Loading...
Creator
Little Orchestra Society
Call number
*L (Special) 88-30
Physical description
740 sound recordings
Preferred Citation

*L(Special) 88-30 Little Orchestra Society Concert Recordings, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

The collection consists of concert recordings, made for Mr. Scherman, from late 1947 to late 1957.

Biographical/historical information

Thomas Scherman founded the Little Orchestra Society for the 1947/48 season with the aim of performing contemporary orchestral and operatic works, including many works specially commissioned for the society.

The society consisted of a reduced orchestra that was large enough to reproduce major works, but small enough that it afforded a more chamber-like atmosphere. They regularly attracted famous soloists to augment the orchestra, and they emphasized 'authentic performances' - that is, performances which followed original instrumentation and original playing practices. Most of the Little Orchestra Society concerts took place in the Town Hall concert hall in New York City.

The Little Orchestra Society featured a number of famous performers in solo pieces. Some of these soloists were: Marian Anderson, Claudio Arrau, Erna Berger, Benjamin Britten, Kathleen Ferrier, George London, Sir Peter Pears, Cesare Siepi, Isaac Stern, Joseph Szigeti, Richard Tucker, and Vronsky and Babin.

The Little Orchestra Society premiered a large number of contemporary works, and revived many Baroque pieces. Because of this, the Little Orchestra Society recordings provide an important source for the performance history of these pieces.

Scope and arrangement

The collection mainly consists of concert recordings, made for Mr. Scherman, from late 1947 to late 1957.

Some of the performers featured in this collection are: Marian Anderson, Claudio Arrau, Erna Berger, Benjamin Britten, Paige Brooke, Benny Goodman, Kathleen Ferrier, George London, Robert Nagel, Sir Peter Pears, Andrés Segovia, Cesare Siepi, Isaac Stern, Joseph Szigeti, and Richard Tucker.

Some of the composers featured in the collection are: Nicolai Berezowsky, Benjamin Britten, Frédéric Chopin, Paul Creston, Norman Dello Joio, Frederick Delius, Joseph Haydn, Pietro Nardini, Walter Piston, and Frank Wigglesworth.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound Staff.

Using the collection

Location

Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
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, The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.

Access restrictions

Access to discs restricted.

Alternative form available

Preservation tapes available in Archives. For specific listings, consult finding aid