Re: More 'bout Birnbaum

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

Thanks, Judy.

I'd add the following:

We must mention the incomparable Benedict Stambler collection at the NY
Public Library --- very strong in 78s (including Sephardi!) About 3000
items, I think.

In Israel, the Beth Hatefutsot's Feher Jewish Music Center has an
impressive collection. Also, Kol Israel has one of the best in the world,
but access is a problem.

The Judah Magnes museum in the East Bay of San Francisco says they have the
second largest 78 collection after YIVO - I haven't had a chance to
confirm, though a quick walk-through showed a lot of holdings.

Hope this helps,

Joel

At 06:23 PM 10/21/98 -0400, you wrote:
>TO:Jewish Music Listers
>who may be interested in the reply below...  I received an inquiry about
>the original location and content of the Birnbaum Collection and general
>sound recording collections of Jewish music in libraries...If someone would
>like to add more detail to this reply, especially as to strengths of the
>sound recording collections, please do so.!! (I did not include any
>European libraries, but would be very happy if someone could add that
>information also).
>***********************************************************
>BIRNBAUM COLLECTION:
>The original Birnbaum Collection is located in Klau Library at Hebrew Union
>College in Cincinnati. As far as I'm aware, it does NOT contain primarily
>sound recordings, but manuscript and published scores from 18th and 19th
>century cantors. 
>
>According to the conference brochure published by HUC, 
>"The musical and archival collection of musicologist, cantor, and collector
>Eduard Birnbaum (1855-1920) is a vast assemblage of original documentation
>of destroyed and almost forgotten traditions. The Birnbaum Collection
>preserves European synagogue music of the pre-Enlightenment, 19th and early
>20th centuries, and reflects the secular and Christian liturgical music
>environments in which it developed. More than 65 percent of all extant
>documents related to Jewish liturgical music prior to 1850 can be found in
>the Collection."
>
>Some manuscript and also published works of that period were part of a
>reprint series in the 1950s.(Sacred Music Press.Out-of-Print classics
>series of synagogue music). I have listed the reprint collection in our
>catalog on my website, 
>
>http://www.library.brandeis.edu/fertig/jmwc/jmwc_resmusic.html#guid
>
>[To see my whole bibliography *StartingResearch in Jewish music*--
>"http://www.library.brandeis.edu/fertig/jmwc/jmwchomepage.html ]
>
>LIBRARIES WITH JEWISH SOUND RECORDINGS: 
>(with some strengths listed below)
>There are a number of libraries which have extensive Jewish Music Recordings:
>
>YIVO in New York, (of course, attributed to be the world's largest
>collection of East European Jewish sound recordings...) 
>
>JTS (Jewish Theological Seminary) in New York, (strength in cantorial)
>
>School of Sacred Music of the Hebrew Union College (New York) & there are
>extensive sound recordings at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, (strength
>in cantorial, choral, Reform) 
>
>Harvard University (attempts to be comprehensive in collecting --is
>especially good on Israeli music recordings, according to Virginia
>Danielson at MLA last Feb.)
>
>University of Pennsylvania, Freedman Archive (commercial,cantorial, popular
>American Jewish music)
>http://www.library.upenn.edu/friends/freed/
>
>Jewish Music Resource Centre, Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Jewish and
>non-Jewish communities in Israel)
>http://shum.cc.huji.ac.il/~jmrc/pubs.htm 
>
>Gratz College in Philadelphia (lots of 78s! European and American Jewish)
>http://www.gratzcollege.edu/collegeindex.html
>
>Indiana: See Tischler Collection at Indiana (scores, Israeli)
>http://www.music.indiana.edu/collections/tischler.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


Joel Bresler
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