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Elizabeth Gyring Papers, 1930-1980

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gyring, Elizabeth
Title
Elizabeth Gyring Papers
Dates
1930-1980 (inclusive)
Quantity
12 containers., (5 linear feet of shelf space.), (300 items.)
Collection Number
Cage 475
Summary
Music manuscripts, recordings, correspondence, legal and other papers.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Elizabeth Gyring was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909. She was the daughter of the well-known laryngologist Leopold Rethy, himself an amateur musician and founder/conductor of the Wiener Aertzte Orchester. She pursued her musical studies at the State Academy of Music in her native Vienna and graduated with distinction. She enjoyed the encouragement of the composer Alban Berg, a friend of the family, and of some of Vienna's leading musicians. Performances of her works in Berlin and Vienna received favorable critical notices. In 1939 she emigrated to the United States with her husband Otto Geiringer and eventually became an American citizen. She resided in New York City until her death in 1970.

Elizabeth Gyring's music utilizes the dense chromaticism of the Late Romantic style. Both versatile and prolific, with over 160 works to her credit, she composed music in nearly all traditional forms including a full-length opera, two symphonies, seven string quartets, numerous chamber music works for various combinations of instruments, concerti, cantatas, songs, choral pieces, works for solo piano, organ and other instruments. She was a member of the American Composers Alliance in New York City. A few of her works were published during her lifetime by Henri Elkan and the Boston Music Company. The bulk of her compositions were made available through the American Composers Facsimile Edition, New York. Despite a number of performances of her music in New York and Philadelphia, as well as a few radio performances, Elizabeth Gyring's music has been for the most part neglected.

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Content Description

About three-quarters of the music manuscripts (Series 1) listed in the BMI catalogue (folder G) are contained in the collection. Along with holograph scores, the series also includes photocopies and transparencies of scores. Series 2, Correspondence and Papers, includes original correspondence (some are photocopies), publishing contracts, lists of compositions compiled by Elizabeth Gyring, her will, legal papers, several articles on music, biographies of the composer, printed scores, tape recordings, reviews and programs.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 475, Elizabeth Gyring Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series: Music Manuscripts and Correspondence and Papers. The numbering of the folders in the collection retains the numbering of the BMI catalogue listing. Hence, there are gaps in the sequence of folder numbers. Those items not listed in the BMI catalogue (beginning with Series I, B and continuing to Series II and the BMI catalogue itself) have been provided with consecutive letters, A through G.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Elizabeth Gyring were placed by Dr. Hans Moldenhauer, of Spokane, in the Moldenhauer Archives at Washington State University in August 1982 (MS 82-34).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Gyring, Elizabeth, 1909-1970 --Archives (creator)
  • Moldenhauer, Hans

Occupations

  • Composers--United States--Correspondence

Finding aid prepared by John Mueter
2012

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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