Carlos Salzedo collection (MSS 26)
Collection
Identifier: MSS 26
Scope and Contents
The Salzedo collection includes a personal scrapbook, composition books, and printed materials documenting his achievements as a child prodigy in France, his education at the Bordeaux and Paris Conservatories, and his performance career after moving to the United States. In addition, there are scrapbooks kept by Salzedo while serving as President of the Annual National Harp Festival (1922-31), records of the Harp Department at the Curtis Institute of Music (1924-61), snapshots of personal, social, and travel scenes as well as harpists at Seal Harbor and the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine (1923-37) , artifacts, and miscellaneous materials.
Dates
- 1886-1961
Creator
- Salzedo, Carlos, 1885-1961 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Copyright to the materials remains with the Salzedo estate.
Biographical / Historical
Carlos Leon Salzedo, neé Charles Moise Léon Salzedo (1885-1961) was a French-born American harpist and composer who headed the harp department at the Curtis Institute of Music from the school's founding in 1924 until his death in 1961. A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire (1898-1901), he moved to the United States in 1909 to become principal harpist af the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (1909-1913). In 1913 he founded the flute/harp/cello trio "Trio de Lutèce" with Georges Barrère and Paul Kéfer (later the Barrère-Salzedo-Britt trio). Considered the greatest harpist of all time, he performed in solo recitals, with orchestras, and on tour with the Salzedo Harp Ensemble, (later his Salzedo Concert Ensemble). He was president of the National Association of Harpists (1921-35), co-founded the International Composers Guild in 1921, and edited the Eolian Review (later Eolus) from 1921 to 1932. In 1931 he established the Salzedo Harp Colony at Camden Maine with his second wife Lucille Lawrence (member of the Curtis harp faculty 1927-33), where many of Salzedo's compositions premiered.
Salzedo's harp instruction and performance have become known as the "Salzedo Method." His students have filled many American orchestras and held teaching positions at conservatories and universities. At Curtis they included Casper Reardon (’27), Edna Phillips (’31), Reinhardt Elster (’37), Florence Wightman (’35), Marilyn Costello (’49), Alice Chalifoux (’34), and his third wife, Marjorie Call (’37) whom he married in 1938.
Salzedo's harp instruction and performance have become known as the "Salzedo Method." His students have filled many American orchestras and held teaching positions at conservatories and universities. At Curtis they included Casper Reardon (’27), Edna Phillips (’31), Reinhardt Elster (’37), Florence Wightman (’35), Marilyn Costello (’49), Alice Chalifoux (’34), and his third wife, Marjorie Call (’37) whom he married in 1938.
Extent
17.1 Linear feet ((11) archival boxes, (5) storage file boxes, (7) oversize photo boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into the following series:
Series 1: Personal scrapbook, 1886-1906
Series 2: Composition books, 1907-1908
Series 3: Concert books, 1925-1933
Series 4: Programs and clippings, 1913-1948
Series 5: Annual National Harp Festival scrapbooks, 1923-1931
Series 6: Curtis Harp Department, 1925-1961
Series 7: Photographs, 1923-1947
Series 8: Printed materials, 1900-1932
Series 9: Miscellaneous materials, 1931 and undated
Series 10: Artifacts, 1897-1900 and undated
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection is part of the materials bequeathed by Salzedo to the Curtis Institute of Music. His manuscripts of compositions and transcripts, which were originally part of this collection, are kept in the Special Collections of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Creator
- Salzedo, Carlos, 1885-1961 (Person)
- Title
- Carlos Salzedo collection (MSS 26)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kristina Wilson
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- revised 2017
Repository Details
Part of the Archives Repository