About Special Collections at USC
LOCATION
University of Southern California
Doheny Memorial Library, 2nd floor, South wing
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089
213-740-5900
specol@usc.edu
HOURS
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday 1pm-5pm (during the fall and spring semesters only)
Information for first time users
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Performing Arts Collections
The Department of Special Collection is the home for many archival collections of performing arts materials, including correspondence, scores, costumes, recordings, film, and business records.
The tabs in this libguide will take you to information about specific collections in dance, theater, and music. For information about other Special Collections performing arts archives, please see the lists below.
Music
- American Guild of Organists recordsContains the records of the Los Angeles and Pasadena chapters of the American Guild of Organists, including administrative files, publications, and annual scrapbooks.
- James Arkatov photographsContains approximately 200 black and white images of classical conductors and soloists photographed performing by James Arkatov.
- Charles Leland Bagley papersContains the personal papers of Charles Leland Bagley, along with records pertaining to the American Federation of Musicians including correspondence, photographs, union publications, and ephemera.
- Richard Lert papersContains Richard Lert’s video and audio recordings of performances, rehearsals and lectures, personal papers and his music score library. Lert moved to the United States in 1932 with his family and was the conductor of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra from 1932 until his retirement in 1972.
- Robert Linn papersContains drafts and final copies of music compositions by Robert Linn, along with a few programs for concerts and other events.
- University of Southern California Thornton School of Music Records
- Dr. Richard J. Bing collection of music scoresContains the collected musical manuscripts of Dr. Richard J. Bing.
- Collection of sheet musicContains bound volumes of songs, ca. 1850 and loose sheet music (vocals) ca. 1880-1920.
- Mary Wood Hinman collection of English folksongsContains printed collections of English folksongs and plays, ca. 1912, for which Hinman directed the dance numbers.
- James Newton Howard collectionContains extensive collection of film music, television music, and related materials created by musician/composer James Newton Howard from 1987 to the present.
- Richard Ralf papersContains the papers of Richard Ralf, a German composer who moved to Los Angeles in 1946. His music follows the florid and emotional trend of post-Wagnerian Romanticism.
- Hans Eisler papersContains Hanns Eisler's personal and business correspondence from his years in Southern California (1942-48).
- Ernest KanitzContains books, scores, and recordings of Austrian emigre composer and teacher Ernest Kanitz (1894-1978).
- Ampico collection of piano rollsContains player piano rolls recorded for Ampico (the American Piano Company, manufacturer of reproducing pianos) by prominent European and American pianists, 1910-25.
- Miklos Rozsa collection of music letters, photographs, and other materialContains 123 pieces of rare letters, documents, photographs and manuscripts spanning three centuries of musical history collected by Miklos Rozsa.
- Dr. Richard J. Bing collection of music scoresContains the collected musical manuscripts of Dr. Bing.
Dance
- Lewitzky Dance Company RecordsContains the archive of the Lewitzky Dance Company Archive, including papers, films, photographs, costumes, programs, posters, stage plots, and sound recordings.
- Rudy Perez archiveContains the papers, clippings, programs, books, videos, costumes and photographs from the work of modern dance choreographer Rudy Perez.
- Charles James Miller papersContains correspondence, ephemera, and photographs related to Russell Meriwether Hughes ("La Meri")-- ethnic dance icon, instructor, friend (and one-time lover) of Charles Miller. The collection also includes Miller's own research material and dissertation on Edward Gordon Craig, published in 1957.
- Saida Gerrard CollectionContains costumes, manuscripts, programs, photographs, and clippings pertaining to choreographer/dancer Saida Gerrard.
- Gladys Ryland PapersContains books and sheet music used in dance instruction in the 1930s-40s, many annotated by Ryland.
Theatre/Film
- Theater playbillsContains twentieth century theater programs from New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London and nineteenth century prompt books, souvenir programs, and theater programs from the Midwest (especially Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota).
- Lillian Bronson papersContains ephemera, correspondence, and clippings documenting the career of stage and film actress Lillian Bronson (1902-1955). Bronson appeared in more than eighty films and was Fonzi’s grandmother on the television show Happy Days.
- Ross Brown theater photographsConsists of stereoscopic slides, 35mm slides, and black and white photographic prints of musical theatre and ballet performances in Los Angeles.
- Federal Theatre Project scriptsContains scripts for plays performed by the Federal Theatre Project, which was operated between 1935 and 1939 as a part of the Work Progress Administration. The Los Angeles branch of the project produced over 195 plays.
- Robert Richardson collection on Southern California TheaterContains the research files on Los Angeles and Southern California theaters compiled by Robert Richardson. The focus of the files, which contain clippings, statistics, and ephemera, is the physical venues themselves (the theaters).
- Armond Fields American Theatre collectionDocuments the history of the American stage before talking cinema, reflecting the birth and death of vaudeville and the advent of the modern Broadway musical. The collection includes books, posters, theater programs, sheet-music covers, souvenirs, rare film footage of vaudevillians, including Weber & Fields, and manuscripts and research notes for Armond Fields' own books.
- German Theater and Movie programsContains theater, cabaret, opera, and movie programs from European German-speaking countries, 1929-1937.
- Collection of theater scrapbooks
- Actors and Actresses scrapbookThis bound scrapbook contains photographic portraits of theater and movie actors and actresses clipped from popular magazines in the years 1917 and 1918. Many are accompanied by brief blurbs about the individual's career.
- Grete Mosheim papersContains the personal and business correspondence of the German-born actress Grete Mosheim (1905-1986) and articles and interviews covering Mosheim's acting career from the American and German press.
- Marta Mierendorff papersContains correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and ephemera regarding the lives and work of many German-speaking emigre artists in Southern California, including Leopold Jessner, Fritz Jessner, Walter Wicclair, director William Dieterle, art-director Rudi Feld, Felix Jackson, the Mann family, Lion Feuchtwanger, and Elow as well as about the Jewish Club of 1933.
- Collection on Annie SprinkleContains the printed work of the performance artist Annie Sprinkle.
- John Edward Blankenchip PapersContains the papers of John Edward Blankenchip, professor emeritus of the USC School of Theatre.
- Bruno David Ussher collection of photographsContains photographs of musicians and music celebrties given to Ussher in the 1920s and 1930s. Many are autographed and inscribed.
- Nicolas Remisoff papersIncludes more than 400 original works, consisting of full-size watercolor drawings, black and white drawings, and numerous oil paintings. The collection covers all aspects of Remisoff's career and shows in detail his strengths as a set designer, costumer, muralist, portrait painter, professional designer, caricaturist, and illustrator. There are also several files of correspondence and photographs related to Remisoff's professional commissions for salons and movies
- Ernst Matray papersContains personal correspondence and correspondence related to actor, director, mime, and choreographer Ernst Matray’s artistic life, as well as photographs, invoices & statements, press clippings, artwork by Matray.
- Oscar Homolka papersContains manuscripts written by Oscar Homolka during his stay in Southern California. The collections also contains some photographs and ephemera relating to Homolka.
- "Max Reinhardt in Action" portfolioContains a portfolio/scrapbook of clippings and photographs was created by Catherine E. Sibley, including her research paper discussing the staging of Max Reinhardt's production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Hollywood Bowl, the San Francisco Opera House, and UC Berkeley's Faculty Glade-Greek Theater during the 1934-1935 season.
- Robert F. Jani papersContains the personal and business archives of Jani, Creator, Director and Executive Producer of musical spectaculars, television productions, pageants and extravaganzas, celebrations, international events, parades, arena shows and sports events, world premieres and openings, pyrotechnic shows, expositions and, most recently, theme parks. Mr. Jani (USC '56) was a founder of USC Songfest and principal of Robert F. Jani Productions, Inc.
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