George Antheil papers

id
2232
origination
Antheil, George, 1900-1959
date statement
1912-1959
key date
1912
identifier (local_mss)
20240
org unit
Music Division
call number
JPB 94-1
b-number
b14147730
total components
312
total series
7
max depth
4
boost queries
(none)
component layout
Default Layout
Extended MARC Fields
false
Extended Navigation
false
created
2013-04-01 15:04:25 UTC
updated
2026-05-28 19:10:44 UTC
status note
(missing)
Display Aeon link
true

Description data TOP

unitid
{"value"=>"20240", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"JPB 94-1", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b14147730", "type"=>"local_b"}
unitdate
{"value"=>"1912-1959", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1912/1959"}
unittitle
{"value"=>"George Antheil papers"}
physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"38 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"7.88 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
repository
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Music Division</span>"}
abstract
{"value"=>"The George Antheil papers include many of the composer's orchestral works including four versions of his most famous work, <span class=\"title\">Ballet Mécanique</span> and portions of some of his film scores. The papers also include drafts of librettos, books, unfinished and completed articles by and about Antheil, several photographs, clippings, and correspondence."}
langmaterial
{"value"=>"English"}
origination
{"value"=>"Antheil, George, 1900-1959", "type"=>"persname"}
bioghist
{"value"=>"<p>George Antheil (born Trenton, New Jersey, July 8, 1900) was an American composer, pianist, author and inventor. Although Antheil repeatedly claimed to be of Polish descent, his parents Henry William and Wilhelmine Huse Antheil were both of German ancestry and he grew up speaking both German and English. Antheil began piano lessons at the age of six, and by sixteen he was traveling to Philadelphia regularly to study theory and composition under Constantin von Sternberg. In 1919, Sternberg advised Antheil to study composition with Ernest Bloch in New York. Although Bloch initially rejected Anteil as a student, describing his compositions as \"pretentious\" and \"empty,\" he later was accepted by Bloch due this his new submission of <span class=\"title\">Five songs, 1919-1920, for soprano and piano, after Adelaide Crapsey</span>.</p> <p>In the 1920's Antheil traveled to Europe as a concert pianist, and was involved in the avant-garde scene in Paris, composing ultra-modern music. During this time his career was financially supported by Mary Louise Curtis Bok (who founded the Curtis Institute of Music in 1924). Sternberg had helped Antheil find this patron and Bok continued to support him for a total of nineteen years. While in Europe, Antheil met his future wife, Böski Marcus, who was studying at the University of Berlin. Antheil's best known work composed during the 1920s was <span class=\"title\">Ballet Mécanique</span>, a highly rhythmic piece scored for16 pianolas, xylophones, drums, and other percussion instruments. This piece was intended to be a soundtrack to a film of the same name by the French Dadaist painter Fernand Léger and cinematographer Dudley Murphy, but because Antheil worked separately from the filmmakers, it was decided that the score and the film would be entirely separate works (the original score was twice as long as the film). Though well received in Paris, the American premiere was considered a failure, which is career as a \"serious\" composer never recovered from. Antheil later made arrangements of the score for more practical instrumental ensembles (as evidenced in the collection).</p> <p>Convinced that composers could not make money writing symphonies, Antheil entered the motion picture music business leading to his move to Hollywood in 1936. While he was writing scores for films such as <span class=\"title\">Union Pacific</span> (1939), <span class=\"title\">Specter of the Rose</span> (1946) and <span class=\"title\">Pride and Passion</span> (1957), he continued composing symphonies.</p> <p>Outside of writing music, Antheil was a critic for the magazine <span class=\"title\">Modern Music</span> from 1936 to 1940 and published his memoir <span class=\"title\">Bad Boy of Music</span> in 1945, along with writing for various other publications. He also co-invented with actress Hedy Lamarr a patented Frequency Hopping Communication System (patented August 11, 1942, patent number 2,292,387; the patent is part of this collection). Although never adopted by the U.S. military, Antheil's and Lamarr's device is one of several which contributed to spread spectrum communications used military communications systems. Towards the end of his life Antheil worked for CBS composing scores for television.</p> <p>Antheil died of a heart attack on February 12, 1959, in New York, New York, at the age of 58.</p>"}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>The George Antheil papers documents composition of orchestral, piano, vocal and film scores, with notes and rewrites. There are drafts of articles, his memoir along with complete works. There are also several photographs, clippings, and items of correspondence throughout Antheil's career. Music scores and some archival items have been cataloged individually and later arranged into series.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The George Antheil papers are arranged in seven series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849660'>Series I: Orchestral Music</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849727'>Series II: Piano Music</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849794'>Series III: Vocal Music</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849845'>Series IV: Chamber Music</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849869'>Series V: Musical Sketches</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849931'>Series VI: Film Music</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20240#c1849940'>Series VII: Writings and Correspondence</a></div>\n</li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
relatedmaterial
{"value"=>"<p>There are Antheil materials in other collections of The New York Public Library:</p> <p>The Eugene Weintraub papers contain a significant amount of correspondence between Antheil and Weintraub, who was his publisher: Eugene Weintraub papers, JPB 12-02. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. archives.nypl.org/mus/18616</p> <p> Scores composed by Antheil for CBS can be found in the CBS collection of manuscript scores, JPB 92-21. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. archives.nypl.org/mus/25793</p> <p>Location of other repositories of Antheil's works:</p> <p>George and Böske Antheil Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. lccn.loc.gov/2010563507</p> <p>Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil Invention Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1590.pdf</p> <p>George Antheil papers (Collection PASC-M 43). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft158002h6</p> <p>George Antheil papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library. findingaids.library.columbia.edu/archives/cul-4078528</p>"}
date_start
1912
keydate
1912
date_end
1959
date_inclusive_start
1912
date_inclusive_end
1959
extent_statement
7.88 linear feet (38 boxes)
prefercite
{"value"=>"George Antheil papers, JPB 94-1. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}

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