The Spanish Lady and The Roman Cavalier

]> musalvar.xml Guide to the Lorenzo Alvary Papers, 1919 - 1992 Processed by Shaneeza Aziz ; Machine-readable finding aid created by Shaneeza Aziz

Machine readable finding aid created 2007. Description is in English JPB 06-16 Guide to the Lorenzo Alvary Papers, 1919 - 1992 Music Division The New York Public Library for the Performing ArtsNew York, New York Music Division. New York Public Library. 40 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY 10023-7498 (212) 870-1650 http://nypl.org/research/lpa/mus/mus.html Processed by: Shaneeza Aziz Date completed: 2007 Encoded by: Shaneeza Aziz Processed and encoded through a gift from Robert W. Wilson.

Descriptive Summary The Lorenzo Alvary Papers, 1919 - 1992 Alvary, Lorenzo JPB 06-168 linear feet; 14 boxes The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Music Division.

New York, New York

This collection contains materials related to the Metropolitan Opera’s basso singer Lorenzo Alvary. In addition to the many photographs and clippings, there are several legal documents, correspondence and production materials relating to his co-production with Salvador Dali of The Spanish Lady and The Roman Cavalier. Subjects Personal Names {personal name entry} Organizations {organization/corporate name entry} Subjects {subject entry} Places Document Types {genreform entry} Occupations {occupation entry} Titles {title entry} Administration Information Source

The Lorenzo Alvary Papers were donated to the Music Division in 2005 by Alison Macheras, Trustee of the Lorenzo Alvary Estate.

Access

Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Restrictions on use

For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division.

Alternate Format

{manditory if applicable - statement regarding availability of collection on microfil, in published form, etc.}manditory if applicable - statement regarding availability of collection on microfil, in published form, etc.

Preferred Citation

Lorenzo Alvary Papers, JPB 06-16. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Biography

Lorenzo Alvary (1909 – 1996) was a prolific singer and producer of many operas in the United States. Alvary was born in Hungary and studied law at the University of Budapest, but he quickly abandoned his law career to study music in Milan and Berlin. He first sang for the Vienna Staatsoper, but joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1942, where he remained on the roster for over twenty seasons. His most memorable roles are Baron Ochs in Rosenkavalier, Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte, and Leporello in Don Giovanni. Alvary was known for his elaborate costumes and for always playing characters that were less than attractive. He also sang for the San Francisco Opera. In 1972, he became the artistic director for the Miami Opera Guild and he received critical praise for his work with the company. Alvary started his own radio show entitled Opera Topics, which he hosted from 1964 – 1986. He went on to produce the surrealistic opera, The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier, with Salvador Dali. As well as a career in the United States, Alvary had great international success. He went on to sing in over sixty operas in South America and Europe. Alvary appeared in many solo recitals with such directors as Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains professional material related to the bass singer Lorenzo Alvary, which includes artwork, biographical data, correspondence, press material, and photographs. The large series of operas consists of publicity material, such as clippings, photographs, and programs. His famous operas were Rosenkavalier, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Don Giovanni. The largest set of papers relate to his opera, The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier, which was co-produced with the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. The legal papers found within his professional papers relate to the patent of the name for this radio show Opera Topics that Alvary hosted for over twenty years. There are three boxes of oversized material. There is no personal material within the collection.

Organization

Series I: Correspondence, 1937 - 1991 Series II: Professional Material, 1935 - 1992 Series III: Operas, 1919 - 1989 Series IV: Oversized Material, 1961 – 1962, undated

Series Descriptions/Container List Series I: Correspondence, 1937 - 1991

Alphabetical

This series contains correspondence related to Alvary’s professional career. The correspondence includes letters from the Bel Canto Opera, The New Jersey State Opera, and the Organizzazione Internazionale Concerti.

11 Ada, 1955 12 Austrian National Tourist Office, 1937 13 Bel Canto Opera, 1985 - 1991

Includes clippings, press releases, and programs.

14 Bianca, undated 15 Canfalonieri, Giulio, 1954 - 1966, undated

Includes biographical data.

16 Carolina, 1951 - 1961 17 Danise, 1959, undated 18 Gibson, Barbara, 1955 19 Gutman, John, undated 110 Lord Harewood, 1991 - 1993

Includes clipping, profile on Harewood

111 Indiana University - School of Music, 1984 112 Milanov, Zinka, 1989 113-14 New Jersey State Opera, 1994 - 1995 115 The New York Singing Teacher's Association, 1989 116 Organizzazione Internazionale Concerti, 1955 117 Page, Tim, 1987 118 The Standard Hour and School Broadcast, 1947 119-20 Unidentified, undated Series II: Professional Material, 1935 - 1992

Alphabetical

The professional material covers such aspects of Alvary’s career as an adjudicator and radio host of Opera Topics. There includes biographical data used for press releases, music score, programs, notes, and photographs. The legal papers relate to Alvary’s concern over the patent of the name Opera Topics.

Adjuciations Citta Di Ercolano 21-5 Correspondence, 1984 - 1992 26 List of Contestants, 1991, undated

Annotations

Concurso International de Canto Francisco de Andrade 27-11 Correspondence, 1984 - 1989 212 Photographs, 1986 - 1989 International Vocal Contest 213-17 Correspondence, 1981 - 1984 218 Clippings, 1972 - 1982 219 Music List, 1972 - 1982 220-22 Photographs, 1972 - 1982 223 Biographical Data, undated

Includes professional career information. This information was used for publicity material.

224-25 Clippings, 1935 - 1957, undated

Folder 21 are photocopies of a scrapbook. These clippings were collected by Alvary spanning his career as a singer.

Concerts 226-32 Clippings, 1958 - 1984 233 Photographs, 1958

Includes postcards.

31-12 Programs, 1941 - 1963, undated Legal Papers 313-18 Correspondence, 1964 - 1986

These documents concern Alvary's radio program Opera Topics. Patent information concerning the name Opera Topics. Includes some papers concerning health and financial matters.

319 Amendment, 1965

Includes correspondence.

320-22 Contracts, 1935 - 1970

Radio show.

323 Supplemental Register, 1965

Radio show.

324 Music Score, undated

National Athem "O Canada."

325 Notes, undated

Acting Excercises.

326 Programs, 1964 - 1989, undated

Wozzeck, Un Ballo In Maschera, Andrea Chenier, Antony & Cleopatra, Die Frau Ohne Schatten.

327-30 Press Material, 1935 - 1972, undated Radio Show 331 Correspondence, 1964 - 1986 332 Clippings, 1970 333 Inventory of Programs, 1984 - 1986 334 Press Release, undated 335 Promotional Material, undated

Press release, biography.

336 Photographs, undated Photographs 41 Autographed Photos, 1944 - 1945

Includes Giuuppe Danise.

42 Concerts, 1942, undated 43-5 Portraits, undated

Costume photos.

46-11 On-stage Performances, undated 412 Self-Portraits, undated 41-14 With Friends, 1955 - 1957, undated Series III: Operas, 1919 - 1989

Alphabetical

This series highlights Alvary’s career as an opera singer. All shows include clippings, photographs, and programs. Of notable mention is the opera, The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier, co-produced by Salvador Dali. Materials in this production include artwork, and legal papers (1964 –1965).

Adriana LeCouvreur

Authors: Eugene Scribe, Gabriel Legouve

51 Clippings, 1969 - 1971 52 Photographs, undated 53 Programs, 1962 - 1969 54 Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Photographs, undated

Author: Gioachino Rossini

Boris Godounov, 1956

Author: Modest Mussorgsky

55-7 Clippings 58-9 Photographs Carmen

Author: Georges Bizet

510 Clippings, 1958 - 1959, undated 511 Photographs, 1958 - 1959 Le Coq d'Or, 1955

Author: Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov

512 Clippings 513-14 Photographs Cosi Fan Tutte

Author: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

515-16 Correspondence, 1957 517 Contract, 1957 518-20 Clippings, 1955 - 1958 521-23 Photographs, 1957 - 1958 524 Programs, 1957 - 1958 Il Crescendo

Author: Giulio Confalonieri

525 Correspondence, 1954 - 1966 526 Clippings, 1954 527 Program, 1954

Photocopy

528 Notes, 1954 Don Giovanni

Author: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

529-30 Clippings, 1955 - 1959 531-32 Photographs, 1955 - 1959 533 Programs, 1959 Don Pasquale

Author: Gaetano Donizetti

534 Photographs, undated Falstaff, 1948

Author: Giuseppe Verdi

61 Clippings 62 Photographs Faust

Author: Charles Gounod

63 Clipping, 1952 64 Photographs, undated Frau

Author: Richard Strauss

65-11 Correspondence, 1976 - 1988, undated 612-16 Clippings, 1954 - 1978 617-18 Photographs, undated 619-20 Programs, 1919 - 1978 621 Publicity Material, undated

Alvary biographical note.

Gianni Schicchi

Author: Giacomo Puccini

622-23 Clippings, 1958, undated 624 Photographs, 1949 - 1958 L'Italiana in Londra

Alternate title: The Italian Girl in London. Author: Domenico Cimarosa

625 Correspondence, 1957 - 1958 626 Script Material, undated 627 Lucia di Lammermoor - Clippings, 1955

Author: Gaetano Donizetti

628 Macbeth - Clippings, 1957

Author: Giuseppe Verdi

629 Manon Lescaut - Clippings, 1956

Author: Danile-Francois-Esprit Auber

Pelleas and Melisande

Author: Arnold Schoenberg

71 Clippings, 1953 - 1954, undated 72 Photographs, 1953 - 1954

Includes negative.

La Perichole

Author: Jacques Offenbach

73 Clippings, 1965 - 1971 74 Programs, 1965 - 1966 The Portugese Inn, 1954

Author: Luigi Cherubini

75-11 Correspondence 712-13 Clippings 714 Photographs 715 Programs 716 Publicity Material Queen of Spades

Author: Peter Tchaikovsky

717 Clippings, 1966 - 1967 718 Programs, 1965 - 1966

Annotations.

Romeo and Juliet

Author: Charles Gounod

719 Clippings, 1967 - 1968 720 Photographs, 1967 - 1968 721 Programs, 1968 Rosenkavalier

Author: Richard Strauss

81-3 Correspondence, 1957, undated Clippings 84 1946 - 1949 85 1951 - 1954 86 1955 87 1956 88-11 1957 812-14 1958 815-16 1959 817 1965 818 1992 - 1993 819 undated 820-23 Photographs, 1947 - 1957 824 Negatives, 1955 - 1957 825-26 Programs, 1956 - 1966 The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier

Music by Alessandro Scarlatti, idea and original artwork by Salvador Dali.

Correspondence 91 Bainsot, Alvary, undated 92 Castese, Francois, 1963 93 d'Auriac, Rene, 1961 94 Dali, Salvador, 1960 - 1962

Financial agreement for watercolors.

95 Guerlain (Parfumer Distillateur), 1962 96 Harold Holt LTD., 1962 97 Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1974 98 Miami Museum of Modern Art, 1973 99 Morse, Elanor & Reynolds, 1993 - 1996, undated 910 Organization Artistique Internationale, 1962 - 1964 911 Organizzazione Rapporti Internazionali Artistici, 1962 912 Penne, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor, and Adams Counsellors at Law, 1964 - 1965

Legal papers concerning lawsuit by Dali. Photocopies and originals. French and English.

913 La Reine Gala, 1960 914 Rhallys, Pierce, 1962 915 San Francisco Opera Association, 1954 - 1959 916 Societe Artistique des Champs-Elysees, 1961 917 Stein Roe & Farnham, undated 918 Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, 1962 - 1964, undated 919 Utudjian, Armand, 1964

Written in french.

920 Artwork, undated

Designs by Salvador Dali for opera. Includes 2 booklets of his work, which are unrelated to the show.

921 Biographical data of Composer Alexander Scarlatti. Clippings 922-23 1954 924 1961 925-40 1961-1962

Regarding part II - "Gala" performace.

941 1962 942 1989

Includes list of newspapers which printed articles about the show.

101-11 Photographs, 1962

Folder 1 includes list of photographs.

1012 Negatives, 1962 1013-14 Press Releases, 1961 - 1962 Production Material 1015 Contract, undated

In French.

1016 Designs for Show, undated

Notes on preparing soap bubbles. Includes sketches.

1017 Estimation for Costumes, undated 1018 Financial Estimates for Show, undated 1019 Legal Papers, 1964, undated

Written in French with annotations, some photocopies. Lawsuit by Salvador Dali.

1020 Notes, undated 1021-22 Programs, 1961 - 1962 1023 Scrapbook, 1961

Photocopy of original.

111 Tannhauser - Photographs, 1958

Author: Richard Wagner

Tosca

Author: Giacomo Puccini

112 Correspondence 113 Clippings, 1959 - 1971 114 Photographs, 1965 115 Programs, 1965 - 1970 Series IV: Oversized Material, 1961 - 1962, undated

Alphabetical

This series contains original artwork by Salvador Dali, posters, photographs, and a music score.

121-3 Artwork, undated

Record cae for The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier. Artwork by Salvador Dali. Includes photographs of Dali artwork, plus costume designs for two productions, unknown.

131-2 Photographs, undated

Costume photographs of Alvary in Don Pasquale and three other unknown productions.

141 Posters, 1961 - 1962

two posters for The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier.

142 Music Score, undated

Orchestral score for the Ora Santanica.