Leopold Stokowski Collection

Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977) was the innovative and charismatic conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1912 to 1941 and was an influential figure in music-making through much of the twentieth century.

Collection Overview

The Leopold Stokowski Collection includes papers and correspondence; orchestral scores and transcriptions; research materials; and recordings documenting Stokowski's musical career and related activities.

Organization of the Leopold Stokowski Collection

Researchers should be aware that materials by and related to Leopold Stokowski are cataloged in a number of different collections, corresponding either to the physical format of the materials or to their source. Following is a list of Stokowski-related collections, with links provided to online finding aids or to search results in the library catalog.

Manuscript Collections

Leopold Stokowski Papers (Ms. Coll. 381): 47 boxes. Surviving personal papers of Leopold Stokowski, including correspondence to and from Stokowski, notebooks, calendars, bank statements, royalty statements, insurance records, and contracts; this includes some correspondence and contracts related to Stokowski’s tenure as conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra (bulk 1937-1946). Also includes writings by and about Stokowski, obituaries, programs, photographs, scrapbooks, clippings, awards, memorabilia. Note: For a full listing of correspondence in the Stokowski Papers, researchers must search in the library catalog.

Full listing of correspondents in the Leopold Stokowski Papers (online catalog)

Leopold Stokowski Collection of Scores (Ms. Coll. 350): Personal conducting scores of Stokowski with markings in his own hand. Note: the approximately 935 scores in this collection are individually cataloged in the library catalog and display here in alphabetical order by composer.

Full listing of scores (online catalog)

Leopold Stokowski Collection of Orchestral Transcriptions (Ms. Coll. 351): Arrangements for organ and for orchestra prepared by Stokowski during his career.

The 215 items in this collection are individually cataloged in the library catalog and displayed in alphabetical order by composer.

Leopold Stokowski Sound Recordings (Ms. Coll. 1169): 21 boxes. Original sound recordings on sound reels, audio cassettes, CDs, and long playing records, 1930-1977.

Oliver Daniel Research Collection on Leopold Stokowski (Ms. Coll. 382): Research files, cassette tapes, and transcripts for Daniel’s biography of Leopold Stokowski titled Stokowski: A Counterpoint of View (1982).

Full listing of interviews in the Oliver Daniel Research Collection (online catalog)

Curtis W. Davis Collection on Leopold Stokowski (Ms. Coll. 965): Davis's research materials, notes, correspondence, and drafts for a planned (unpublished) biography of Stokowski.

Robert L. Gatewood collection of Leopold Stokowski discographies, circa 1970-1990 (Ms. Coll. 383): 3 boxes. Correspondence to and from Gatewood in reference to buying recordings and to his research for Leopold Stokowski discographies, ca. 1973-1980.

Stokowski-Gatewood Collection of Commercial Sound Recordings (Ms. Coll. 636): 521 items, 118 boxes. Commercial recordings of orchestral repertoire conducted by Leopold Stokowski between 1917 and the 1970s, collected by Stokowski and by Robert L. Gatewood.

The items in this collection are individually cataloged in the library catalog and displayed in alphabetical order by composer.

Marian Angell Godfrey Boyer scrapbook of Stokowski material (Ms. Coll. 1245): 1 box. Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, playbills, photographed portraits and concert reviews documenting a portion of Stokowski’s career as a composer in Philadelphia.