Little Orchestra Society concert recordings collection

Collection Data

Description
The collection consists of concert recordings, made for Mr. Scherman, from late 1947 to late 1957.
Names
Little Orchestra Society (Performer)
Scherman, Thomas (Conductor)
Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993 (Performer)
Arrau, Claudio, 1903-1991 (Performer)
Berger, Erna, 1900- (Performer)
Britten, Benjamin, 1913-1976 (Conductor)
Ferrier, Kathleen, 1912-1953 (Performer)
London, George, 1920-1985 (Performer)
Pears, Peter, 1910-1986 (Performer)
Siepi, Cesare (Performer)
Stern, Isaac, 1920-2001 (Performer)
Szigeti, Joseph, 1892-1973 (Performer)
Tucker, Richard, 1913-1975 (Performer)
Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1947 - 1957
Library locations
Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
Shelf locator: *L (Special) 88-30
Topics
Orchestral music
Operas
Genres
Music
Live sound recordings
Notes
Additional physical form: Preservation tapes available in Archives. For specific listings, consult finding aid.
Acquisition: Gift 740 sound discs
Biographical/historical: Thomas Scherman founded the Little Orchestra Society for the 1947/48 season with the aim of performing contemporary orchestral and operatic works, including many works specially commissioned for the society. The society consisted of a reduced orchestra that was large enough to reproduce major works, but small enough that it afforded a more chamber-like atmosphere. They regularly attracted famous soloists to augment the orchestra, and they emphasized 'authentic performances' - that is, performances which followed original instrumentation and original playing practices. Most of the Little Orchestra Society concerts took place in the Town Hall concert hall in New York City.
Biographical/historical: The Little Orchestra Society featured a number of famous performers in solo pieces. Some of these soloists were: Marian Anderson, Claudio Arrau, Erna Berger, Benjamin Britten, Kathleen Ferrier, George London, Sir Peter Pears, Cesare Siepi, Isaac Stern, Joseph Szigeti, Richard Tucker, and Vronsky and Babin.
Biographical/historical: The Little Orchestra Society premiered a large number of contemporary works, and revived many Baroque pieces. Because of this, the Little Orchestra Society recordings provide an important source for the performance history of these pieces.
Physical Description
Audio disc
Extent: 740 audio discs
Audio disc
Extent: 567 audio discs : analog, 78 rpm ; 12 in.
Audio disc
Extent: 74 audio discs : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 12 in.
Audio disc
Extent: 99 audio discs : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 16 in.
Type of Resource
Sound recording
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: NYPW88-A26
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b11159916
MSS Unit ID: 20440
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c30d4ee0-5099-0136-fc65-041fd87cbf8e
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