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

Anna Balos was a dramatic soprano, who performed throughout Europe and in the United States. Balos was born in Poland in 1910, and immigrated to the U.S. with her family at the age of ten. The family lived for a short time in New York, but then moved to Denver, where Balos cultivated an early love for the piano and singing. Her talent earned her a scholarship to attend the Institute of Musical Art, later known as the Juilliard School. Balos' first major role was that of Aida on Feb. 18, 1939 at the Hippodrome Theatre, NYC. After World War II, she went to Italy, and became understudy to Kirsten Flagstad at La Scala. It was there that she had her debut as Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal on Mar. 26, 1948. She lived and sang in Italy and Germany until 1957, when she was forced to return to the United States because of an eye injury. Back in New York, she maintained a schedule of recitals and concerts, with reviewed concerts given at Town Hall on Apr. 6, 1962, and at Judson Hall on Nov. 23, 1962. Ms. Balos continued to sing and give voice and piano lessons until her death on Apr. 15, 2001. The collection consists of private recordings featuring Anna Balos, operatic soprano, and includes 5 tapes of opera excerpts from Don Carlos, Elektra, Die Gotterdammerung and Tristan und Isolde, performed in Halle and Oldenburg, Germany in 1955. The bulk of the collection includes other private recordings of Balos in rehearsal, recital, concert, and operatic performance. 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

Consists of taped interviews, conducted by Gerald Berkowitz, for his book 'New Broadways: theatre across America: approaching a new millennium.' Interviewees include Andre Bishop, Gigi Bolt, Gregory Boyd, Bill Bushnell, Ben Cameron, Alexander H. Cohen, Robert Falls, Michael Feingold, Bernard Gersten, Jon Jory, Woody King, Eric Krebs, Theodore Mann, Ruth Mayleas, Julia Miles, Gregory Mosher, Laura Pels, Lloyd Richards, David Richtenthal, Tim Sanford, Suzanne Sato, Ben Sprecher, Scott Steele, Howard Stein, John Sullivan, and George C. White. Discussions center around Off-Broadway and regional theater. Theaters such as the Alley Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, O'Neill Center, Circle Repertory Theatre, Circle in the Square, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Los Angeles Actors Theatre and Playwrights Horizons are discussed. less

Collection consists primarily of recordings of concerts featuring many of Berl's works, including one held October 13, 1990 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Performers include Berl herself (including one recording of her at the age of 16), as well as pianists Peter Serkin, Emanuel Ax, and Andre-Michel Schub; the clarinetist Richard Stoltzman; and the cellist Matt Haimovitz, among others. less

This collection contains non-commercial recordings of Irving Berlin and his music. The recordings are from radio broadcasts, live performances, and private recordings. The performers on the recordings include Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Fisher, Al Jolson, Ethel Merman and Kate Smith. Some of the gems in the collection include Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" for the first time and the first London performance of "Annie Get Your Gun.". 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

This collection contains recordings of the complete runs of both "The Abe Burrows Show" and "Breakfast with Burrows." There are also recordings of many of the numerous guest appearances Burrows made on other radio and television programs such as "The Bing Crosby Show" and shows for which he was a writer, such as "The Philip Morris Holiday Show." In addition, there are home and private recordings of the Burrows family and 3 unproduced musicals: "Jacobowsky," "Tango Mogador" and "Poilu.". 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 audio portion of the collection consists of recordings related to the career of Ping Chong, and his company, originally the Fiji Company, but re-named Ping Chong and Company. Items are mostly sound elements or effects, including many production, pre-production, or working recordings for works created, produced and/or directed by Ping Chong, as well as a few recordings of actual performances, rehearsals, or interviews. Some of the audio is from collaborations with other artists including Meredith Monk and Muna Tseng, among others. Work titles represented in the collection include: After Sorrow, AM/AM: the articulated man, Angels of Swedenborg, Anna into nightlight, Astonishment and the twins, Brightness, Chinoiserie, Deshima, Elephant memories, Fear and loathing in Gotham, Humboldt's current, I will not be sad in this world, Kind ness, Maraya: acts of nature in geological time, Nosferatu: a symphony of darkness, Nuit Blanche, OBON: tales of rain and moonlight, Pojagi, A Race, Rainer and the knife, Slut for art, Snow, and Undesirable elements, among others. 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

Noah Creshevsky (1945-2020) was an experimental electronic composer and pianist who pioneered the concept of hyperrealism in music, wherein existing recordings are electronically manipulated to achieve an exaggerated effect while remaining grounded in reality. Creshevsky's papers, dating from 1963 to 2014, emphasize his music production and composition with thousands of digital audio recordings he used as samples; notebooks; and scores. The collection also traces Creshevsky's professional career with writings, photographs, and press and publicity materials. 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

This collection contains noncommercial recordings from Druckman's private collection. These recordings include live performances of Druckman's works as well as works of other composers. Some of the artists featured are Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Phyllis Curtin, Jan DeGaetani, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin and many others. Orchestras include the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Orchestra. 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

Ken Harper was the producer of the popular Broadway musical The Wiz. Born in New York, Harper became a radio disc jockey in the army. In the late 1960's and early 1970's he worked for radio station WPIX (New York), and later left his job to begin a full time fund raising effort for his musicals. Harper died in 1988 without finding financial support for his second musical production entitled BAMBOO. The collection consists almost exclusively of recordings of the unproduced musical Bamboo. There is a complete recording of the music from the show as well as a demo recording and several recordings of single songs. less