Finding Aid for the Irving Ritterman Collection of Autographs and
Musical Memorabilia 1901-1961
Processed by Performing Arts Special Collections staff.
UCLA Library, Performing Arts Special Collections
University of California, Los Angeles, Library
Performing Arts Special Collections, Room A1713
Charles E. Young Research Library, Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Phone: (310) 825-4988
Fax: (310) 206-1864
Email: speccoll-paging@library.ucla.edu
http://www2.library.ucla.edu/specialcollections/performingarts/index.cfm
©2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Irving Ritterman Collection of Autographs and Musical
Memorabilia,
Date (inclusive): 1901-1961
Collection number: 112-M
Creator: Ritterman,
Irving
Extent:
2 boxes
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Performing Arts Special Collections
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: The majority of the collection consists of autographs
and autographed photographs of famous composers, conductors, and vocalists from
the early 20th century.
Language of Material: Collection materials in
English
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. 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], Irving Ritterman Collection of Autographs and
Musical Memorabilia, 112, Performing Arts Special Collections, University of
California, Los Angeles.
Biography
Irving Rittman was a sophisticated music lover and avid concert-goer, and as
a result, was able to meet many reknowned musicians who performed in the Los
Angeles area.
Over the period of fifty years, he gathered autographed letters, postcards,
programs, photographs and momentos relating to these musicians.
Scope and Content
The Irving Ritterman Collection consists of autographed photographs and
musical memorabilia collected from 1904 through 1961.
Ritterman collected autographs from vocalists, composers and conductors. Some
of the more notable autographs are from composers: Cecil Chaminade, Giacomo
Puccini, Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, and Jean Sibelius; vocalists: Enrico
Caruso, Marcella Sembrich, Luisa Tetrazzini, and Richard Tucker, and conductors:
Cleofonte Campanini, Walter Damrosch, and Alfred Hertz.
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Autographs
- Series 2. Miscellaneous Items
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Autographs --Collectors and collecting --Archival resources.
Musicians --Autographs.
Composers --Autographs.
Box 1, Item 44
Pasquale Amato, baritone
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 47
Mary Arras (?)
1906
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 3/4 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 43
Amadeo Bassi, tenor
1907
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 6
Arnold Bax, composer
November 17, 1946
Physical Description: letter, with envelope (4 1/2 x 7 1/2)
Box 1, Item 38
Alessandro Bonci, tenor
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 1/2 x 3 1/2)
Box 1, Item 31
Clotilde Bressler-Gianoli, contralto
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 41
Emma Calvet, soprano
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 53
Cleofonte Campanini, conductor
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 1/2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 51
Enrico Caruso, tenor
1907
Scope and Content Note
Caricature self portrait in ink (3 1/4 x 4 1/4).
Box 1, Item 49
Lina Cavalieri, soprano
1914
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 45
Cecile Chaminade,composer
1908
Physical Description: autograph signature (4 1/2 x 3 1/2)
Box 1, Item 17
Charles Dalmores, tenor
1908
Physical Description: postcard photograph
Note
Addressed to Ritterman.
Box 1, Item 16
Walter Damrosch, conductor, composer
January 1, 1908
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 37
Emmy Destinn, soprano
1909
Physical Description: musical quotation of work by Semanta with autograph signature (2 1/2 x
4)
Box 1, Item 54
Hector Duranne, baritone
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 3/4 x 5 1/4)
Box 1, Item 30
Olive Fremstad, mezzo-soprano
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 22
Johanna Gadski, soprano
March 1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Note
Small oval b/w picture (approx. 1" in diameter) is pasted on lower
right corner.
Box 1, Item 12
Mary Garden, soprano
1904
Physical Description: 78 rpm recording
Scope and Content Note
Recording of unidentified excerpt from Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande (RCA:
IRCC 106A-B), with autograph signature of M. Garden and a 1/2 x 1/2 photograph
of Garden on one side, Debussy on the other side.
Note
Recorded in Paris.
Box 1, Item 35
Mary Garden, soprano
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/4 x 3 1/4)
Box 1, Item 26
Charles Gilibert, baritone
November 10, 1901
Physical Description: autograph signature (5 1/2 x 4)
Note
Includes small b/w oval picture on top right corner, and an orange wax
seal with his initials.
Box 1, Item 29
Alfred Hertz, conductor
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 1/4 x 4 1/2)
Box 1, Item 14
Josef Hofman
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/4 x 2)
Box 1, Item 52
Louise Homer, contralto
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 x 5)
Note
With a small b/w oval picture on top right corner.
Box 1, Item 55
Josephine Jacoby, contralto
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 25
W. Jafouff (?)
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 13
Emma James
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/4 x 4 3/4)
Box 1, Item 34
Karl Jorn, tenor
December 1909
Physical Description: autograph signature (1 3/4 x 3)
Box 1, Item 36
Marcel Joutnet, bass
Physical Description: autograph signature ( 2 x 3 1/4)
Box 1, Item 46
Jane Gerville Keache (?)
September 10, 1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (5 x 5)
Box 1, Item 18
Heinrich Knote, tenor
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 39
Kirkby Lewis (?)
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 x 4 1/4)
Box 1, Item 27
Dr. Carl Muck, German conductor
November 27, 1907
Physical Description: musical quotation (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 28
Lillian Nordica, soprano
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 x 3)
Box 1, Item 33
Pol Placnonc, bass
January 8, 1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 1/2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 48
Giacomo Puccini, composer
Scope and Content Note
Musical quotation from La Boheme (5 x 5).
Box 1, Item 19
Maurice Ravel
Physical Description: postcard drawing, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 24
Maurice Renaud, baritone
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/2 x 4 3/4)
Note
With small photograph pasted in bottom right corner.
Box 1, Item 40
G. Mario Sammarco, baritone
1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/4 x 3 3/4)
Box 1, Item 1
Arnold Schoenberg
Physical Description: picture of painting , b/w (3 1/4 x 4 1/2)
Box 1, Item 11
Antonio Scotti, baritone
1908
Physical Description: photograph, b/w (5 1/2 x 10 1/2)
Box 1, Item 42
Antonio Scotti, baritone
1908
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 32
Marcella Sembrich, soprano
January 1907
Physical Description: autograph signature (5 x 2)
Box 1, Item 2
Jean Sibelius
Physical Description: photograph, b/w (4 1/4 x 5 1/2)
Box 1, Item 15
Leo Slezak
1909
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (8 1/2 x 13 1/2)
Box 1, Item 20
Luisa Tetrazzini
1908
Physical Description: autograph signature (2 1/2 x 6)
Box 1, Item 21
Maggie Teyte, soprano
1945
Physical Description: autograph signature (4 x 5)
Box 1, Item 3
Richard Tucker, tenor
October 29, 1954
Physical Description: note (4 x 5)
Box 1, Item 5
Richard Tucker, tenor
December 16, 1961
Scope and Content Note
Concert Program, White Plains NY.
Box 1, Item 23
Clarence E. Whitehill, baritone
Physical Description: autograph signature (3 1/2 x 5)
Box 1, Item 50
Giovanni Zenatello, tenor
Physical Description: postcard photograph, b/w (3 1/2 x 5 1/2)
Series 2.
Miscellaneous Items
Box 1, Item 8
Cloth Swatch
1905
Physical Description: sample of gold cloth (9 1/2 x 7)
Note
Taken from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
Box 1, Item 4
Group Photograph
April 1943
Physical Description: b/w (7 1/2 x 9 3/4)
Scope and Content Note
Top row left to right: Maaskoff, Tremblaya, Ritterman, Zam, Weiss, Stoel,
Dahl, Blum; middle: Eisenberg; bottom row: Sol Babitz, Mario Cast.-Tedesco,
Copland, Sanroma, Samoiloff, Toch, Strelitzer.
Box 1, Item 9
History of the Curtain
Scope and Content Note
Explanation of curtain sample.
Box 1, Item 7
Jean Sibelius
Physical Description: envelope (7 x 9 1/2)
Note
From Sibelius addressed to Ritterman.
Box 1, Item 10
Photocopy of History of the Curtain
