Lehmann Archives receives grant

A few years ago I asked permission to visit the Lotte Lehmann Archives at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The room was well-organized; well-framed photos hung on the walls; a display case with letters from and to famous composers and authors filled one end of the room, and boxes of snapshots from a cabinet were put at my disposal. But I was dismayed to learn that there was no sound

This soprano, one of the most important interpreters and communicators of this century, could not be heard in her own archive!

I was told that there were sound documents; some were even there at the archive. Other records and tapes were at the Music Library or stll at Orplid where Lehmann had lived the last 36 years of her life with Dr. Frances Holden. There was no way to hear any of this material in the Lehmann Archive within the Main Library.

I am happy to report that all of this will soon be changing.

Martin Silver and susan Bower of the UCSB Music Library, under the direction of Joseph Boissé, University Librarian, recently put together a grant proposal which has been funded. The effect of the proposal will be to preserve, organize and make publicly available the audio portion of the Lehmann Archives. This will include assessing the condition of 78 rpms that have not been transferred to LP and recording them, if approptiate. Dr. Holden will allow an archivist to tape some of her rare 78s. The master class and interview material, as well as the commercial recordings, will be catalogued so that interested musicians, musicologists and Lehmann fans will have access to her sound. A master sound discography will be assembled using the newest digital technology, from which cassettes can be conveniently made for use with headphones and a tape player within the Lehmann Archive room in Special Collections on the third floor of the main library.

--Gary Hickling