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: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/perform.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006568220
Collection material in English, French, and Russian
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.
Acquired; 1984.
No further accruals are expected.
The Serge Lifar Collection on Serge Diaghilev was processed in June 1994 by Kevin LaVine. This Finding Aid was prepared with Corel WordPerfect 8. In 2003, Michael A. Ferrando coded and edited the finding aid for EAD format. Nancy Seeger revised and re-coded the finding aid in 2009 to incorporate additional materials.
Three (3) original costume designs by Léon Bakst for the Ballets Russes’ production of
Materials from the Serge Lifar Collection on Serge Diaghilev are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Serge Lifar Collection on Serge Diaghilev 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.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, container number], Serge Lifar Collection on Serge Diaghilev, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
He was neither a painter, nor a dancer, nor had extensive musical training, yet by means of his great organizational and managerial skills, as well as by a keen aesthetic sense and an unerring sense of style, Serge Diaghilev had a profound influence on the course of music, ballet and art in the twentieth century.
Diaghilev's musical interests spanned a wide range of styles, as reflected by the variety of musical material contained in this collection. A large part of this material represents musical works considered by Diaghilev for choreographic purposes and eventual production by the Ballet Russe; much of this material consequently bears annotations and performance indications.
This collection is comprised in large part of printed music, most of which emanated from the personal music library of Serge Diaghilev. This library was acquired by Lifar, a premier dancer with the Ballet Russe and a protégé of Diaghilev, who was present at the latter's deathbed. In his auto-biography,
The collection is particularly rich in the material of eighteenth-century Italian composers such as Paisiello, Pergolesi, and Cimarosa; nineteenth-century Russians such as Musorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Dargomyzhsky and Liadov, as well as by several important collections of Russian folk song, all appearing in rare pre-Revolutionary editions; and nineteenth century French composers such as Chabrier, Gounod, Delibes and Godard. Also included are a significant number of popular works from the early Soviet period; several works for jazz band as well as popular songs from the early years of this century; heavily annotated chorus part books apparently used in the productions of Stravinsky's
Russian transliterations follow the standard Library of Congress system wherever possible. Modifications, however, were incorporated due to the inaccessibility of certain computer-generated symbols, hence the use of the symbol "ĭ" for the Russian short "i" (
In addition to printed music, the collection contains music manuscripts, correspondence, libretti and synopses, books and monographs, magazines, and Diaghilev's personal notebook, which the impresario used from 1926 until his death in 1929.
Three items purchased during the same auction are housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
The approximate dates of the items in this collection range from about 1750, represented by several manuscripts, to about 1950, the date of several ballet scores added to the collection by Lifar. The majority of the material in the collection, however, dates from 1890 to 1929.
Kevin LaVine, June 1994
The collection is arranged in four series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006568220
The series Printed Music Material is arranged into three subseries: General, Collections, and Miscellaneous. This series is represented by printed music and other materials from the personal music library of Serge Diaghilev.
Arrangement is by format, composer and title.
Contents as follows:
Contents:
Contents:
Contents:
Contenst:
Contents:
Contents of BOX: 48-51:
Contents of BOX: 51/1-15
Contenst:
Contents:
Contents incomplete:
Contains:
The Manuscript Music Material series consists of holograph and copyist scores from the personal music library of Serge Diaghilev.
Arrangement is by composer and title.
Contents:
Contents:
Contents:
Contents:
The Personal Papers series is divided into two subseries: Notebook and Correspondence. The Notebook series is represented by Diaghilev's personal notebook which the impresario used from 1926 until his death in 1929. The Correspondence series is represented by letters of Sergei Prokofiev and others.
Arrangement is by format and by correspondent.
The Printed Material series is divided into five subseries: Libretti and Synopses; Books, Monographs, Programs, etc.; Serials; Photographs; and Miscellaneous.
Arrangment is by format, composer and title.