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Collection Overview

Creator:
Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971
Title:
Igor Stravinsky Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9w0323059
Dates:
1964-1967
Size:
1 box and 0.2 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of correspondence and documents relating to the Princeton commission of Requiem Canticles by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, considered by many in both the West and his native land to be the most influential composer of 20th-century music.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence and documents relating to the Princeton commission of Requiem Canticles by Stravinsky. Correspondents include Princeton University President Robert Goheen, Joseph Lynch, Augustus P. Mack, Jr., Ricardo A. Mesters, Armine T. Montapert, and Stanley Seeger. The orchestral score, dated 1966, was dedicated to the memory of Helen Buchanan Seeger. The documents include the original and drafts of the agreement between Princeton University and Stravinsky regarding the commission of the composition. Also included is an announcement of the first performance of the requiem by Stravinsky on October 8, 1966, at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, which was conducted by Stravinsky and Robert Craft.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by year.

Collection Creator Biography:

Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971

Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky (1882-1971) was born in Russia, near St. Petersburg, grew up in a musical atmosphere , and studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He had his first important opportunity in 1909, when the impresario Sergei Diaghilev heard his music, and went on to commission Stravinksy's first ballet. During World War I, Stravinsky sought refuge in Switzerland; after the armistice, he moved to France, his home until the onset of World War II, when he came to the United States. During his years in the United States, he lived outside Los Angeles, and was assisted by his young protégé, Robert Craft. In 1962 he accepted an invitation to return to Russia for a series of concerts, but remained an emigre firmly based in the West. He died in New York City on April 6, 1971, at the age of 89 and was buried in Venice on the cemetery island of San Michele. His grave is close to the tomb of his early collaborator, Diaghilev. He was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the century, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In his 1936 autobiography, Chronicles of My Life, written with the help of Alexis Roland-Manuel, Stravinsky included his infamous statement that "music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all."

Collection History

Acquisition:

The papers were the gift of Stanley J. Seeger in December 9, 1992 (AM1993-84).

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on September 27, 2007. Finding aid written by Lauren Kustner on November 12, 2007. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager '2015 in 2013.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Igor Stravinsky Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/9w0323059
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1

Find More

Related Materials

Stravinsky's original autograph music composition, access to which is restricted, can be found in the Miscellaneous Bound Manuscripts Collection (C0199, no. 1009). Readers are to use a preservation photocopy. Permission of the curator of manuscripts is required to access the original manuscript.

Subject Terms:
McCarter Theatre Center (Princeton, N.J.).
Requiem Canticles.
Requiems -- Performances -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century.
Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 20th century
Names:
Princeton University
Goheen, Robert F. (Robert Francis) (1919-2008)
Seeger, Stanley J.