Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/perform.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006579403
Collection material in German and English
Gifts by multiple members of the Korngold family, 1980-2013
Future accruals are possible.
The Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection was processed in the early 1990s. Stephanie Akau processed additions to the collection, and revised and coded the finding aid in 2020. Stephanie Akau processed additions to the collection, and revised and coded the finding aid in 2022.
Eleven 0.25 inch open reel magnetic tape sound recordings from the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection (MAVIS collection no. 17497). An inventory of this material is available is in the Music Division's collection file.
The Ӧsterreichische Nationalbibliothek and Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, and the New York Public Library archives contain other materials by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
Correspondence by Erich Wolfgang Korngold can be found in the Serge Koussevitzky Archive and Nicolas Slonimsky Collection. Several photocopied and printed scores and parts are located in the Jascha Heifetz Collection.
Materials from the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to determine whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply.
Music manuscripts from boxes 1-38 of the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection are
available on 17 reels of microfilm cataloged as Microfilm 2008/20,001 . These
materials are described as part of the finding aid.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, container number], Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
In the dynamic musical environment of the early twentieth century, Erich Wolfgang
Korngold stood out not only for his prodigious early talent but the quality and
maturity of his music. His father, Julius Leopold Korngold, was a high-powered music
critic in Vienna. A staunch supporter of his son's music, Julius played a signifiant
role in Erich's personal and creative life. Korngold composed in every genre and
maintained his late Romantic compositional style in both film and on the concert
stage. He combined melodic motifs with lush orchestration to create the "symphonic
film score," music that can be performed independently from the film, a style that
remains influential into the twenty-first century. His Oscar-winning score for
The Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection consists of seven series, the first of which, Music, contains two subseries. Korngold's music manuscripts represent his lifetime compositional output and consist of holograph, photo-reproduced, and printed scores, sketches, and parts for orchestral, film, chamber, and solo piano works. This subseries also contains his arrangements of other composers' works. The second subseries, Music by Others, contains printed music by Eric Zeisl, an Austrian composer who immigrated to the United States in 1939.
The Correspondence series contains three subseries. The Korngold Family correspondence includes letters and telegrams from Korngold and his immediate family. The Sonnenthal family were Luzi's relatives, and most of these communications are from her sister Susanne Jellinek, mother Adele von Sonnenthal, and cousin Hilde Zisserman. The Correspondence from Others subseries primarily contains letters the Korngolds received after they moved to the United States. Notable correspondents include Alma Mahler-Werfel, Eugene Ormandy, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropolous, Fritz Reiner, and Walt Disney, among many others. Most of the materials in this series are in German.
Financial and Legal
Papers consist of royalty statements, correspondence, tax forms,
contracts, checks, bank statements, . The bulk of the royalty statements are for
posthumous performances of Korngold's works. Biographical Materials document the lives of Erich, Julius,
and Luzi Korngold and are organized into three subseries. Erich's materials consist
primarily of various holograph notes from the 1940s. Julius's materials comprise his
own writing and his books about opera. Luzi's materials consist of personal
documents and her writings, including a biography of Korngold for
Programs and Publicity
Materials contains programs for performances of Korngold's popular
pieces, particularly
The Erich Wolfgang Korngold Collection is organized in seven series:
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006579403
The Music series consists of two subseries. The first, Manuscripts, consists
of holograph scores and sketches, copyist scores, photocopied scores and
parts, libretti, as well as a small amount of printed music. This series
also contains Korngold's arrangements of other composers' works, such as
The Manuscripts subseries spans Korngold's lifetime compositional output
and consists of holograph scores and sketches, copyist scores,
photocopied scores and parts, and libretti, as well as a small amount of
printed music. Many contain holograph annotations, sketches, or have
other materials laid in. This series also contains Korngold's
arrangements of other composers' works. Many folders contain more than
one item. In such cases, items are listed individually. The word "reel"
in composition titles does not refer to microfilm reels; rather, "reel"
refers to a film reel number. The film reel number corresponded to
sections of a conductor score used to record a film soundtrack. Cross
references are provided for works with alternate titles or titles
translated into another language. For example,
Arranged alphabetically by title.
This subseries contains printed music by Eric Zeisl, an Austrian
composer who immigrated to the United States in 1939. Zeisl and his
family eventually settled in Hollywood, and he composed for MGM Studios
from the 1940s through the mid-1950s. The music in this series is
inscribed to Korngold and includes the piano-vocal score of one of
Zeisl's major works,
Arranged alphabetically by title.
The correspondence series contains three subseries: Korngold Family, Sonnethal Family, and Correspondence from Others.
This subseries includes letters and telegrams from Korngold, his eldest son Ernst, mother Josephine, father Julius, and wife Luzi. Erich Korngold's correspondence is brief and contains photocopies of his letters to Richard Strauss and Alexander Zemlinsky. Julius Korngold's correspondence is the most prolific and is written in German. There is also substantial correspondence from Erich and Luzi's oldest son Ernst, who wrote his family frequently during his service in the United States Marine Corps in the mid-1940s.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically therein.
The Sonnenthal family were Luzi's relatives; she was the youngest of the four Sonnenthal children. Most of the correspondence is from Luzi's sister Susanne Jellinek, mother Adele von Sonnenthal, and cousin Hilde Zisserman.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically therein.
This subseries begins with folders entitled "General Correspondence"
that are organized chronologically and contain letters from unidentified
correspondents. These letters are addressed to Erich, Julius, and Luzi
Korngold and largely date after 1938, when the family moved to the
United States. Letters to various individuals and organizations from the
Korngolds and Sonnenthals document their frantic attempts to get Luzi's
aunt Lori Nossal and uncle Adolf Ritter out of Europe before they were
deported by the Nazis. This subseries also contains letters from
prominent cultural figures, including Alma Mahler-Werfel, Eugene
Ormandy, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropolous, Fritz Reiner, Walt Disney,
and prominent Austrian musicians such as Maria Jeritza and Jarmila
Novotna, who performed lead roles in
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent or organization and chronologically therein.
This series consists of two file series: Financial Papers, which comprises royalties statements, correspondence, tax forms, receipts, banking information, and checks, and Legal Papers, which consists primarily of contracts and correspondence from lawyers and Erich's employers.
Arranged chronologically
Biographical materials are divided into three subseries. Erich Wolfgang
Korngold's materials consist mostly of holograph notes. Notable items
include the itinerary for the Korngolds' 1949 trip to Europe, his
naturalization papers, and his program notes for
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's materials consist mainly of his holograph notes. Other personal documents include his naturalization papers, Warner Bros. identification card, and the inventory of the Korngolds' house in Vienna. This series also contains a draft of Brendan Carroll's biography on Erich Korngold.
Arranged alphabetically by format and chronologically therein
Julius Korngold's biographical materials comprise his writings, namely two drafts of his extensive memoirs written in the late 1930s-1940s that contain his corrections, and his books about opera.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Luzi's materials are the most extensive of the Biographical Materials
Series. They consist of personal documents, including her passport,
naturalization papers, and Austrian driver's license. Luzi wrote a
biography of Erich for
Arranged alphabetically by format.
Max Reinhardt's biographical materials comprise a guide for an exhibition at UCLA celebrating his centennary and books about his productions in Europe through 1930.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
This series contains programs for performances of Korngold's popular works,
namely
Arranged chronologically.
Photographs are separated into three groups. The first contains photos of
Erich Korngold, most of which are formal portraits taken of him from youth
into early adulthood. It also includes some of the last photographs of him
from the summer of 1957. The second, family and friends, includes photos of
Julius, Josephine, Erich, Luzi, and their sons Ernst and George as children,
one photo of a young Erich Korngold with friends, and Luzi's sister Suzanne
Jellinek with her husband, Paul. The final group, stage and film work,
include production stills, photos of Korngold with actor Joan Fontaine, and
with actors from the film
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically therein.
This series contains two caricatures of Erich and Julius Korngold by the same unknown artist.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.