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/2013568041
Collection material chiefly in French and English
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.
Bequest, Denise Restout, 2004.
No further accruals are expected.
The Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers were processed by George Kipper, Christopher Hartten, Cathy Crone, Joanna Helms, and Brianna Frieda from 2012-2014. George Kipper and Christopher Hartten coded the finding aid for EAD format in 2013-2014.
Sound and video recordings from the Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Wanda Landowska Collection (MAVIS collection no. 12625). An inventory of these materials is available in the Music Division's collection file.
The following Music Division collections contain correspondence with Landowska: Nicolas Slonimsky Collection (ML 31.S6), Sergei Koussevitzky Archive (ML 31.K66), Aaron Copland Collection (ML 31.C7), Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Collection (ML 29j.C66), Ernest Urchs Correspondence (ML 94.U), Engel-L.C. Collection (ML 94.E5 C58), Irving Schwerke Collection, and Music Division Old Correspondence. Landowska's collected writings are published in
Materials from the Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers 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], Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Materials from the Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers span a period from the 1843 through the early 2000s. The bulk of these date from the early 1900s through the late 1990s. The collection includes manuscript and printed music, correspondence, writings, subject files, photographs, programs, and other materials chiefly related to Landowska's career as a perfomer, scholar, teacher, and promoter of early keyboard music. Denise Restout has often been called a "disciple" of Landowska, and for good reason. In her roles as pupil, secretary, and caretaker, she invested considerable time and effort documenting Landowska's teachings and preserving her legacy. Nevertheless, some part of Landowska's past may very well never be recovered. The Nazi seizure of Landowska's music library and instrument collection in 1940 has profoundly influenced the shape of the collection as it now exists at the Library of Congress. Although much of Landowska's early correspondence, writings, and photographs have survived, most of the music represents items obtained post-1941. Researchers are strongly encouraged to consult the inventories to ascertain the contents of Landowska's music library at various points in her career.
The materials in the
The most heavily annotated copies of J. S. Bach's keyboard works were originally contained in seven red folders, all consisting of pages removed from the
Personal letters and business papers to and from students, family members, composers and performers, artists, agents, musicologists, fans, and friends form the bulk of Landowska and Restout's correspondence in the
As a scholar-performer, Landowska penned a considerable body of writing on music and other topics over the course of her career. These materials in the
As a teacher, Landowska achieved notoriety through her summer courses and masterclasses held at the Ecole de Musique Ancienne. Her teachings and performance critiques are preserved in a run of copious notes taken by her assistants between 1927 and 1929. These are augmented by lesson ledgers, planning notes, programs and promotional materials, and Restout's own class notes from her studies with Landowska. Other writings of interest in the collection include journals by Landowska pupils and assistants Momo Aldrich, Dianita Mathot, and Gerda Liebman, as well as Ethel Preston's reflections on Landowska's teaching in "Trois eles avec Wanda Landowska á Saint-Leu-la-Forêt."
The majority of business papers are in the
The voluminous amount of items in the
Personal documents and other items largely related to the families of Landowska and Restout are organized in the
The Wanda Landowska and Denise Restout Papers are organized in nine series:
Chiefly printed scores annotated by Landowska or Restout. Includes several holograph compositions and sketchbooks by Landowska, as well as manuscript copies by Restout. Annotations are identified if known and abbreviated as WL (Landowska) and DR (Restout), respectively.
Arranged alphabetically by composer, and by commonly-known title therein. Cadenzas by WL are located in the container list with the work for which they are composed.
Letters, telegrams, business papers, and greeting cards. Many folders contain enclosures or related correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent or by subject.
Diaries, journals, and planners. Some items may include notes by individuals other than WL or DR. Datebooks occasionally contain lengthy notes pertaining to musical subjects found elsewhere in the collection.
Arranged chronologically.
A near-complete set of WL's articles, essays, commentaries, and other published writings, assembled by DR. Includes a first edition of
Articles, essays, interviews, draft materials, notes, and clippings. Includes materials for DR's unpublished biography on WL.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Masterclass and course notes, lesson ledgers, student notes and work, programs and promotional materials, and other items.
Arranged chronologically by year or alphabetically by subject.
Mostly journals by assistants and students of WL that detail Landowska's activities and teachings from varying perspectives.
Subject files containing business papers, legal documents, correspondence, publicity materials, inventories, and other miscellaneous items. Includes extensive documentation related to the contents of WL's library and instrument collection at Saint-Leu and the post-war restitution efforts by DR and others to recover these materials.
Arranged alphabetically be subject.
Chiefly images of WL alone or with musical dignitaries at Saint-Leu, including Francis Poulenc, Manuel de Falla, and Darius Milhaud. Also includes photographs of historical instruments and artwork, WL masterclasses, the Saint-Leu grounds and concert hall, and other subjects.
Arranged chronologically by date or alphabetically by subject.
Personal documents, immigration papers, wills, obituaries, and other materials related mostly to the lives of WL, DR, and their families.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Bound volumes and loose programs and promotional materials related to WL performances and materclasses. Includes a small amount of similar material for pupils of WL and DR.
Arranged chronologically or alphabetically by subject.
Expense ledgers, bank books, tax returns, book and music purchases, leases, and other financial records.
Arranged alphabetically by subject. Bank records are organized first by the name of the institution and then chronologically therein.
Iconography, books, clippings, catalog cards, posters, scrapbooks, and realia.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.