Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Bernstein (Elmer) papers
2644
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Cinematic Arts Library
Title: Elmer Bernstein papers
Creator:
Bernstein, Elmer
Identifier/Call Number: 2644
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/5/resources/2315
Physical Description:
343.25 Linear Feet
255 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1945-2004
Abstract: This collection contains music scores and sketches, audio and video, office records and other related materials created during
the life and career of Elmer Bernstein.
Language of Material: English
Born on April 4th, 1922, in New York City, Elmer Bernstein's career in the arts began very young. Having been introduced
to composer Aaron Copland at 12, Bernstein decided upon music as his course of study. Beginning with composing for Army Air
Corps shows on radio during the second World War, Bernstein's career spanned more than half a century, and resulted in 14
Academy Award nominations, 1 Academy Award win (in 1967 for his score for Thoroughly Modern Millie), as well as numerous other
awards in film, television, theatre, and commercial recordings. Having been "gray-listed" in Hollywood during the 1950's,
Bernstein struggled to find work easily, but he was brought back into the mainstream with his score for Cecil B. DeMille's
The Ten Commandments. Bernstein later broke new ground with his jazz scores to
The Man With The Golden Arm, and
The Sweet Smell of Success,, as well as his scores for
The Magnificent Seven (1960) and
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Bernstein continued to compose until his death in 2004 at the age of 82.
This collection contains music scores and sketches, audio and video, office records and other related materials created during
the life and career of Elmer Bernstein. From Bernstein's early works and juvenilia through his transition from radio to film
and television in the early 1950's all the way to his later compositions which include works for theatre, recordings, and
live concert performance, the collection contains material spanning more than 50 years.
This collection is organized into the following series:
Film Music; Television Music; Concert Works; Recordings; Film Music Collection (set of LP's produced by Elmer Bernstein in
the 1970's); Theatre; Radio; Juvenilia; Songs; Other and Unidentified Music; Plaques and Awards; Audio; Office Records; Video;
Additions (subsequent collection material donated after initial cataloging).
The series are broken down further into sub-series according to project, form, subject, or other suitable criteria. Most
materials are housed in acid free, white banker's boxes, whereas music scores too large to fit into bankers boxes are housed
in larger gray drop-front boxes. The boxes are sequentially numbered 1-215.
Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Cinematic Arts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Cinematic Arts Library as the owner of the physical items and is not
intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
[Box/folder# or item name], Elmer Bernstein papers, Collection no. 2644, Cinematic Arts Library, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California
This collection is unprocessed.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion picture music -- Archival resources
Television music -- Archival resources
Film composers -- Archival resources
Correspondence
Audiotapes
Photographs
Scores
Bernstein, Elmer -- Archives