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Creator
Gruenberg, Louis, 1884-1964
Call number
JPB 04-29
Physical description
20.6 linear feet (16 boxes)
Language
The Clippings and concert programs series contains some material in German; English
Preferred Citation

Louis Gruenberg Papers, JPB 04-29. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Music Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The composer Louis Gruenberg, was a pioneer in forming an American style of classical music. Best known for his opera The Emperor Jones, his Papers consist primarily of scores and sketches, but also include writings, clippings, concert programs, screenplay proposals and teaching materials.

Biographical/historical information

Louis Gruenberg (b. near Brest-Litovsk, Russia, 22 July/3 Aug 1884; d. Beverly Hills, CA, 10 June 1964) arrived with his family in the United States in 1885 and received his first music lessons from his father, a violinist. At age 8 he began studying piano with Adele Margulies at the National Conservatory of Music in New York. In his early 20s he studied with Ferruccio Busoni in Berlin, beginning a friendship that lasted until Busoni’s death. Gruenberg was at first interested primarily in performing as a concert pianist; he toured as an accompanist for Enrico Caruso and as a soloist, but Busoni encouraged him to compose as well. His first compostions were the operas The Witch of Brocken, Op. 1 (1912) and The Bride of the Gods, Op. 2 (1913). In 1920 he won the New York Philharmonic’s Flagler Prize for The Hill of Dreams, Op. 10 (1920), which prompted him to concentrate fully on composition.

Gruenberg was an advocate for as well as a composer of new music. He conducted the United States premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in 1923, and he helped to organize the American Music Guild and the League of Composers. His own works, such as The Daniel Jazz, Op. 21 for voice and chamber ensemble (1925), Jazzberries, Op. 25 for piano (1925), and Jazzettes, Op. 26 for violin and piano (1926), were inspired by African-American spirituals and jazz, following the suggestion of Anton Dvorák for American composers to look toward music native to their land for sources.

Gruenberg also continued to produce operas, notably Jack and the Beanstalk, Op. 35 (1930) and The Emperor Jones, Op. 36 (1931), which was performed at the Met over two seasons and featured on the cover of Time magazine; it also won the Bispham Memorial Medal and was the greatest popular success of the Gruenberg’s career. Other notable compositions were his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 47 (1944), which was commissioned and premiered by Jascha Heifetz with Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra; Americana Suite, Op. 48 (1945) and Harlem Rhapsody, Op. 62 (1953).

Gruenberg led the composition department at the Chicago Musical College from 1933 to 1936, after which he moved to California and began writing for film. Three of his scores (The Fight For Life (1940), So Ends Our Night (1941) and Commandos Strike At Dawn (1942)) were nominated for Academy Awards. He also wrote operas intended for television. In 1947 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 1950 he left the film industry to concentrate again on his own work. Among his later compositions were two more operas; the oratorio A Song of Faith, Op. 59 (1959 - 1962), which he considered among his best compositions; and several works for voice and piano, including his last, Pages from Rabelais, Op. 78 (1963).

Though unfortunately forgotten by mass audiences, Gruenberg is notable for having forged a vigorous, original style of music out of American elements.

Sources:

Botstein, Leon. “Gruenberg, Harlem Rhapsody", American Symphony Orchestra (Accessed 5 Jan. 2005),

“Louis Gruenberg”, G. Schirmer, Inc. and Associated Music Publishers (Accessed 5 Jan. 2005),

Nisbett, Robert Franklin. “Gruenberg, Louis [Edwards, George]”, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 5 Jan. 2005),

Scope and arrangement

The Louis Gruenberg Papers consist of 20.6 linear feet of material dating from 1900 to 1988, with the bulk dating from ca. 1910 - 1963. Most of the Papers consist of published and unpublished scores, parts and sketches by Gruenberg (including The Emperor Jones, Op. 36 (1931), A Song of Faith, Op. 59 (1959 - 1962), and Pages from Rabelais, Op. 78 (1963)), and published scores by other composers. Many scores are also accompanied by written material such as lyrics, editing information and other notes, and articles or poetry that inspired the composition. Other materials in the Papers consist of a small amount of correspondence, teaching notes and lesson plans, a set of screenplay proposals, newspaper clippings, concert programs and books. Many of the published scores by other composers and books are autographed to Gruenberg by their composers or authors. Materials in the Papers that date from after Gruenberg’s death were collected by his widow, Irma Gruenberg.

The Louis Gruenberg papers are arranged in five series:

  • Series I: Scores and Sketches
    1900 - 1965 and undated
    11 boxes

    This series is a combination of published and unpublished work by Gruenberg and other composers. Gruenberg’s scores and sketches span most of his career. The scores by others are mainly piano works Gruenberg performed as a soloist. Sometimes the sketches are associated with particular pieces, but there are also many that did not seem to result in any finished or published compositions.

  • Series II: Writings
    1924 - 1967 and undated
    1.5 boxes

    This series has two sub-series. The first contains written materials originally located with the scores in series I, and the folders bear titles identical to those scores. The second sub-series contains correspondence, screenplay proposals and teaching materials.

  • Series III: Clippings and Concert Programs
    1909 - 1988 and undated
    5 folders

    Both Gruenberg and his widow, Irma Gruenberg, collected the materials in this series.

  • Series IV: Books
    1907 - 1953
    1 box

    All the books in this series were either signed and dated by Gruenberg or autographed by their authors. Gruenberg set the sermons in the James Weldon Johnson book God’s Trombones (autographed by Johnson) to music in The Creation, Op. 23 (1926).

  • Series V: Oversized Materials
    1929 - 1946 and undated
    2 boxes 5 folders

    This series contains clippings and scores. The clippings are reviews of the film The Fight for Life, which Gruenberg scored. The scores include a copy of Schoenberg’s Prelude, Op. 44 (1945), signed by the composer, and edits of The Emperor Jones recorded by the United States Information Agency, presumably for overseas broadcast, as well as a bound copy of the complete score in two volumes, with markings throughout.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Joan Cominos Gruenberg, 1991 - 1999.

Processing information

Processed by Matthew Snyder; Machine-readable finding aid created by Matthew Snyder.

Separated material

  • Books and periodicals sent to Music Division
    • Addresses on the Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield Foundation of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Volume Two. New York: American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1951.
    • Berlioz, Hector. Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17. Leipzig: Ernst Eulenberug, 1900.
    • Batter Der Staatsoper. 13 May 1921.
    • Busoni, Ferruccio.
      • Arlecchino, Oder Die Fenster: Ein Theatralisches Capriccio. Leipzig: Breitkopf and Härtel, 1900s.
      • Rondo Arlecchinesco for orchestra, Op. 46. Leipzig, Breitkopf and Härtel, 1912.
    • d'Indy, Vincent.Deuxième Symphonie, Op. 57. Paris: Durand, 1904.
    • National Institute of Arts and Letters.
      • 1950 American Academy of Arts and Letters. New York: National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1950.
      • 1952 American Academy of Arts and Letters. New York: National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1952.
      • 1963 American Academy of Arts and Letters. New York: National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1963.
      • 1964 American Academy of Arts and Letters. New York: National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1964.
    • Rolland, Romain. Musiker von Ehedem. Munich: Georg Müller, 1926.
    • Werfel, Franz.Giuseppe Verdi Briefe. Berlin: Paul Zsolnay, 1926.
  • Scores sent to Music Division
    • Bach, Johann Sebastian.
      • Orgel - Compositionen für Piano. Edited by Franz Liszt.
      • Orgeltoccate D moll. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni.
      • Sechs Tonstücke Klavier - übertragung. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni.
      • The Well - Tempered Clavichord. Edited and annotated by Ferruccio Busoni.
    • Busoni, Ferruccio.
      • Concerto for Two Pianos.
      • Fantasie über Motive aus Der Barbier von Bagdad.
      • Preludietto, Fughetta and Esercizio
      • Preludio, Fuga and Fuga Figurata
      • Sonatina.
    • Debussy, Claude. Gigues.
    • d'Indy, Vincent.Istar,Op. 42.
    • Fried, Oskar. Die Auswanderer.
    • Gilbert, Henry. Salammbo's Invocation to Tänith.
    • Granados, E. Goyescas.
    • Joseffy, Rafael. School of Advanced Piano Playing.
    • Liszt, Franz.
      • 3 Caprices - Valses pour le piano.
      • 4 Fantaisies pour le piano.
      • Concerto in A major for Piano and orchestra. Piano part.
      • Episode aus Lenau's Faust Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni.
      • Impromptu Brilliant,Op. 3.
      • Polonaise No. 2 E Dur. Edited by Ferruccio Busoni.
      • Marche Solennelle ver le Saint Graal.
      • Six Amusements pour le piano.
      • Valse a Capriccio.
    • Moussorgsky, Modest. Chanson de Mephistopheles.
    • Rubinstein, Antoine.
      • Album De Danses Populaires des Different Nations pour le piano,Op. 82.
      • Valse (Allemagne),Op. 82, No. 5.
    • Saint - Saëns, Camille.Concerto No. 5 for Piano and Orchestra,Op. 103.
    • Schoenberg, Arnold.
      • Herzgewächse,Op. 20.
      • Klavierstück,Op. 11, No. 2, edited by Ferruccio Busoni.
    • Schulz - Evler.Arabesques sur des themes de J. Strauss.
    • Smetana, Bedrich. Wedding Scenes.
    • Straus, Richard.Eine Alpensinfonie,Op. 64.
  • Sound Recordings sent to Rodgers and Hammerstein Recorded Sound Division
    • Gruenberg, Louis
      • A Song of Faith. Cassette tape. Tape notated "Premiere performance: 1 November 1981." Audience recording of The Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra. See also concert program in Series III, Sub - series 2, Box 13, Folder 10 for personnel.
      • Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano,Op. 52. Cassette tape. Copy of unknown vinyl recording.

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 Chief, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Access restrictions

Photocopying prohibited.