Biographical Note
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Preferred Citation
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Separated Materials
Acquisition
Title: Richard Lert papers
Collection number: 0210
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
58.51 Linear feet
70 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1900-1981
Abstract: This collection consists of Richard Lert's video and audio recordings of performances, rehearsals and lectures, personal papers
and his music score library. Lert was born in Vienna and trained as an orchestral conductor in Germany. He moved to the United
States in 1932 with his family and was the conductor of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra from 1932 until his retirement in
1972.
creator:
Lert, Richard, 1885-1980
Biographical Note
Richard Lert was born September 19, 1885, in Vienna, Austria. He trained as an orchestral conductor under Arthur Nikisch and
began his career in Darmstadt, Germany, where he met and married his wife, Vicki Baum, in 1916. They had two sons. Lert held
posts in Frankfurt, Kiel and Hannover before becoming the music director of the Berlin National Opera. Lert and his family
moved to Los Angeles in 1932, where he became the music director of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his work
with the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, Lert also conducted at the Hollywood Bowl. From 1957 on, he spent his summers at the
American Symphony Orchestra League's training camps in Asilomar, California and Orkney Springs, Virginia. Lert passed away
in Mountain View, California on April 25, 1980.
Scope and Content
This collection includes Richard Lert's personal papers, his annotated music score library and sound and video recordings
of his lectures, performances and rehearsals. Please see the Scope and Content notes of individual series for more information.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into four series: Personal Papers, Music Scores, Sound Recordings and Video Recordings. Music scores
are arranged alphabetically in the finding aid; however, their physical arrangement is largely determined by size. Please
consult the finding aid for box information for specific scores.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], Richard Lert papers, Collection no. 0210, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern
California
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers
on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers
when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish,
quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Separated Materials
The books donated as a part of the Richard Lert Papers were separated from the collection and transferred to USC's Rare Books
Library, as were some of the oldest scores. There are cataloging sheets from Rice University that indicate the presence of
more items than the collection currently consists of; it is unclear when (or where) those items were separated from the collection.
The accession files for the Richard Lert Papers contain the cataloging records created by Rice University upon its receipt
of the Lert Collection as well Rice University's University's correspondence with researchers and Wolfgang Lert about the
collection.
Acquisition
The Richard Lert papers were donated to USC by Rice University's Fondren Library in 1998. The collection was donated to Rice
University by Lert's son, Wolfgang Lert, in the early 1980s.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
Brahms, Johannes, 1833-1897
Bruckner, Anton, 1824-1896
Debussy, Claude, 1862-1918
Fondren Library. Music Library.
Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759
Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809
Lert, Richard, 1885-1980 -- Archives
Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791
Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828
Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856
Strauss, Richard, 1864-1949
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893
Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901
Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883
Audiotapes
Conducting--Archival resources
Conductors (Music)--Germany--Archival resources
Conductors (Music)--United States--Archival resources
Music--Performance--Archival resources
Scores
Sound recordings
Videotapes