Jump, Jim Crow; Maytime. Music by Sigmund Romberg. Lyrics by Rida Johnson Young. 1917. About this image
|| About the Collection ||
Sigmund Romberg (1887-1951) was an American composer and conductor of Hungarian birth. Born into a cultured Jewish household, his father spoke four languages and played piano, while his mother wrote short stories and poetry. Romberg’s sense of melody, feeling for opulent harmony and romantic richness, and his ability to create a full-blooded and energetic musical score place him in the forefront of composers for the musical stage. One of the most prolific writers of popular music in the 20th century, he wrote over seventy operettas and 2,000 songs. Romberg’s primary significance lies in the operettas he created during the 1920s, notably "The Student Prince," from which "Deep in My Heart" and "The Drinking Song" are well known. Also remembered are the tango "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," and the march "Stouthearted Men." His legacy includes the adaptation of the Viennese operetta style into American musical ideals.
|| Collection Details ||
General
- Span Dates
- 1918-1950
- Bulk Dates
- 1920-1940
- Major Language(s)
- English
- Repository
- Music Division, Library of Congress
Physical Collection
- Linear Feet
- 6
- Contents
- From the 1950-1960 donation: a 41 volume set of original manuscripts, which contain sketches for instrumental works from as early as 1918 and piano-vocal scores for his operettas. This includes holographs of The Magic Melody, The Girl from Brazil, The Lonely Heart, The Student Prince, The Desert Song and 36 others. From the 1967 donation, autograph music manuscripts, copyists’ manuscripts, printed music, librettos, and films scripts to supplement the earlier donations. Also included are manuscript fragments and sketches, photocopies of unknown pieces, libretti, photographs, and miscellaneous material documenting his career and activities.
- Processing History
- No finding aid but basic inventory lists are found in Waters, Edward N. "Music, " QJLC, .v 15, November 1957: 22-23 and Waters, Edward N. "Paean to a Year of Plenty: Recent Acquisitions of the Music Division",: QJLC, v. 26, January 1969: 43, 45.
- Transfers
- Unprocessed, but holographs are available under LC call number 'ML96.R745 Case.'
- Provenance
- 1950-1960 gift of Mrs. Lillian H. Romberg; 1967 gift from composer's sister Mae H. Rhodes.
Access/Copyright
- Access Permissions
- Permitted, subject to PARR policies and procedures
- Copyright Info
- http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
- Preferred Citation
- Sigmund Romberg Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress