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Robert Hupka Collection of Toscanini Test Pressings and Dom Baron Chant Recordings

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 24 Feb 2011



Biographical History

Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was an Italian conductor, renowned for his intensity and perfectionism. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.

Dom Ludovic Baron, O.S.B. is a Benedictine monk and music scholar with expertise in monastic chant. He is featured on at least one album, "Gregorian Chant by Dom Ludovic Baron, O.S.B." released by the Smithsonian Institution on their Folkways label, which includes an interview and explanation of chants.

Robert Hupka (1919-2001) was a Viennese-born recording engineer and photographer. He was a sound engineer for RCA and later for Columbia records, and worked closely with Toscanini for many years. A talented photographer, he also took thousands of photographs of the conductor which were published in 1963 in his book This Was Toscanini. Hupka's connection to Baron's chant recordings is unknown.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Robert Hupka Collection of Toscanini Test Pressings and Dom Baron Chant Recordings consists of a small amount of papers and a very large number of recordings.

Papers contain clippings, price guides, Toscanini's copy of Aida with his signature, material from the 1937 Salzburg Festival, two notes in Toscanini's hand, and some miscellaneous printed material (programs, etc.)

The 172 Dom Baron recordings, all on tape, span 1954-1957 and include masses, hymns, and Christmas and Easter special performances.

The 3608 Toscanini recordings, a mix of tape and disc, include test pressings of concerts, operas, festival performances, rehearsals, sacred music and more; for many of these, the location and date of the recording is given and in some cases additional information such as names of performers.

There are also 410 Miscellaneous recordings, which cannot be identified definitively as either Toscanini or Baron, or whose contents are entirely unknown. These recordings contain instrumental and vocal performances of secular and sacred pieces from classical composers (e.g. Beethoven, Bach) as well as modern ones (e.g. Benjamin Britten).


Arrangement of the Collection

Items are physically arranged in numerical order using Hupka's original numbering scheme up to Hupka 0747. There is then a gap in the numbering. Numbers beginning with Hupka 0800 were assigned by Special Collections Research Center, for consistency. In the inventory below, items are subdivided by topic (Baron, Toscanini, Miscellaneous) and within that listed alphabetically by title. The miscellaneous recordings are subdivided by type and then listed alphabetically by title.


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.

Access to the tapes requires advance notice for production of a listening copy.

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.

Listening copies are for onsite use only. Any person wishing to purchase a research copy will need to obtain permission from the copyright holder prior to placing their order.


Subject Headings

Persons

Baron, Ludovic, 1894-
Hupka, Robert.
Toscanini, Arturo, 1867-1957.

Subjects

Choral music.
Conductors (Music)
Gregorian chants.
Instrumental music.
Sacred music.

Genres and Forms

Audiotapes.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Long-playing records.
Phonograph records.
Scores.
Sound recordings.
Souvenir programs.

Occupations

Conductors.
Singers.
Sound engineers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Robert Hupka Collection of Toscanini Test Pressings and Dom Baron Chant Recordings,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Robert Hupka, 2000.


Table of Contents

Papers

Baron recordings

Toscanini recordings

Miscellaneous recordings


Inventory