Eric Simon correspondence, 1927-1985

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Summary

Abstract:
Eric Simon was an Austrian-born American clarinetist, conductor, music editor, teacher, and composer. He was a prolific correspondent regarding both business and personal matters. The collection consists of 300-plus letters to and from Simon and various composers, performers, conductors, musicologists, and publishers.
Extent:
1.2 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Language:
and Mostly English and German, with a small amount in French and Spanish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Eric Simon Correspondence (Collection PASC-M 128). Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of correspondence related to the career of musician, composer, and conductor Eric Simon. Included are 300-plus letters to and from Simon and various composers, performers, conductors, musicologists, and publishers, including, but not limited to, Ernst Krenek, Erich Leinsdorf, Darius Milhaud, Rudolf Serkin, Roger Sessions, and many others. A small number of files contain correspondence about a particular individual, and do not include letters from that individual. The correspondence documents the contemporary music scene in New York, during the postwar years. The bulk of the collection represents composers and performers. Letters are largely written in English and German, with a small amount in French and Spanish. Additionally, a small number of files contain ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

Eric Simon was born in Vienna on October 2, 1907. He began studying piano when he was 8 years old, playing the clarinet at 14 and conducting in his 20s. While studying for his doctorate in law and economics he studied clarinet, piano, and music theory. He was closely associated with the Schoenberg circle and frequently performed with Rudolf Kolisch and Eduard Steuerman. He worked for the Vienna music publisher, Universal-Edition.

Simon emigrated to the United States in 1938 where he became the assistant of conductor Fritz Stiedry. During the 1940s he worked as a music editor with Edward B. Marks, published arrangements and transcriptions of music for clarinet, and taught at Mannes College of Music and other schools. He also taught/advised Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. During the 1950s and 1960s he organized a series of contemporary music concerts in New York City, which brought him in contact with many composers and performers. During his career, Simon played clarinet for orchestras led by Leonard Bernstein, Pablo Casals and Leopold Stokowski. Upon his retirement he devoted himself to composition. Eric Simon died on October 8, 1994 in Connecticut.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 1995.
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series: Series 1. Composers; Series 2. Performers; Series 3. Conductors; Series 4. Musicologists, Critics, and Writers; Series 5. Music Publishers; Series 6. Unidentified Correspondence; Series 7. Ephemera.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Eric Simon Correspondence (Collection PASC-M 128). Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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