Stahl (Willy) papers, 1894-1963

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Summary

Title:
Willy Stahl papers
Dates:
1894-1963
Creators:
Stahl, Willy
Abstract:
This collection consists of the manuscript scores and personal papers of composer Willy Stahl. Papers include photographs, correspondence, contracts, drawings and sketches, journals and written manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and concert programs.
Extent:
4.6 linear ft. (9 flat boxes and 1 oversize flat box)
Language:
and Materials are largely in English, with a few pieces in French and German.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Willy Stahl Papers (Collection PASC-M 244). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the scores and personal papers of composer Willy Stahl. Scores largely include manuscript compositions by Stahl himself, with a smaller portion of primarily published scores by other composers. Personal papers include photographs, correspondence, contracts and license agreements, bills and affidavits, journals and written manuscripts, drawings and sketches, newspaper clippings, and concert programs.

Biographical / historical:

William Bernard (Willy) Stahl was a self- described "composer, violinist, painter, ceramicist, writer, archaeologist, traveler, bum, and lots of unmentionables." This collection is mainly representative of his work as a composer and musician.

Born on 22 June 1896 in New Jersey, Stahl grew up in New York City. He played violin as a child and in 1912 was sent to Vienna to study at the Imperial Conservatory of Music. After returning to the United States, he was drafted in 1917 and briefly stationed at Fort Totten, Long Island. He played with the Russian and New York Symphony orchestras around this time. Stahl became director of the Rialto Theatre Orchestra in New York City in 1923, later moving to the Brooklyn Strand Theater, where his directorship lasted from 1926-1929. He moved to Hollywood in 1934 and worked as a composer for radio shows and motion pictures, also working with Meredith Wilson and Victor Young as an arranger and assistant conductor. Around this time, a few of his compositions were performed at New York venues and by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Orchestra. Stahl composed at least five symphonies and 35 pieces of chamber music, which are all likely represented in this collection. He died of cancer on 11 April 1963, in Venice, California.

Arrangement:

This collection has been organized into the following series:

  • Series 1. Scores
    • Subseries 1.1. Stahl
    • Subseries 1.2. Other composers
  • Series 2. Personal papers

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

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by UCLA Library Special Collections staff. Reprocessed in 2015 by Lori Dedeyan, machine- readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
Date Prepared:
©2002 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2015-06-23T09:09-0700 . Supplementary encoding and revision by Caroline Cubé using Notetab Pro.

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], Willy Stahl Papers (Collection PASC-M 244). UCLA 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
Website