Ernest Bloch
Collection
Guides to Special Collections
in the
Music Division
Library of Congress
Washington, DC
Finding aid prepared 1995
Table of Contents
Introduction
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Description of Series
Container List
Music Manuscripts
Ernest Bloch Original Music Manuscripts
Ernest Bloch Manuscript Transcriptions of Works by Others
Manuscript Lectures and Lecture Notes
Correspondence
Personal Correspondence
General Correspondence
Business Papers
Ernest Bloch Business Papers
Ivan Bloch Business Papers
Photographs
Programs
Writings about Ernest Bloch
Biographical Writings
Clippings
Articles in Serials
Articles & Clippings in Scrapbooks
Personal Papers
Ernest Bloch Legal, Financial, and Miscellaneous Documents
Personal Papers of Other Family Members
Printed Matter
Music
Promotional Material
Literary
Miscellaneous
Carolyn Epes/Ernest Bloch Material
Music Manuscript
Manuscript Lecture Notes on Ernest Bloch by Anita Frank
Correspondence
Photographs
Programs
Writings About Ernest Bloch
Printed Matter
Miscellany
Introduction
The Library of Congress began receiving Ernest Bloch materials in 1925 with his deposit of several music manuscripts (including his Three Jewish Poems and sketches and notes on the opera Macbeth), correspondence, and scrapbooks. In the more-than-seventy-year relationship between Bloch and this institution, there have been numerous additional deposits of his materials added to that original receipt.
Although the association between the Library and Bloch was advanced by Bloch himself, the Bloch children (Suzanne Bloch Smith, Ivan Bloch, and Lucienne Bloch Dimitroff) have maintained that alliance since before his death. The donation of Bloch materials by Suzanne Bloch in 1989 established the Library as the largest repository of Ernest Bloch music manuscripts, manuscript lectures and lecture notes, correspondence, and personal effects in the United States. Portland, Oregon and Geneva, Switzerland also have collections of Bloch materials.
In 1988, the Library received a donation of additional Bloch material from Carolyn L. Epes of Buffalo, New York, a friend of Anita Frank. That acquisition (consisting of a manuscript copy of America, correspondence, Anita Franck lecture notes on Ernest Bloch, photographs, and programs) appears after the body of material donated by the Bloch family. The integrity of the Epes gift is maintained, and it exists as a small collection within a greater one.
Certain restrictions as to the use or copying of these materials may apply.
| Linear feet of shelf space occupied: | 30 | ||||||||
| Approximate number of items: | 9,840 | ||||||||
| Number of containers: | 64 | ||||||||
Biographical Sketch
Date |
Event |
||||||||
| 1880 | Born on July 24 in Geneva, Switzerland. | ||||||||
| 1889 | Began playing the violin; first instructor, Albert Gos. | ||||||||
| 1894 | Began study of music theory and composition, with Émile Jacques-Dalcroze at the Geneva Conservatory of Music, who advised him to continue violin instruction under Louis Etienne-Reyer at the same institution. | ||||||||
| 1896 | Composed first orchestral piece Symphonie Orientale of 1896. Began further violin study under Franz Schörg of the Royal Conservatory of Music. | ||||||||
| 1899 | Left Belgium to study further in Germany; studied composition in Frankfurt under Ivan Knorr until 1901. | ||||||||
| 1900 | Met future wife Marguerite Auguste Schneider at Hoch Conservatory. | ||||||||
| 1901 | Began two year study of composition in Munich under Ludwig Thuille. Premiere of Vivre-Aimer at the second Festival of Contemporary Swiss Music in June, a work inspired by the meeting of Marguerite Schneider and dedicated to teacher Jacques-Dalcroze. Met Edmond Fleg in Geneva. | ||||||||
| 1903 | Left Munich to begin sojourn in Paris, France; met Claude Debussy. | ||||||||
| 1904 | Returned to Geneva; married Marguerite Schneider on August 13. | ||||||||
| 1907 | Began teaching and lecturing in Geneva and Lausanne. Daughter Suzanne Bloch was born on August 7. | ||||||||
| 1910 | The premiere of the opera Macbeth on November 30, a collaborative effort in which Bloch and Edmond Fleg had been involved since 1904. | ||||||||
| 1912 | Started composing his Israel Symphony, which was to take four years to complete. | ||||||||
| 1913 | Death of Bloch's father. Composed his first mature symphonic work, Three Jewish Poems, which he dedicated to the memory of his father. | ||||||||
| 1916 | Arrived in America upon securing position of touring conductor for dancer Maud Allan; Bloch persuaded to pursue this post by friend Alfred Pochon. Emotionally moved by his pessimistic view of the future of mankind brought on by World War I, Bloch composed Schelomo. | ||||||||
| 1917 | On May 3, the Society of the Friends of Music in New York presented all-Bloch concert at Carnegie Hall. In June, Bloch returned to Europe; returned to New York in August with his family. Became head of theory department at the David Mannes School of Music in New York. | ||||||||
| 1919 | His Va Suite was awarded the Coolidge Prize. Bloch became affiliated with the Julius Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut as well as the Joanne Bird School at Peterboro, New Hampshire. | ||||||||
| 1920 | Bloch began tenure as instructor at Cleveland Institute of Music; he was the institutes first director. | ||||||||
| 1925 | Left Cleveland for San Francisco; became director of San Francisco Conservatory of Music. | ||||||||
| 1927 | Composed America: An Epic Rhapsody. His work Four Episodes (composed in 1926) was awarded the Carolyn Beebe Prize of $1,000. | ||||||||
| 1928 | Musical America awarded Bloch $3,000 prize for America. | ||||||||
| 1929 | Bloch received honorary membership in Italy's Academy of Saint Cecelia in Rome. | ||||||||
| 1930 | Resigned from San Francisco Conservatory; returned to Europe to compose Sacred Service, commissioned by San Francisco's Temple Emanuel. | ||||||||
| 1933 | Completed Sacred Service. | ||||||||
| 1938 | Bloch's opera Macbeth revived in Naples at Teatro San Carlo on March 5. | ||||||||
| 1939 | Letf Europe to return to the United States. On March 17 and 18 conducted Boston Symphony in an all-Bloch program that included the premiere of his "Two Symphonic Interludes", extracted from Acts I and II of Macbeth. Bloch and his family moved to Lake Grove, Oregon. | ||||||||
| 1940 | Began professorship at the University of California in Berkeley. | ||||||||
| 1941 | Purchased home at Agate Beach, Oregon. | ||||||||
| 1947 | Honored by the Juilliard School of Music, in conjunction with the League of Composers, for thirty years of service to American music; received Gold Medal in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the first award of its kind. | ||||||||
| 1950 | Honored at a six-day festival of his music given by Samuel Laderman (founder of the Ernest Bloch Society) and the Chicago Federation of American Hebrew Congregations in celebration of his seventieth birthday. | ||||||||
| 1952 | Retired from his post as Professor of Music at the University of California, Berkeley. | ||||||||
| 1953 | Received double award from the Music Critics Circle of New York City for String Quartet No. 3 and Concerto Grosso No. 2. Invited by Italian Government to attend a series of concert and radio performances of his works, climaxed by the production of his opera Macbeth. | ||||||||
| 1955 | Received doctoral degrees from Brandeis University and Reed College. Completed the one-movement Proclamation for Trumpet and Orchestra. | ||||||||
| 1957 | Composed his last work Two Last Poems. | ||||||||
| 1959 | Died on July 15 in Portland, Oregon. | ||||||||
Scope and Content Note
The Bloch Collection covers the life and careers of the Jewish Swiss-born violinist/composer/conductor and photographer, beginning with his grade school report cards, dated 1888 through 1894, and continuing beyond his death in 1959 with the publication of some musical works, and exhibitions of his photography. Music having been the primary focus of his life, Bloch's photographic skills are lesser known. Oregonians are more familiar with this aspect of his life owing to several exhibitions of his output by the Center for Creative Photography in Portland. The Collection includes manuscripts (music and lecture material), correspondence, business papers, photographs, programs, writings about Ernest Bloch, personal papers, printed matter, and the material donated by Carolyn Epes.
Totaling nearly 200 items, the collection of Ernest Bloch music manuscripts is comprehensive in scope of his output. The intense pride Bloch held in his Jewish heritage is demonstrated in his Israel Symphony (1912-1916), the Three Jewish Poems (1913, mentioned earlier), and the Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service) (1933). These and several other works on Jewish themes are in the Ernest Bloch Original Music Manuscripts sub-series. The score for Schelomo, one of his more popular works, can be found in the Moldenhauer Archive at the Library of Congress. There are only two scores represented in the Manuscript Transcriptions of Works by Others sub-series.
The Correspondence series is divided into two sub-series: Personal Correspondence, and General Correspondence. The Personal Correspondence includes letters and similar material (i.e. post cards, invitations, and telegrams) from family members and close friends. Other letters and related material are filed in the General Correspondence sub-series. At the end of the correspondence file are two smaller sub-series of material; Special Category (i.e. Bloch letter drafts, Bloch letter to anonymous singer, and unidentifiable items), and Miscellaneous, which contains the envelopes of the letters herein.
The Business Papers series covers the business affiliations of Ernest Bloch and his son, Ivan, and is divided accordingly. Generally, the series includes contracts, business correspondence, royalty statements, and miscellaneous; however, some organizations' files contain a greater variety of materials thus requiring additional subject headings. The arrangement is alphabetical by name of organization, then alphabetical by subject heading, and then chronological when date is known. This arrangement scheme is used in both Ernest Bloch and Ivan Bloch business papers.
Divided by subject and arranged chronologically, the Photographs series is fairly small, considering the fact that Bloch was also a skillful photographer. The photos depict Bloch alone (usually portraits), or Bloch family members. Of special note, there is a photograph of Ernest Bloch with Roger Sessions.
Beginning in 1908 and continuing through 1980, the Programs series is arranged chronologically. Each citation includes date, concert venue, performing artist(s) when given, and Bloch work(s) performed unless the entire concert was a Bloch tribute.
The Writings about Ernest Bloch series is divided into four sub-series: Biographical Writings, Clippings, Articles in Serials, and Articles and Clippings in Scrapbooks.
The Personal Papers series in the Collection houses some personal documents of Ernest Bloch and two other members of the Bloch family: wife Marguerite Elizabeth Auguste Bloch and daughter Suzanne Bloch. Sub-divided into two groups, Ernest Bloch legal, financial, and miscellaneous documents and personal papers of other family members, this series includes Bloch's grade school report cards, his passports, marriage certificate, and birth certificate of Marguerite Elizabeth Auguste Bloch.
The Printed Matter file is the final series in the Collection proper. It consists of one volume of printed music containing Bloch selections, promotional material (a small gathering of brochures, announcements, and flyers that promote Ernest Bloch and his work), one literary volume (Darwin, Marx, Wagner by Jacques Barzun), and a folder of miscellaneous loose items.
The material in the Carolyn Epes / Ernest Bloch Collection follows the same arrangement scheme as the larger collection. The Music Manuscripts series includes only one item: a copy of the piano-vocal score to Bloch's anthem, America. There are no business papers or personal documents included with this material; however, all other series are represented.
Contributors to the processing of this collection include Lloyd A. Pinchback, Music Specialist, and Tim Bullard and Mike Ferrando, Library Technicians, all Music Division staff members.
Description of Series
| Box | Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music Manuscripts | |||||||||
| BOX 1-22 | Ernest Bloch Original Music Manuscripts | ||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by title or caption appearing item. | |||||||||
| BOX 22 | Manuscript Transcriptions of Works by Others | ||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by composer and title. | |||||||||
| BOX 23-25 | Manuscript Lectures and Lecture Notes | ||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by title and chronologically by date. | |||||||||
| Correspondence | |||||||||
| BOX 26-35 | Personal Correspondence | ||||||||
| Includes letters, post cards, invitations, and telegrams from family and close friends. The arrangement is alphabetical by correspondent and chronological by date. | |||||||||
| BOX 36-42 | General Correspondence | ||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and chronologically by date; Special Category (i.e. Bloch letter drafts, Bloch letter to anonymous singer, and unidentifiable items); Miscellaneous (contains envelopes of the letters herein.) | |||||||||
| Business Papers | |||||||||
| BOX 43-52 | Ernest Bloch Business Papers | ||||||||
| BOX 53-55 | Ivan Bloch Business Papers | ||||||||
| Both sub-series include contracts, business correspondence, royalty statements, and miscellaneous. The arrangement is alphabetical by name of organization, then alphabetical by subject heading, and then chronological when date is known. | |||||||||
| BOX 56 | Photographs | ||||||||
| Divided by subject and arranged chronologically. | |||||||||
| BOX 56 | Programs | ||||||||
| Beginning in 1908 and continuing through 1980; arranged chronologically. Each citation includes date, concert venue, performing artist(s when given, and Bloch work(s) performed unless the entire concert was a tribute to Bloch. | |||||||||
| Writings About Ernest Bloch | |||||||||
| BOX 57 | Biographical Writings | ||||||||
| BOX 57 | Clippings | ||||||||
| BOX 58 | Articles in Serials | ||||||||
| BOX 59-60 | Articles and Clippings in Scrapbooks | ||||||||
| The arrangement for all sub-series is chronological. | |||||||||
| Personal Papers | |||||||||
| BOX 61 | Ernest Bloch Legal Financial, and Miscellaneous Documents | ||||||||
| The arrangement is alphabetical by subject heading, then chronological. Items of special note: Bloch's grade school report cards; passports. | |||||||||
| BOX 62 | Personal Papers of Other Family Members | ||||||||
| The arrangement is alphabetical by subject heading, then chronological. Items of special note: the Bloch marriage certificate; birth certificate and naturalization papers of Marguerite Elizabeth Auguste Bloch. | |||||||||
| BOX 62 | Printed Matter | ||||||||
| Music | |||||||||
| Promotional Material | |||||||||
| A small gathering of brochures, announcements, and flyers that promote Ernest Bloch and his work; arranged chronologically. | |||||||||
| Literary | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||||
| Contains one volume of printed music containing Bloch selections; one literary volume; a folder of miscellaneous items. | |||||||||
| THE CAROLYN EPES / ERNEST BLOCH COLLECTION | |||||||||
| The material in this collection generally follows the same series order and arrangement scheme as the larger. There are no professional papers or personal documents included with this material; however, all other series are represented. | |||||||||
| BOX 64/2 | Music Manuscripts | ||||||||
| BOX 64/1 | Manuscript Lectures and Lecture Notes | ||||||||
| BOX 63/1-5 | Correspondence | ||||||||
| BOX 63/6-7 | Photographs | ||||||||
| BOX 63/8 | Programs | ||||||||
| BOX 63/10-12, 64/3 | Writings about Ernest Bloch | ||||||||
| BOX 63/13 | Printed Matter | ||||||||
| BOX 63/14 | Miscellany | ||||||||
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Library of Congress Comments: lcweb@loc.gov (January 25, 2002)