Collection Summary
Albert Goldberg Correspondence
1947-1981
1950-1970
1947-1981
1950-1970
ML31.G61
Goldberg, Albert, 1898-1990
approximately 150 items
2 containers
.75 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Music Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Music critic Albert Goldberg wrote for the
Chicago Tribune and the Los
Angeles Times, among other publications. This collection of correspondence
contains letters, telegrams, invitations, and greeting cards, primarily from composers,
conductors, performers, arts administrators, and fellow music critics sharing their
reactions to Goldberg's reviews of their works and performances.
Acquisition Information
Purchased from a dealer in 1989
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing History
Music Division staff processed the Albert Goldberg Correspondence in the 1990s. Jane
Cross and Shantel Lambert coded the finding aid in 2021.
Other Repositories
The Albert Goldberg Papers in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library
Special Collections contain scrapbooks, clippings, printed ephemera, writings, and
materials about the Works Progress Administration Federal Music Project for which
Goldberg was the Illinois State Director. The Ernst Krenek Correspondence with Albert
Goldberg, 1950-1957, is available in the Special Collections and Archives at the
University of California, San Diego Library. There are oral history interviews with
Goldberg available at the University of Pennsylvania Library (1977) and UCLA Library Special
Collections (1988).
Related Material
There is correspondence with Goldberg in the [Julius Gold Collection],
[George and Ira Gershwin
Collection], and [Louis Kaufman Collection].
The [Aaron Copland Collection]
contains writings by Goldberg.
Copyright Status
Materials from the Albert Goldberg Correspondence are governed by the Copyright Law of
the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright
laws.
Access and Restrictions
The Albert Goldberg Correspondence 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 on using or copying materials may apply.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
[item, date, container], Albert Goldberg Correspondence, Music Division, Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Albert Goldberg was born on June 2, 1898, in Shenandoah, Iowa. He studied piano from an
early age, then attended the University of Nebraska (1915-1916) and the Chicago Music
College (1920-1922). He earned his masters degree in music from the Gunn School of Music
in 1923 where he served as an assistant to [Glenn Dillard Gunn].
Goldberg then began his career in music review and criticism, first at the
Chicago Herald and Examiner
from 1925 to 1936. In 1935, he became the Illinois State Director of the [Federal Music Project] in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and served in
that role until the program ended in 1943. It was during this time that Goldberg
co-conducted the federally sponsored Illinois Symphony with Izler Solomon. The 90-member
orchestra performed at Chicago`s Great Northern Theatre and gave the first local
performances of approximately 150 works.
Goldberg then resumed his music criticism career, writing for the
Chicago Tribune
(1943-1947) and then the
Los Angeles Times
(1947-1965), where he was considered the first of the serious musical
commentators in Los Angeles. He also lectured in the music department at UCLA from 1948
until the mid 1950s. In addition to his music reviews, Goldberg wrote the weekly column
"The Sounding Board" in the
Los Angeles Times
. Though he nominally retired in 1965, he continued to write for various
publications, including
Musical America
and
Musical Digest
until just three months before his passing on February 4, 1990.
Scope and Content Note
The Albert Goldberg Correspondence spans from 1947 to 1981, with the bulk of the
materials dating from the 1950s through the 1960s. The collection consists of letters,
telegrams, invitations, and greeting cards, primarily from composers, conductors,
performers, arts administrators, and fellow music critics. Much of the correspondence
pertains to Goldberg's articles in the
Los Angeles Times
and other publications, either appreciation for a positive review or to take
issue with something he wrote. In many instances, there are only one or two letters per
correspondent. However, Goldberg's correspondence with Marian MacDowell and Eugene
Ormandy is more extensive.
Organization of the Albert Goldberg Correspondence
The collection is arranged in one series:
-
[Correspondence,
1947-1981](ead10001)
Selected Search Terms
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.
People
Goldberg, Albert, 1898-1990--Correspondence.
Goldberg, Albert, 1898-1990.
MacDowell, Marian, 1857-1956.
Ormandy, Eugene, 1899-1985.
Subjects
Music critics--United States--Correspondence.
Form/Genre
Business correspondence.
Personal correspondence.
Container List
1-2
Correspondence, 1947-1981
1947-1981
This series consists of cards, telegrams, letters, and invitations, primarily from
arts administrators, conductors, composers, friends, and fellow music critics.
Much of the correspondence regards Goldberg's articles in the
Los Angeles Times
and other publications. His correspondence with Marian MacDowell and
Eugene Ormandy is notable.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
1/1
Abell, Arthur, 1955-1956
1955-1956
1/2
Adler, Kurt Herbert, 1959, 1968
1959,
1968
1/3
Antheil, George, 1953
1953
1/4
Altschuler, Modest, 1954-1958
1954-1958
1/5
Bacon, Ernst, 1959
1959
1/6
Barbirolli, Sir John, 1962
1962
1/7
Blum, Margot, 1959
1959
1/8
Bing, Sir Rudolf, 1964
1964
1/9
Borowski, Felix, 1950
1950
1/10
Cain, James M., 1964-1966
1964-1966
1/11
Chasins, Abram, 1959
1959
1/12
Chotzinoff, Samuel, 1958-1963
1958-1963
1/13
Cleva, Fausto, 1970
1970
1/14
Dahl, Ingolf, 1964
1964
1/15
Danilova, Alexandra, 1951
1951
1/16
Downes, Edward, 1965
1965
1/17
Durant, Will, 1949, 1968
1949,
1968
1/18
Dyer-Bennett, Richard, 1962
1962
1/19
Ehaniz, José, 1954
1954
1/20
Fenn, Jean, 1954
1954
1/21
Ferencsik, Janos, 1973
1973
1/22
Fisher, Eddie, undated
Undated
1/23
Foss, Lukas, 1958-1959
1958-1959
1/24
Fried, Alexander, 1960-1962
1960-1962
1/25
Gallo, Fortune, 1947
1947
1/26
Ganz, Rudolph, 1951-1965
1951-1965
1/27
Gassman, Bert, 1970
1970
1/28
Ginastera, Alberto, 1959
1959
1/30
Green, John, 1966
1966
1/31
Gunn, Glenn Dillard, 1950
1950
1/32
Gustlin, Clarence, 1965
1965
1/33
Kanin, George, 1951
1951
1/34
Kirsten, Dorothy, 1954, 1966
1954,
1966
1/35
Knox, Edith, 1959
1959
1/36
Kohs, Ellis, 1953-1956
1953-1956
1/37
Kraft, William, 1958-1960
1958-1960
1/38
Kramer, Walter, 1961
1961
1/39
Leginska, Ethel, 1964-1965
1964-1965
1/40
Leinsdorf, Erich, 1954, 1966
1954,
1966
1/41
Lhevinne, Rosina, 1956-1971
1956-1971
1/42
London, George, 1960-1961
1960-1961
1/43
MacDowell, Marian, 1950-1955
1950-1955
1/44
Maier, Guy, 1947
1947
1/45
Melnitz, William, 1954
1954
1/46
Merriman, Nan, 1959
1959
1/47
Milhaud, Darius, 1949
1949
1/29
Miscellaneous, 1953
1953
1/48
Morton, Lawrence, 1963
1963
1/49
Nelson, Evelyn, 1958
1958
1/50
New York Times, 1956
1956
1/51
Novotna, Jarmilia, 1950
1950
1/52-53
Ormandy, Eugene, 1955-1981
1955-1981
1/54
Piatigorsky, Gregor, 1963
1963
1/55
Pinto, Novaes, 1956, 1969
1956,
1969
1/56
Pons, Lily, 1970
1970
1/57
Quinn, Alfred Price, 1953
1953
1/58
Raisa, Rosa, 1955, 1962
1955,
1962
1/58
Roman, Stella, 1977 and undated
1977 and
undated
1/59
Rozsa, Miklos, 1953, 1960
1953,
1960
1/60
Ross, Glyn, 1958
1958
1/61
Rubinstein, Artur, 1962
1962
2/1
St. Denis, Ruth, 1968
1968
2/2
Sanford, Carolyn Wagner, 1960
1960
2/3
Schuman, William, 1956
1956
2/4
Segovia, Andrés, 1950, 1967,
1975-1978
1950,
1967, 1975-1978
2/5
Serkin, Rudolf, 1958
1958
2/6
Solti, Georg, 1956-1960, 1974
1956-1960, 1974
2/7
Sowerby, Leo, 1953
1953
2/8
Steinberg, William, 1956, 1968
1956,
1968
2/9
Stern, Isaac, 1969
1969
2/10
Taubman, Howard, 1954-1958
1954-1958
2/11
Temianka, Henri, 1953-1954
1953-1954
2/12
Terri, Salli, 1954-1955
1954-1955
2/13
Toch, Ernest, 1954-1955
1954-1955
2/14
Toldi, Julius, 1954
1954
2/15
Ussher, Bruno David, 1954-1957
1954-1957
2/16
Vinay, Ramon, 1951
1951
2/17
Voresug, L. F., 1955
1955
2/18
Wagner, Friedelind, 1960-1962
1960-1962
2/19
Wagner, Wieland and Wolfgang,
1960-1961
1960-1961
2/20
Wallenstein, Alfred, 1977
1977
2/21
Willson, Meredith, 1958-1959
1958-1959
2/22
Unidentified, 1965
1965