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Creator
Schreiber, Frederick C.
Call number
JPB 02-8
Physical description
7.71 linear feet (31 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

Frederick C. Schreiber Papers, JPB 02-8, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Music Division
Access to materials
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Frederick Schreiber was a prolific 20th century composer, choir director, and organist. The collection primarily consists of Schreiber’s original compositions, supplemented by arrangements he produced of other composers’ works, and a small amount of ephemera, notes, and correspondence.

Biographical/historical information

Born in Vienna, Austria, on January 13, 1895, Schreiber first studied the piano at the age of eight. He attended the Humanistic High School, followed by Vienna University and the Vienna State Academy of Music, which culminated in a diploma for mastery of composing, conducting, piano and violoncello. Schreiber actively composed music throughout his life, beginning at the age of ten and continuing well into his late 80s.

During World War I, Schreiber served in the Austrian army, on the Italian front. After the war he married Lucy Erenreich, who died in 1968. In addition to working as a choir director and opera conductor, Schreiber taught composition, and in 1927 he became a Professor of Composition, Music Theory and Instrumentation at the Vienna Conservatory of Music. Conditions preceding the outbreak of World War II caused Schreiber and his wife to move to New York City in early 1939. They became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1945.

Schreiber continued to teach composition and piano while also working as the organist and choirmaster at the East Sixty-eighth Street Reformed Evangelical Church. He held this position until 1958, and then became music director for the Broadway Presbyterian Church (located at 114th Street), where he remained until his retirement in 1972. In the remaining years of his life he composed a large number of short pieces of music, particularly vocal works. He died two days after his ninetieth birthday, on January 15, 1985.

The highlights of Schreiber’s career include the ten first prizes he received in international competitions for various compositions. These awards occurred between the years 1945-1956, and usually led to the premiere performance of the winning piece. The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Eugene Ormandy, and the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner sponsored two of the more notable contests that Schreiber won.

Apart from the contests, it appears that very few of his 400-plus compositions were ever publicly performed. At least two of Schreiber's early works were performed in Europe; this information is noted on the score. As a church music director he likely used his own arrangements of anthems and hymns; in 1972 the Broadway Presbyterian Church’s orchestra performed one of Schreiber’s larger works, Magnificat . In 1977 an article in the New York Times used him as an example of prolific composers who are not widely known. He also wrote and selected the music played at his own funeral.

Sources: New York Times Obituary, New York Times Company, January 20, 1985.

Schonberg, Harold C. “Music View,” New York Times (1857-Current file); Jul. 31, 1977; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times p. X13.

Slonimsky, Nicolas. Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians . 7th ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1984.

Wier, Albert, E. The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians . New York: The Macmillan Company, 1938.

Scope and arrangement

This collection documents the work of Frederick C. Schreiber, a composer, choir director, and organist. His compositions include orchestral, instrumental, and chamber music, as well as a multitude of songs. There are several examples of his early work, which are compositions that date between the years 1919 and 1938, or before he immigrated to the United States from Austria. This early material is written in German, and sometimes includes an opus number. The majority of the collection dates from 1940 through the early 1980s. Aside from some photographs and other ephemeral documents, there is very little material in the collection documenting Schreiber’s personal life.

The Frederick C. Schreiber papers are arranged in three series:

  • Series I: Scores

    This series consists of holograph scores composed by Schreiber; it also contains scores by other composers, which includes Schreiber’s arrangements and selected pieces of published music.

  • Series II: Ephemera
    1916-1985, n.d.
    5 folders

    This series includes photographs, printed and handwritten programs for church services, Schreiber’s ASCAP membership certificate, and one periodical clipping. The arrangement of the photographs is roughly chronological; many of the photographs do not have dates or other notes. The printed programs are arranged alphabetically by the name of the church; the dated handwritten programs are in chronological order, followed by those without dates.

  • Series III: Notes and Correspondence
    1984-1985, n.d.
    4 folders

    This series completes the collection by compiling the remaining papers. The first folder contains handwritten song lyrics arranged by the lyricist. Other handwritten notes relate to Schreiber’s compositions. The folder of addresses and phone numbers are mostly not written by Schreiber. The folder of correspondence contains one letter written to Schreiber; the rest of the letters are between friends after his death.

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Anastasia Karel; Machine-readable finding aid created by Anastasia Karel.

Processed by Anastasia Karel; Machine-readable finding aid created by Anastasia Karel.

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

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Music Division, The New York Library for the Performing Arts.