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Creator
Persichetti, Vincent, 1915-1987
Call number
*L (Special) 90-28
Physical description
517 sound recordings ; 7 video recordings
Preferred Citation

Vincent Persichetti Collection, *L (Special) 90.28, The 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

American composer and pianist.

Biographical/historical information

Vincent Persichetti was an American composer, virtuoso pianist, and music teacher. Born in Philadelphia in 1915, Persichetti studied piano, organ, double bass, tuba, conducting, music theory and composition.

There have been few more universally admired twentieth-century American composers than Vincent Persichetti. His contributions have enriched the entire musical literature and his influence as performer and teacher is immeasurable.

He received his musical education at the Combs College of Music, where he studied composition under Russel King Miller. At the age of twenty, he served as the head of the Combs College theory and composition departments. He also studied conducting at the Curtis Institute with Fritz Reiner, studied piano at the Philadelphia Conservatory with Olga Samaroff, and studied composition with various other important American composers.

He received a Diploma in Conducting from the Curtis Institute and Music Masters and Music Doctorate degrees from the Philadelphia Conservatory.

Persichetti was appointed head of the Philadelphia Conservatory theory and composition departments in 1941, the same year he married pianist Dorothea Flanagan. In 1963, he became the chairman of the Juilliard School of Music composition department. He appeared as guest conductor, lecturer and composer at over 200 universities.

Persichetti composed for nearly every musical medium, and is well know for his wide range of compositional styles.

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of noncommercial recordings collected by Vincent Persichetti, most of which are of his own works. Persichetti performs as pianist or conductor in many of the recordings. Most of the chamber music and choral music performances are by student or faculty ensembles from various American universities and conservatories, most notably the Juilliard School in New York, N.Y. Orchestral music recordings include premieres of works commissioned by major American orchestras.

Some composers, other than Persichetti which are represented in this collection are: Carlos Chavez; Aaron Copland; Luigi Dallapiccola; Arthur Foote; Lukas Foss; Charles Ives; George Heussensttamm; Paul Hindemith; Carl Orff; and Richard Wagner.

Some conductors which are represented in the collection are: Alvin Brehm; Dennis Russell Davies; Carlo Maria Giulini; Howard Hanson; Karel Husa; Dorothy Klotzman; Erich Leinsdorf; and Eugene Ormandy.

The Vincent Persichetti collection of noncommercial recordings are arranged in four series:

  • Series I: Persichetti compositions,.
    1947-1986

    This series primarily contains recordings of works by Vincent Persichetti. Also included are speeches by Persichetti and interviews with Persichetti which were in the midst of a recording of musical selections. For other recordings of this type, see Series II, Persichetti interviews, lectures, speeches, etc.

    Also included in this series are recordings of works by composers other than Persichetti such as Johann Sebastian Bach; Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy; Ludwig van Beethoven; Béla Bartók; Hector Berlioz; Leonard Bernstein; Aaron Copland; John Corigliano; Lukas Foss; Charles Ives; Carl Orff; Francis Poulenc; Arnold Schoenberg; and Igor Stravinsky. These items are located here because they were part a complete performances which included works by Persichetti. For other recordings of this type, see Series III: Compositions by others.

    Some of the performers and performing groups featured in this series are: the American Composer's Orchestra; Tamara Brooks; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Bonita Boyd; Stanley Drucker; Jan De Gaetani; Gregg Smith Singers: Musica Sacra; New York Philharmonic; Dorothea Persichetti; Vincent Persichetti; Philadelphia Orchestra; Sophie Sollberger; Thomas Stacey; Robert Taub; Dylan Thomas; and William Warfield.

    Some of the conductors featured in this series are: Alvin Brehm; Dennis Russell Davies; Roy Harris; Karel Husa; Dorothy Hill Klotzman; Howard Hanson; Erich Leinsdorf; Vincent Persichetti; McNeil Robinson and Leopold Stokowski.

    A special feature of this series is the presence of performances by many college, conservatory and university performing groups.

  • Series II: Persichetti interviews, lectures, speeches, etc.,.
    1961-1985

    This series includes recordings of Persichetti speaking at awards ceremonies, radio broadcast interviews, and lectures given by Persichetti. Also included are two interviews with both Dorothea and Vincent Persichetti.

  • Series III: Compositions by others,.
    1952-1983

    This series consists of recordings of composers other than Persichetti. Other recordings such as these may be found in Series I: Persichetti compositions, when included in a complete concert recording including a work by Persichetti.

    The composers featured in this series are: Larry Bell; Carlos Chavez; Luigi Dallapicola; Johan Franco; Charles Ives; John Belby; John Melchior; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Lawrence Alexander Smith; Dmitri Dmitievich Shostakovich, and Igor Stravinsky.

    Some of the performers featured in this series are: Frank Costanzo; Jan De Gaetani; Helene Delavault; Elsa Hilger; Dorothea Persichetti; Vincent Persichetti, and John Bruce Yeh.

  • Series IV: Other material,.
    1953-1987

    This series contains materials that do not fit within the confines of the other defined series due to a lack of documentation.

    Some of the people represented in this series are: Evelyn MacGrergor (performer); Eugene Minor (interviewee); William Schuman (speaker); Timothy Schwartz (radio program producer); Barbara Silverstein (conductor); Dorothea Persichetti (speaker), and Vincent Persichetti (performer).

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound staff and Peggy Schein.

Related Material

Persichetti, Vincent, 1915-1987. Vincent Persichetti papers, 1901-1996 (bulk 1930-1987)

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 original items is restricted.