field recordings of folk and ethnic music. Additional recordings contain music by modern Western composers, including unique recordings of works by John J. Becker. less

The collection contains recordings of the radio programs which Diether wrote, including the series "The Life of Beethoven." In addition to the programs themselves, sound cues for the programs are included. The collection also contains appearences of Diether as a commentator on radio programs and intermission features from concert broadcasts. In addition to documentaries and commentary, there are recordings of concerts by the New York Mahlerites (today known as The Gustav Mahler Society of New York). less

Ross Lee Finney (1906-1997) was an American composer and teacher. Born in Wells, MN, he studied at the University of Minnesota with Donald Ferguson, in Paris with Nadia Boulanger,and at Harvard with Edward Burlingame Hill. He also studied with Roger Sessions (1935), Alban Berg (1931-1932), and Gian Francesco Malipiero (1937). Finney taught at Smith College (1929-49) ; Mt. Holyoke College (1938-40) ; Hartt School of Music (1941-42), and Amherst College (1946-1947). He was a visiting lecturer at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1948-1949), and later became a professor there (1949-73). During his time at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Finney served as chairman of the composition department, and established an electronic music laboratory. less

These tapes constitute a large portion of the noncommercial recordings collected by Flagstad of her own performances and interviews. Recordings originating from Norway include Flagstad's farewell concert of December 12, 1953, and fourteen tapes recorded privately at the Norwegian Broadcast Service in 1954 and 1958 featuring songs by Norwegian composers. less

The collection largely consists of reference recordings of NBC Symphony Orchestra broadcasts and rehearsals made for Gray's review, which date from April 1948 to August 1952. Most of these were conducted by Arturo Toscanini, which have been separated from the collection and incorporated into the Toscanini Legacy Collection of Sound Recordings (Refer to finding aid in: *L(Special) 89-01). The remaining performances and rehearsals were conducted by Guido Cantelli, Ernest Ansermet, Milton Katims, Antal Dorati, Roy Shields, Erich Leinsdorf, and Erich Kleiber. Also in the collection are off the air recordings of various NBC radio broadcasts, as well as an interview with Gray conducted by Harry Fleetwood December 31, 1957. less

Lennie Hayton was a jazz pianist, composer, conductor, and arranger active from the 1920's through the 1960's. Hayton worked on a number of radio programs, including Lucky Strike's Your Hit Parade (1935), and the Ed Wynn Show (1936). He was musical director of MGM from 1940 to 1953, and worked on many movies as an arranger, conductor, or musical director. Hayton married Lena Horne in 1947, and worked with her as a manager-pianist-arranger. The collection contains selections of Hayton's work on radio and in the studio, as well as recordings of Lena Horne and other performers. Recordings of his radio work include selected episodes of Lucky Strike Your Hit Parade, Ed Wynn Show, Chesterfield's Music that satisfies, and Ipana's Hour of Smiles programs. Included in the collection are recordings of Lena Horne on studio acetates, as well as live radio recordings. Also included in the collection are radio recordings of both popular and classical music performances that Hayton owned. less

Interviews of twenty-six actresses conducted by Holly Hill for the book entitled Playing Joan: Actresses on the Challenge of Shaw's St. Joan (New York: Theater Communications Group, 1987). Interviewees include: Jane Alexander, Eileen Atkins, Elisabeth Bergner, Marjorie Brewer, Zoe Caldwell, Ann Casson, Constance Cummings, Judi Dench, Joyce Elbert, Pat Galloway, Ellen Geer, Lee Grant, Uta Hagen, Wendy Hiller, Frances Hyland, Barbara Jefford, Laurie Kennedy, Siobhań McKenna, Nora McLellan, Roberta Maxwell, Sarah Miles, Sian Phillips, Angela Pleasence, Joan Plowright, Lynn Redgrave, and Janet Suzman. less

These noncommercial sound recordings were collected by Mary Howe and primarily consist of her own compositions, in particular her vocal and chamber works. Several performances feature Mary Howe as pianist or accompanist. Additional performers include Celius Dougherty, Emerson Meyers, Mona Paulee, and William Strickland. less

These audio tapes were collected by Teiji Itō and consist of many of his musical compositions, performances, interviews, and lectures. Music tapes consist primarily of works for the theater, but additionally there are several major dance and film compositions. Most of the works are not attributed to any specific date, but several film score recordings are known to have been created in the early 1950's (earliest in 1952). The span of dates assigned by the composer to certain works is 1962 - 1982. less

The collection consists of various radio series from the 1960's and 1970's in which host Patricia Kurland blends interviews, quotes from literature, comments on popular culture, and recorded music. It includes radio programs such as The Exchange, Potpourri, Something Special, and The Human Touch, all of which are dedicated to interviews with popular personalities. Two series, The Meliorist and Voices in the Night, consist of music and quotes from classic and popular literature. less

Felix Labunski was a Polish born American composer. He studied with Lucjan Marczewski and Witold Maliszewski at the Warsaw Conservatory (1922-24) and with Paul Dukas, Nadia Boulanger (composition) and Georges Migot (musicology) at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris (1924-34). In 1927 he helped found the Association of Young Polish Composers in Paris. He moved to the United States in 1936 and became an American citizen in 1941. In 1940-41 he was professor of counterpoint and composition at Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY, and in 1945 joined the faculty of the Cincinnati College of Music. The collecton primarlily consists of works by Felix Labunski. In addition, some of the other composers represented in this collection are: L.W. Ballard, Don Hurless, Witold Lutoslawski and Kazimierz Sikorski. Some performers represented in the collection are: Alard String Quartet ; Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra ; and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. less

The collection contains both commercial and noncommercial discs and tapes. The commercial recordings include the complete set of Nation's Forum discs, Benito Mussolini's personal copy, bound and numbered, of his recorded speeches, Victor long play discs from the early 1930's including Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in Schoenberg's Gurrelieder and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and the Sistine Chapel Choir recordings of the pre-electric era, at least eight or nine sides of which feature Alessandro Moreschi, last of the known castrati. less

The Lawrence and Lee collection includes a broad sample of the material that this important team created for radio, television, and the stage. Included in the collection are complete holdings for The Railroad hour, Favorite story, and Young love, as well as representative holdings for Request performance, Hallmark playhouse, A Date with Judy, and numerous other programs. Holdings from their later activities include tapes of interviews with and lectures by one or both men, as well as private recordings that document the development of scripts and stories for Auntie Mame, Shangri-La, and The Gang's all here. less