Collection inventory


Special Collections home page


Louis Gruenberg Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: [Summit record]
Date: 1 Jan 2001



Biographical History

Louis Gruenberg (1884-1964) was a Russian-American composer and pianist.

Born in Russia, Gruenberg was brought to the United States at the age of two. His musical education was in the master class at the Vienna Conservatory in Austria. He began his career as a pianist and made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1912; subsequently he appeared in all the major cities of the United States and Europe. He was chairman of the Composition Department of the Chicago Music College from 1931 to 1933, founder of the League of Composers and the Music Guild, a past president of the International Society of Contemporary Music, a charter member of the MacDowell Society, and a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His awards include prizes from Columbia and RCA Victor Records, the New York Symphony, and the Federation of Musical Clubs (1941), and he was nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He is perhaps best known for the scores of Green Mansions and Emperor Jones (produced by the Metropolitan Opera), but he also composed the music for Jack and the Beanstalk, Helena's Husband, First Symphony, Jazz Suite, Enchanted Isle, and Serenade to a Beauteous Lady. His music for films includes Fight for Life and So Ends Our Night.

Gruenberg was married and had one daughter. Much of his life was spent in Beverly Hill, California.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Louis Gruenberg Papers consist of biographical material (a brief biographical sketch from Who's Who), correspondence (one outgoing letter to the Composers Society of America), manuscripts (journals, radio broadcasts, drawings, and speeches), and published compositions.


Arrangement of the Collection

All material is arranged alphabetically.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has the papers of a number of composers and musicians; please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.


Subject Headings

Persons

Gruenberg, Louis, 1884-1964.

Subjects

Composers -- United States.
Music -- 20th century.
Musicians -- United States.
Pianists -- United States.
Russian Americans.

Genres and Forms

Diaries.
Drawings (visual works)
Musical scores.
Sheet music.
Speeches (documents)

Occupations

Composers.
Musicians.
Pianists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Louis Gruenberg Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries


Table of Contents

Biographical material

Correspondence

Manuscripts

Published compositions


Inventory