Charles Barber papers related to Alexander Siloti, 1902-1942, 1977-2001

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Summary

Creators:
Barber, Charles
Extent:
6 Linear Feet 5 boxes, 11 flat-boxes
Language:
English and The materials are primarily in English and Russian. Other languages include German and French.
Preferred citation:

Charles Barber papers related to Alexander Siloti, M2112. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Research papers of Charles Barber for two of his publications on Alexander Siloti: Lost in the Stars (https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/4807486) and The Alexander Siloti Collection (https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/5462577).

The materials include Charles Barber’s correspondence with Siloti family members, museums, archives and libraries, as well as published music scores, publications, newspaper clippings and research notes. Also included are photocopied and handwritten copies of Alexander Siloti’s correspondence as well as music scores, concert programs, posters, newspaper clippings and publications.

Biographical / historical:

Alexander Siloti (1863-1945) was a Russian-born pianist, conductor and arranger. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and after graduating went to Leipzig, Germany to study under Franz Liszt. Siloti taught at the Moscow Philharmonic and worked as an editor for Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. He married Vera Tretyakova, the daughter of the industrialist Pavel Tretyakova and toured Europe and America with his wife and children from 1892-1900. He organized, financed, and conducted the Siloti Concerts in St Petersburg, introducing many important and influential musicians and composers. He was Intendant at the Mariinsky Theatre and briefly a teacher at the Petrograd Conservatory before fleeing from what had become the Soviet Union to Finland. Siloti eventually moved to America and taught at the Julliard School.

Throughout his life Siloti corresponded with many influential composers and others in the music world, such as Tchaikovsky and Liszt.

Dr. Charles Barber is a conductor active in concert, opera, and recordings, and a teacher in the history and aesthetics of conducting. Charles Barber earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria; Master of Arts from Stanford; and, Doctor of Musical Arts from Stanford. He was a student of the conductor Carlos Kleiber, and served in apprenticeship with the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Barber was an assistant to composer and arranger Marty Paich working on recording projects and on films. He was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford and created the Charles Barber Conductors on Film Collection (https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10401369). He has served as a producer to Naxos Records, the world’s largest classical company, and in 1997 created American Classics, a series that has now over 300 CDs in release. Barber has conducted in Canada and the United States, and on tour in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Morocco and Spain. He has served as the Conductor and Artistic Director of the City Opera Vancouver, Canada.

Charles Barber corresponded with Kyriena Siloti, Alexander Siloti’s daughter and with Maria Siloti, who married Siloti’s son Levko Siloti and studied piano under Siloti, as well as with other Siloti family members. He also wrote to museums, archives, universities and libraries in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation/Soviet Union and Germany to find materials related to Siloti.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in two series:

Series 1: Research Materials. Series 2: Music Scores

Physical location:
Special Collections materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

Charles Barber papers related to Alexander Siloti, M2112. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website