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/2006560666
Collection material in English, German, and a small amount in Dutch
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.
Gift; from daughter Lotte Klemperer; 1980-1989 and 2003.
No further accruals are expected.
The Otto Klemperer Archive was processed by William Nelson, technician, and Wilda Heiss, music specialist, in 2005. Nancy Seeger coded the finding aid for EAD format in 2010.
The sound recordings, video recordings, and films were transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division in the Library of Congress where they are identified as the Otto Klemperer Archive Collection (MAVIS no. 1493).
A portion of the music-related printed books were cataloged separately and shelved in the general collections of the Library of Congress, Music Division.
A portion of the non-music printed books were transferred to the Anglo-American Acquisition Division, Exchange Program, Library of Congress.
Additional materials pertaining to Otto Klemperer may be available at the following institutions: California State University, Music Library, Los Angeles, California; Juilliard School, Lila Acheson Wallace Library, Lonny Epstein Collection, New York; Leo Baeck Institute, New York; Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Gustav Mahler Archiv, Archiv Eleonore Vondenhoff, Frankfurt; Zentralbibliothek, Zurich; Deutsches Literaturarchive, Kroll Archiv, Hans Curjel; Santa Monica College, Music Dept., Santa Monica, California; and Royal Academy of Music, London.
Additional materials pertaining to Otto Klemperer may be found in the Moldenhauer Archive, Music Division, Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress Music Division also contains a small collection of correspondence to and from Otto Klemperer shelved separately under ML94.K55.
Materials from the Otto Klemperer Archive are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The materials in the Otto Klemperer Archive are 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], Otto Klemperer Archive, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Otto Klemperer is known primarily for his artistry as a conductor, particularly of contemporary music and operas during the 1920s and 1930s, and of orchestral music by Beethoven, Bruckner, Mozart, and Mahler. He is less well-known for his compositions, which include symphonies, string quartets, songs, piano solos, choral works, an opera, and arrangements.
The "Music" series includes holograph scores or sketches of most of Klemperer's published and unpublished compositions, as well as copyists' and printed instrumental parts or scores, some with his emendations or annotations. The collection also includes the German texts for many poems written by Goethe, Heine, and others that Klemperer set to music. In addition, his arrangements of works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Mozart and others are represented by holograph, copyists' and printed scores. This series also contains music manuscripts and copyists' scores written by Klemperer's parents, his wife, and other composers. In addition, there is a selection of printed music scores from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. Many items contain Klemperer's notations.
The "Family Papers" series consists of genealogies with family trees, letters, news clippings and other information about Otto Klemperer’s ancestors from the nineteenth century. It also contains information on more recent Klemperer family members.
The "Correspondence" series contains a small amount of letters regarding specific pieces of music, transactions with publishing companies, and donations of Klemperer materials to various educational institutions.
The "Writings" series includes lectures and speeches by Klemperer; articles and anecdotes about him; and interviews he gave from 1914 to 1981. Klemperer wrote about musicians and composers, including Bartók, Berg, Bruckner, Hindemith, Mahler, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Wagner, and Zemlinsky, many whose works he conducted throughout his career. In addition, he wrote about the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic Choir, the conductor Toscanini, the Kroll Opera, and topics such as conducting by memory as opposed to with a score, contemporary music, and working for art’s sake, among other subjects. The materials written about Klemperer include anecdotes and articles in various languages, translations of Russian articles, and transcripts of broadcasts and film scripts. The interviews with Klemperer were used in European and Canadian radio broadcasts and in the film made of his life by Philo Bregstein.
The "Legal and Financial Papers" series contains inquiries made through the Freedom of Information Act about U. S. government surveillance of Klemperer during the years after World War II. It also contains his and family members' citizenship certificates and passports, income tax returns, insurance policies, and correspondence with lawyers.
The "Kroll Opera" series deals with Klemperer's leadership of the Staatsoper am Platz der Republik in Berlin, also known as the Kroll Oper. His tenure there, from 1927 to 1931, marks a controversial period in his career. At the same time, it solidified his reputation as a conductor and musical director. This series contains original and photocopied newspaper clippings, articles, and reviews of Kroll Opera productions, of concerts Klemperer conducted with the Berlin Staatsoper Kapelle Orchester, and commentaries on specific works that were performed at the opera house. In addition, there are black and white photographs of the interior and exterior of the Kroll Opera and black and white and color photographic reproductions of set designs for productions such as
The "Clippings" series includes photocopies of news clippings, press releases, articles, and typescripts about Klemperer’s various conducting engagements, mostly in the United States. They date from 1926 to 1972.
The "Programs" series contains original programs as well as photocopies and typescripts of programs for various Klemperer concerts. The programs cover different orchestras which Klemperer conducted, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra from 1933 to 1939.
The "Iconography" series includes an assortment of black and white photographs from different time periods of Klemperer's life and four photograph albums, two of which consist of black and white photographs of Klemperer alone or conducting, from 1919 to 1969; and two albums that contain black and white photographs of Klemperer conducting in London from 1970 to 1971. An additional album contains original watercolors of set designs for the Wiesbaden Opera.
The "Miscellaneous Printed Matter" series includes a variety of articles, books, programs, an opera libretto, and photocopies of encyclopedia entries. In addition, it contains an article on Gustav Mahler by Max Brod; Erwin Jacobi’s article on Albert Schweitzer and Richard Wagner; several items by Albert Schweitzer; and Lipman-Wulf’s article on his sculpture
In 1968, Philo Bregstein made a German-language documentary film on Klemperer’s life and work. Klemperer is interviewed in the film, and at times portions of the interview are used as narration. The background materials used for making this film are part of the "Klemperer Film Materials" series. This series also contains the typewritten film script with emendations; photocopies and typescripts of statements by and about Klemperer; and interviews with Klemperer by Bregstein and Klemperer's biographer, Peter Heyworth. The interviews with Klemperer include discussions about Ernst Bloch, Pierre Boulez, Hans Curjel, Paul Dessau, Klemperer's children Werner and Lotte, Rafael Kubelik, Lotte Lehman, Helmuth Plessner, and H. H. Stuckenschmidt, among others.
This series also contains an extensive amount of production materials for the film. Included are photographic prints, contact prints, slides, and negatives, some original and some reproduced from various European archives, all very loosely organized. These materials pertain to various subjects, including Otto Klemperer, depictions of the Weimar Republic, Germany during the Nazi period, World War II and the effects of the war, German cultural life from the turn of the century to the post World War II period, various artists, and European and American cities where Klemperer lived and worked. Index cards identify the subject matter of the photoprints.
The "Books" series contains 109 books from Klemperer's collection. Books were retained if they had annotations by Otto Klemperer and his daughter Lotte or if material was laid into the book. Biographies of Otto Klemperer and books which contain references to him include annotations by Lotte Klemperer and errata sheets clarifying inaccuracies in the text. The original laid-in material and photocopies of the annotated pages from the books have been filed separately along with a complete list of books. Books annotated by Otto Klemperer include
A bronze bust of Otto Klemperer was donated to the Library of Congress by the sculptress Anna Mahler Joseph and now resides in the Whittall Pavilion in the Thomas Jefferson Building.
The Appendix at the end of the finding aid includes an index linking the original folder numbers created by Lotte Klemperer to the present box and folder locations of the material in the Otto Klemperer Archive.
William Nelson, Technician
Wilda Heiss, Music Specialist
The Otto Klemperer Archive is organized into twelve series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006560666
Includes holograph and copyists' manuscripts; full scores and parts, some with emendations and annotations; photocopies; transparencies; and printed music.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Includes holograph and copyists' manuscripts; full scores and parts, some with emendations and annotations; photocopies; transparencies; and printed music.
Arranged alphabetically by composer, and by title therein.
Includes holograph and copyists' manuscripts; full scores and parts, some with markings and annotations; photocopies; and printed music.
Arranged alphabetically by composer, and by title therein.
Includes biographical dictionary entries; curriculum vitae; genealogies and genealogical notes; articles and letters both by and about family members; printed, photocopied, and handwritten materials.
Arranged alphabetically by family name and subject.
Includes original handwritten and typed letters, with some photocopies, to and from publishing companies; lists of items donated to educational institutions; and photocopies of cover pages of music, newspaper clippings, and correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondents’ name.
Contains published and unpublished items, including typescripts, carbon copies, photocopies, printed materials, newspaper clippings, lectures, speeches, letters about music and musicians, and statements on unrelated topics.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Contains published and unpublished materials, including typescripts; carbon copies; photocopies; printed materials; newspaper clippings; anecdotes and articles in English, German, other languages, and translations from Russian; and transcripts of broadcasts and film scripts.
Arranged alphabetically by material type.
Contains typescripts, photocopies, and carbon copies of interviews with Otto Klemperer, in English and German.
Arranged alphabetically by interviewer.
Includes Freedom of Information Act correspondence; citizenship certificates and passports; insurance policies; income tax returns; and correspondence with lawyers.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization or government agency, and chronologically therein.
Contains newspaper clippings, reviews and commentaries on specific performances, general information, photographs, programs, radio transcripts, and a dissertation on the Berlin State Opera.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material or subject.
Includes photocopies of newspaper clippings, press releases, articles, and typescripts.
Arranged chronologically.
Includes original programs and photocopies and typescripts of programs.
Arranged alphabetically by organization, and chronologically therein.
Includes five photograph albums and one album of watercolors.
Arranged chronologically.
Includes articles, books, programs, an opera libretto, and photocopies of encyclopedia entries.
Arranged alphabetically by author, and by title therein.
Contains carbon copies and typescripts.
Arranged alphabetically by author, and by title therein.
Contains typescripts and photocopies of typescripts of interviews with and about Otto Klemperer, in English and German.
Arranged alphabetically by interviewee or interviewer.
Contains newspaper clippings, programs, articles, typescripts, and miscellaneous materials, some photocopied, in English, German, and Dutch.
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
Contains typescripts and carbon copies with emendations in Dutch.
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
Contains programs, photocopies of programs and book title pages, typescripts, newspaper clippings, and black and white photographs of musicians, authors, politicians, city scenes, buildings, and operatic productions.
Arranged numerically.
Identifies photographs used in and considered for the film; in English, German, and Dutch.
Arranged alphabetically by type.
Contains photoprints, contact prints, slides, negatives, and microforms used in and considered for the film.
Photoprints arranged alphabetically by name or by subject; contact prints arranged numerically; slides and microforms arranged alphabetically by subject; negatives arranged numerically, followed by alphabetical arrangement by subject.
Contains selected books, either inscribed, signed, or annotated by Otto or Lotte Klemperer. Some books contained letters, newspaper clippings, programs, and photographs. These items and/or photocopies of inscriptions, signatures, and annotations are filed in boxes 109-111. The books themselves are shelved according to call number.
Arranged alphabetically by author, and title therein.
Signed by Otto Klemperer, 1958.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 110/Folder 4.
Signed by Otto Klemperer; no title page.
Copy in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 2.
Inscribed and signed by Ernst Bloch.
Copies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 2.
Inscribed and signed by Karola Bloch.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 3.
Signed by Otto Klemperer.
Copies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 4.
Signed by Otto Klemperer.
Laid in: newspaper clipping.
Photocopies and originals filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 5.
Annotated and signed by Otto Klemperer, 1948.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 111/Folder 1.
Annotated by Otto Klemperer.
Copies of annotated pages filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 6.
Signed by Otto Klemperer.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 109/Folder 6.
Inscribed and signed by Ira Hirschmann.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 110/Folder 1.
Signed by Otto Klemperer.
Photocopies filed in Otto Klemperer Archive, Box 110/Folder 1.