In addition to the note I wrote directly to Rick...
Rick Mabry wrote:
>This idea of yours to publish lists here is truly horrifying. My carpal
>tunnel is already bad enough, thanks very much. ...
>
>Do you even think you can handle the correspondence this might generate??
To be perfectly honest, I doubt there would be much interest in the stuff
I have. I believe that there are really only a handful of collectors who
care.
Over the years I have traded tapes with many collectors who have far
larger collections than mine. There are some amazing people out there,
who, unlike libraries, are interested in the music.
One of my concerns is where to leave my collection. I had intended to
add it to the archive collection I established here at our University,
but as of late...well our new director said we were done with the
collecting phase.
Most of the collectors I know are giving to smaller institutions,
but most will only accept CDs. I have made many inquiries and none
seem interested in the broadcast collection and old LPs of repertoire.
Several of my friends are planning on having their stuff sold or leaving
it to friends...with the last one standing having it all!
My experience with libraries, even what one would consider a research
library, has been miserable and tragic. In my personal situation,
cataloging rock and roll means more than preserving unique performances
of Stokowski conducting the Houston Symphony. I am amazed at how little
respect a head librarian can have for preservation, research and
scholarship.
>If so, start by telling us everything about this item:
>
>Prokofiev, Serge Trapeze ballet music (1924-5)
From a Melodia disc
>and this:
>
>Prokofiev, Serge Stone Flower, Gypsy Fantasy for Orch. Op.127
On Urania and Classics Edition discs with the Urania having been reissued
on Varese.
>I think they might be very rare.
Rare (especially when coupled with the notion of valuable) is such a
relative concept, especially amongst collectors. Two weekends ago I
restored, and transferred to CD some recordings I had of the music of
Philip Greeley Clapp. While most of my collector friends have copies
of these performances, I rather doubt anyone else cares. He was a
remarkable man who headed the music department at the University of Iowa.
He gave the first performance of one of his symphonies, at the invitation
of Karl Muck, with the Boston Symphony. Mitropoulos premired the 8th.
Several of his Symphonies have never been performed. Rare, somewhat so,
valuable...well only to those who are interested in the history of music
of this country, collectors of Symphonies in recording (I have had 3
correspondants who collected recordings of every symphony they could
fine)...I even wrote the music library at the University of Iowa to see
if they were interested...no response in over a week.
Ok, I will ramble a bit more...the other day a friend of mine (one of
those Symphony collectors...he has many other discs and tapes as well)
was listening to the Third Symphony by the American John Pozdro. It
is a fine piece. He tracked Pozdro down...85 years old and retired.
He called him and told him how much he loved his Symphony. Pozdro
replied, "you didn't make my day, you made my week. I had been sitting
here looking over all of my music and recordings and thinking to myself,
what did it all mean." I told my friend that I had Pozdro's Second
Symphony as well...he flipped. So, for a few people...it matters.
What matters to me is being able to share what I have found over the
years. I'm not interested in dubbing something someone can find on disc
or CD, but if it is something "rare..." I have been very lucky to have
know some very generous collectors and composers.
Karl
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