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Creator
Balbo, Giuseppe Cesare
Call number
JPB 06-18
Physical description
10 linear feet (8 boxes)
Language
Series I includes some material in Italian
Preferred Citation

Giuseppe Cesare Balbo Papers, JPB 06-18. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

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

Giuseppe Cesare Balbo was an Italian conductor, critic and music teacher who eventually moved to, and taught in, New York City. The collection is primarily scores – both original manuscripts composed by Balbo and those that he copied and/or arranged by other composers.

Biographical/historical information

Giuseppe Cesare Balbo was an Italian conductor, critic and music teacher who eventually moved to and taught in New York City. He was born in 1888 and was educated at the Royal Conservatories of Music in Florence and Lucca (Italy). Balbo studied under Francesco Paolo Frontin, Marco Enrico Bossi, Antonio Scrontino, Cesare Bacchini and Gaetano Luporini. He began his career in his twenties as an orchestra conductor, conducting both orchestral and choral organizations, and winning two first prizes of a cappella choral societies. Balbo was the editor of L’Italia Musicale in Florence, and wrote several articles for it and other music magazines. After moving to America he studied at Columbia University under Peter Dykema, then went on to focus on teaching bel canto singing, composition, and harmony. He continued to occasionally write for Italian and American music publications. He died on January 30, 1976, at the age of 88.

Scope and arrangement

The Balbo papers are primarily made up of scores. It includes many original manuscripts, handwritten by Balbo himself, as well as some of his published works. There is a series of works by other composers that Balbo either hand copied exactly or that he revised and arranged. There are a few professional papers, including some of Balbo’s essays, his photograph, and a resumé produced sometime after his move to Brooklyn. There is virtually nothing of a personal nature in this collection.

The Giuseppe Cesare Balbo papers are arranged in four series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

The Giuseppe Cesare Balbo Papers were donated to the Music Division in 1977 by Mrs. Balbo.

Processing information

Processed by Jennifer L. Winters; Machine-readable finding aid created by Jennifer L. Winters.

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.