Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA
(509) 335-6691
http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/
mascref@wsu.edu
Cage
478
Pimsleur, Solomon
Solomon Pimsleur
Papers
1918-1970
7 containers.
8 linear feet of shelf space.
4100 items.
Correspondence and other papers, musical
sketches and scores, recordings and microfilms, also paintings and
drawings.
Collection materials are in
English.
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.
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.
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.
This collection is open for research use.
[Item Description]. Cage
478, Solomon Pimsleur
Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
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.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Pimsleur, Solomon, 1900-1962--Archives
Moldenhauer, Hans
Composers--United States--Correspondence
Performing Arts
International Relations
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series 1: Correspondence and
Papers
1918-1970
Correspondence:
1
1-2
1918-1939
150
1
3-4
1940-1949
150
1
5-6
1950-1959
150
1
7
1960-1970
70
1
8-9
undated
150
Papers:
1
10
1918-1939
30
1
11
1940-1949
40
1
12-14
1950-1959
200
2
15
1960-1970
50
2
16
College papers
undated
50
2
17
Papers
undated
100
2
18
Press Book
1920-1962
1
2
19
Programs and
Reviews
1914-1962
70
2
20
Posthumous concert
1965
10
2
21
Catalogue of original
compositions
1974
2
2
22
Catalogue of works at Columbia
University
1974-1975
1
2
23
Poetry
1918-1928
30
2
24
Poetry sketches
1960-1961
50
2
25-26
Poetry sketches
undated
150
2
27
Photographs
1924
undated
30
Series 2: Sketches and
Scores
Sketches:
3
28
Op. 2, op. 8
2
3
29
Op. 3
10
3
30
Op. 4, 28, 41, 53-56,
58
10
3
31
Op. 4#3, 14#5, 36#1, 7 and
10
10
3
32
Op. 5, 8, 9, 50
50
3
33
Op. 6
20
3
34
Op. 12, op. 13
5
3
35
Op. 14, op. 36
30
3
36
Op. 16
50
3
37
Op. 19
50
3
38
Op. 21
30
3
39
Op. 22
50
3
40
Op. 23
20
3
41
Op. 24
30
3
42
Op. 25 (earlier op.
22)
50
3
43-44
Op. 30
40
3
45
Op. 30 and 35
30
3
46
Op. 31
30
3
47
Op. 33
50
3
48
Op. 35
50
3
49-50
Op. 40
50
3
51
Op. 42
50
4
52
Op. 44
50
4
53-54
Op. 45
100
4
55-56
Op. 46
100
4
57-58
Op. 48 and op. 52
100
4
59
Op. 49 and op. 52
30
4
60-61
Op. 50
150
4
62
Op. 51
50
4
63
Op. 59
30
4
64-65
Op. 60
100
4
66-67
Op. 61, #1 and #2
60
4
68
Op. 62
30
4
69
Op. 63, 66 and 71
10
4
70
Op. 64
50
4
71
Op. 66
50
4
72
Op. 67
50
4
73
Op. 68
50
4
74
Op. 69
50
4
75-77
Op. 70
100
5
78-79
Op. 74 and 75
35
5
80
Op. 77, 81-83, 86 and
88
5
5
81
Op. 90, 95, 102,
106
5
5
82-88
Anne Frank (opera)
250
5
89
Revisions of early piano
sonatas
30
5
90
Songs: Sonnets of
Shakespeare
10
5
91-93
Unidentified
Sketches
200
6
94-99
Unidentified
Sketches
200
Scores:
6
100
Op. 24, Neo-classic Overture
(parts)
20
6
101
Op. 32, Tone-poem
(parts)
20
6
102
Photocopies and
fragments
10
6
103
Meditative Nocturne,
photocopy
1
6
104
Op. 75,
transparencies
1
6
105
Piano Duet, MS
fragment
1
6
106
Printed scores
6
Series 3: Tapes and
Microfilms
1956-1965
Tapes (reel-to-reel):
6
107
Op. 1 and op. 7
6
108
Op. 2
6
109
Op. 5
6
110
Op. 7
6
111
Op. 15
6
112-113
Op. 19
6
114
Op. 20 and op. 29
6
115
Op. 28
6
116-117
Op. 29
Concerts:
6
118
January 1,
1956
June 13, 1956
6
119
January 23,
1957
6
120
March 23,
1959
6
121
February 21,
1965
6
122
undated
6
123-124
Unidentified
Microfilms:
7
125
Op. 2, 34, 49, 76,
81-86
7
126
Op. 12 and op. 28
7
127
Op. 23
7
128
Op. 26, 31, 37, 38, 39, 51-53,
57
7
129
Op. 29, 32, 36, 48, 92,
96
7
130
Op. 60 and op. 62
7
131
Op. 70, 76, 77
7
132
Op. 87, 89
7
133
Op. 90 and op. 91
7
134
Op. 90 and 100
7
135
Opera, piano score
7
136-137
Opera, orchestral score, parts
I and II
7
138
Works without opus
number
7
139
Mournful Prelude
Series 4: Oversize
7
140
Paintings and drawings, artist
unknown
12