Main content
Leopold Stokowski sound recordings
Notifications
Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was born April 18, 1882 in London and become one of the best-known conductors of the 20th century. Stokowski conducted symphony orchestras across the world from 1909 until his death in 1977. A full biographical sketch can be found in the finding aid for the Leopold Stokowski papers.
This collection consists of sound recordings on sound reels, audio cassettes, cds, and long playing records. It is believed that the majority document Stokowski's conducting career from 1917 to 1977 and that very few were professional recordings. There are some recordings that specifically list another conductor; in particular, Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Ernst Marzendorfer conducting the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. All description is based upon existing labels and slips of papers which were found with the recordings, the contents of which are not always clear. It is important for researchers to understand that sound recordings were not listened to prior to arrangement and description.
The collection is arranged in five series: I. Reel to reel sound recordings, II. Cassettes, III. CDs, IV. Records, and V. Index cards to tape collection. The first four series are all arranged alphabetically by orchestra, and then chronologically within each orchestra. Researchers are advised to perform keyword searches for composers, musical works, and artists, particularly since many original sound recordings did not list the orchestra or musical group and are therefore listed as "Unknown." Many of the original recordings had a numbering scheme, the key to which is undefined. The numbers were preserved and are listed as "Stokowski Numbers" after the description.
The final series consists of index cards to the collection. The numbering scheme on the cards do not always appear to match the numbering scheme on the original recordings. In some cases, the numbering schemes do match and the cards may be of some use to researchers, although, the information contained on the card is also included in finding aid.
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Holly Mengel
- Finding Aid Date
- 2016 April 26
- Access Restrictions
-
Access to original audio/visual materials and computer files is restricted. The Kislak Center will provide access to the information on these materials from duplicate master files. If the original does not already have a copy, it will be sent to an outside vendor for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround time from request to delivery of digital items is about two weeks for up to five items and three to seven weeks for more than five items. Please contact Reprographic Services (reprogr@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Once digital items are received, researchers will have access to the files on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. Researchers should be aware of specifics of copyright law and act accordingly.
- Use Restrictions
-
Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.