The Music Division at The Library of Congress is principal home to the legacy of Serge Koussevitzky (1874- 1951), indefatigable champion of 20th century composers and a vital figure in the world of contemporary music.

The vast archive of personal and business papers, photographs, and organization records belonging to Serge Koussevitzky, his widow Olga Naumov Koussevitzky (1901-1978), and his previous wife Natalie Ushkoff Koussevitzky (1880-1942) document the rich history of the family’s involvement in critical aspects of the artistic life of their time. Items speak to numerous facets of Koussevitzky’s unparalleled career: as concert performer, music publisher, educator, and philanthropist. Materials in this digital collection comprise examples drawn from three series in the Serge Koussevitzky Archive.  Koussevitzky’s correspondence with leading 20th century musical figures—including that with composers from whom he commissioned new works of music --demonstrates the connections he held with his luminous contemporaries.  Correspondence with composers such as Béla Bartók, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Igor Stravinsky often show both sides of the written conversation, thanks to copies of outgoing letters retained by Koussevitzky.  A variety of items from papers documenting the development of Koussevitzky’s brainchild, the world-renowned Berkshire Music Center at “Tanglewood,” include speeches, building blueprints, brochures, photographs, and student registration cards (ca. 1936-ca. 1942) pertaining to the planning stages and opening season of the music festival and school established in Lenox, Massachusetts, summer home to the music director’s Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Items selected from the Photographs series in the collection include both professional and private images of Koussevitzky captured throughout his lifetime.  Publicity shots, portraits, and family snapshots show him as a young man playing the double bass, as a celebrated orchestra conductor, and behind the scenes relaxing with his family and friends –a circle that included cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and composers Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky.