Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Guide to the Solomon Pimsleur
Papers
1918-1970
Cage
478
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
- Creator
- Pimsleur, Solomon
- Title
- Solomon Pimsleur Papers
- ID
- Cage 478
- Date [inclusive]
- 1918-1970
- Extent
- 7 containers., 8 linear feet of shelf space., 4100 items.
- Language
- Collection materials are in English.
- Abstract
- Correspondence and other papers, musical sketches and scores, recordings and microfilms, also paintings and drawings.
Preferred Citation
[Item Description]. Cage 478, Solomon Pimsleur Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Biography/History
Solomon Pimsleur was born in Paris, France, in 1900 and emigrated to the United States with his parents at an early age. Completing both his undergraduate and graduate studies at Columbia University he was the recipient of a Julliard Fellowship in 1926 and studied at the Summer Institute of the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria, in 1929. An honorary D. Mus. was awarded to him by the Boguslawski College of Music in Chicago in 1940. He died in New York City in 1962. With over 120 compositions to his credit, Pimsleur can be considered a prolific composer. His work aroused some early attention, but he gained little recognition later in his life. Nor did he ever succeed in securing an academic position. A performance of his Symphonic Ballade by the Philharmonic Society of New York at Lewisohn Stadium in 1933 marked the sole performance of any of his works by an established professional ensemble. Subsequent performances of his compositions were in large part due to his own persistent efforts. While his compositions drew praise for the craftsmanship they exhibited, Pimsleur's self-declared conservative style put his music outside the mainstream of contemporary development. A posthumous concert of his music was arranged by his wife Meira in 1965 and was presented in Carnegie Recital Hall, New York City.
Scope and Content
Most of the correspondence is of a personal nature, primarily family material. Pimsleur's widow continued to add to it after her husband's death in 1962. The Press Book, included in the papers, contains clippings pertaining to Pimsleur's career as well as a few letters of interest, notably from Vincent d'Indy, Rubin Goldmark, Dmitri Mitropoulos and Willem Mengelberg. The musical sketches provide a mass of fragments and scraps of paper, with little apparent order or identification. There are virtually no complete scores in the second series, but a number of scores are included on microfilm in series III. Series IV encompasses a set of paintings and drawings by an unknown hand.
Arrangement
As acquired, the collection had no inherent order. The current arrangement was imposed by the processor. The collection is arranged in four series: Correspondence and Papers, Sketches and Scores, Tapes and Microfilms, and Oversize.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2012
http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/
Terrell Library
P.O. Box 645610
Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA
509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Solomon Pimsleur were placed by Dr. Hans Moldenhauer, of Spokane, in the Moldenhauer Archives at Washington State University Libraries in August 1982.
Names and Subjects
Personal Name(s)
Creator(s) :
- Pimsleur, Solomon, 1900-1962--Archives
Donor(s) :
- Moldenhauer, Hans
Subject(s)
- Composers--United States--Correspondence
- Performing Arts
- International Relations
Detailed Description of Collection
Series 1: Correspondence and Papers 1918-1970 |
||||
Correspondence: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
1918-1939 150 |
1 | 1-2 | ||
|
1940-1949 150 |
1 | 3-4 | ||
|
1950-1959 150 |
1 | 5-6 | ||
|
1960-1970 70 |
1 | 7 | ||
|
undated 150 |
1 | 8-9 | ||
Papers: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
1918-1939 30 |
1 | 10 | ||
|
1940-1949 40 |
1 | 11 | ||
|
1950-1959 200 |
1 | 12-14 | ||
|
1960-1970 50 |
2 | 15 | ||
|
College papers undated 50 |
2 | 16 | ||
|
Papers undated 100 |
2 | 17 | ||
|
Press Book 1920-1962 1 |
2 | 18 | ||
|
Programs and Reviews 1914-1962 70 |
2 | 19 | ||
|
Posthumous concert 1965 10 |
2 | 20 | ||
|
Catalogue of original compositions 1974 2 |
2 | 21 | ||
|
Catalogue of works at Columbia University 1974-1975 1 |
2 | 22 | ||
|
Poetry 1918-1928 30 |
2 | 23 | ||
|
Poetry sketches 1960-1961 50 |
2 | 24 | ||
|
Poetry sketches undated 150 |
2 | 25-26 | ||
|
Photographs 1924 undated 30 |
2 | 27 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 2: Sketches and Scores |
||||
Sketches: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Op. 2, op. 8 2 |
3 | 28 | ||
|
Op. 3 10 |
3 | 29 | ||
|
Op. 4, 28, 41, 53-56, 58 10 |
3 | 30 | ||
|
Op. 4#3, 14#5, 36#1, 7 and 10 10 |
3 | 31 | ||
|
Op. 5, 8, 9, 50 50 |
3 | 32 | ||
|
Op. 6 20 |
3 | 33 | ||
|
Op. 12, op. 13 5 |
3 | 34 | ||
|
Op. 14, op. 36 30 |
3 | 35 | ||
|
Op. 16 50 |
3 | 36 | ||
|
Op. 19 50 |
3 | 37 | ||
|
Op. 21 30 |
3 | 38 | ||
|
Op. 22 50 |
3 | 39 | ||
|
Op. 23 20 |
3 | 40 | ||
|
Op. 24 30 |
3 | 41 | ||
|
Op. 25 (earlier op. 22) 50 |
3 | 42 | ||
|
Op. 30 40 |
3 | 43-44 | ||
|
Op. 30 and 35 30 |
3 | 45 | ||
|
Op. 31 30 |
3 | 46 | ||
|
Op. 33 50 |
3 | 47 | ||
|
Op. 35 50 |
3 | 48 | ||
|
Op. 40 50 |
3 | 49-50 | ||
|
Op. 42 50 |
3 | 51 | ||
|
Op. 44 50 |
4 | 52 | ||
|
Op. 45 100 |
4 | 53-54 | ||
|
Op. 46 100 |
4 | 55-56 | ||
|
Op. 48 and op. 52 100 |
4 | 57-58 | ||
|
Op. 49 and op. 52 30 |
4 | 59 | ||
|
Op. 50 150 |
4 | 60-61 | ||
|
Op. 51 50 |
4 | 62 | ||
|
Op. 59 30 |
4 | 63 | ||
|
Op. 60 100 |
4 | 64-65 | ||
|
Op. 61, #1 and #2 60 |
4 | 66-67 | ||
|
Op. 62 30 |
4 | 68 | ||
|
Op. 63, 66 and 71 10 |
4 | 69 | ||
|
Op. 64 50 |
4 | 70 | ||
|
Op. 66 50 |
4 | 71 | ||
|
Op. 67 50 |
4 | 72 | ||
|
Op. 68 50 |
4 | 73 | ||
|
Op. 69 50 |
4 | 74 | ||
|
Op. 70 100 |
4 | 75-77 | ||
|
Op. 74 and 75 35 |
5 | 78-79 | ||
|
Op. 77, 81-83, 86 and 88 5 |
5 | 80 | ||
|
Op. 90, 95, 102, 106 5 |
5 | 81 | ||
|
Anne Frank (opera) 250 |
5 | 82-88 | ||
|
Revisions of early piano sonatas 30 |
5 | 89 | ||
|
Songs: Sonnets of Shakespeare 10 |
5 | 90 | ||
|
Unidentified Sketches 200 |
5 | 91-93 | ||
|
Unidentified Sketches 200 |
6 | 94-99 | ||
Scores: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Op. 24, Neo-classic Overture (parts) 20 |
6 | 100 | ||
|
Op. 32, Tone-poem (parts) 20 |
6 | 101 | ||
|
Photocopies and fragments 10 |
6 | 102 | ||
|
Meditative Nocturne, photocopy 1 |
6 | 103 | ||
|
Op. 75, transparencies 1 |
6 | 104 | ||
|
Piano Duet, MS fragment 1 |
6 | 105 | ||
|
Printed scores 6 |
6 | 106 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 3: Tapes and Microfilms 1956-1965 |
||||
Tapes (reel-to-reel): |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Op. 1 and op. 7 |
6 | 107 | ||
|
Op. 2 |
6 | 108 | ||
|
Op. 5 |
6 | 109 | ||
|
Op. 7 |
6 | 110 | ||
|
Op. 15 |
6 | 111 | ||
|
Op. 19 |
6 | 112-113 | ||
|
Op. 20 and op. 29 |
6 | 114 | ||
|
Op. 28 |
6 | 115 | ||
|
Op. 29 |
6 | 116-117 | ||
Concerts: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
January 1, 1956 June 13, 1956 |
6 | 118 | ||
|
January 23, 1957 |
6 | 119 | ||
|
March 23, 1959 |
6 | 120 | ||
|
February 21, 1965 |
6 | 121 | ||
|
undated |
6 | 122 | ||
| box | folder | |||
|
Unidentified |
6 | 123-124 | ||
Microfilms: |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Op. 2, 34, 49, 76, 81-86 |
7 | 125 | ||
|
Op. 12 and op. 28 |
7 | 126 | ||
|
Op. 23 |
7 | 127 | ||
|
Op. 26, 31, 37, 38, 39, 51-53, 57 |
7 | 128 | ||
|
Op. 29, 32, 36, 48, 92, 96 |
7 | 129 | ||
|
Op. 60 and op. 62 |
7 | 130 | ||
|
Op. 70, 76, 77 |
7 | 131 | ||
|
Op. 87, 89 |
7 | 132 | ||
|
Op. 90 and op. 91 |
7 | 133 | ||
|
Op. 90 and 100 |
7 | 134 | ||
|
Opera, piano score |
7 | 135 | ||
|
Opera, orchestral score, parts I and II |
7 | 136-137 | ||
|
Works without opus number |
7 | 138 | ||
|
Mournful Prelude |
7 | 139 | ||
|
|
||||
Series 4: Oversize |
||||
| box | folder | |||
|
Paintings and drawings, artist unknown 12 |
7 | 140 | ||
|
|
||||