Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Norman and Ruth Lloyd [sound recording].

Author

Lloyd, Norman, 1909-1980.

Publication

1971.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Cohen, Selma Jeanne, 1920-2005.
• Lloyd, Ruth.

Description

5 sound discs (ca. 252 min.) : digital; (4 3/4 in.)

Summary

• Disc 1 (ca. 48 min.). Norman and Ruth Lloyd speak with Selma Jeanne Cohen about Doris Humphrey and her circle, including their first meeting Humphrey in 1934 at the summer dance program at Bennington College; seeing Martha Graham for the first time, that summer at Bennington; Graham's work Panorama, for which Norman Lloyd wrote the music; Martha Hill including the Lloyds' respective relationships with her; working for Humphrey and Charles Weidman, including how they first came to play for them; the financial situations of Pauline [Lawrence] and Charles Weidman; recalling of titles of works Humphrey created in 1938, including Race of life and Passacaglia in C minor, as well as during World War II [ends abruptly].
• Disc 2 (ca. 47 min.). Norman and Ruth Lloyd continue to speak with Selma Jeanne Cohen about Doris Humphrey and her circle including her high ethical standards; reasons the Lloyds joined a labor union; rehearsing with Martha Graham [gap from ca. 2:45 min. into track 3 through ca. 4:50 into track 7]; dietary eccentricities of Humphrey and her circle; Humphrey's contributions to José Limón's works, including The moor's pavane and Blue roses; an anecdote about Limón's idea for a dance about [Archduke] Maximilian and [his wife] Carlota; Humphrey and the [José Limón Dance] company's European tour; Norman Lloyd's writing of a second piano part for Martha Graham's Letter to the world [ends abruptly].
• Disc 3 (ca. 61 min.). Norman and Ruth Lloyd continue to speak with Selma Jeanne Cohen about Doris Humphrey and her circle including the source of her work Lament [for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías]; summers at Connecticut College with Humphrey; her lack of a patron or institutional support; Charles Weidman including his behavior at rehearsals; an anecdote about Weidman and José Limón; Humphrey and her receptiveness to artistic advice from people outside the company; working at Connecticut College; Humphrey's musical preferences including her choice of the music for New dance and anecdotes about Humphrey and the Lloyds' playing for her; Humphrey as a person including a performance anecdote; [short gap at ca. 2:15 min. into track 10; the rest of the recording on this disc substantially reiterates the material recorded on disc 2 from ca. 4:50 min. into track 7 through track 8; however, this disc 3 has better sound quality].
• Disc 4 (ca. 61 min.). Norman and Ruth Lloyd continue to speak with Selma Jeanne Cohen about Doris Humphrey and her circle, including an anecdote about Bill [William] Schuman and José Limón; Limón's work La malinche, in particular the music; Humphrey's works in repertory; the music for Humphrey's work Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías; working with Humphrey on her work Inquest; more on Humphrey's approach to the music for her works; touring; Humphrey's son [Charles Humphrey Woodford]; an anecdote about Humphrey's scheduled performance at Lewiston Stadium and the birth of her son; Humphrey's perfectionism; Humphrey's written correspondence with her husband [Charles Francis Woodford]; Humphrey's stoicism [short gap]; discussion of reviving Humphrey's works including Ray Cook and his ideas for reconstructing her work; Cook's revival of Humphrey's dance Shakers; the current status of certain works in the Humphrey repertory with respect to their preservation in the form of notation, film, and attempts at reconstruction; José Limón's revival of Humphrey's work Ritmo jondo in a cut version [ends abruptly].
• Disc 5 (ca. 35 min.). Norman and Ruth Lloyd continue to speak with Selma Jeanne Cohen about Doris Humphrey and her circle including Sybil Shearer; the photographer Thomas Bouchard; Charles Weidman as a performer and as a teacher; Martha Graham's description of her approach to choreography as intuitive and Humphrey's as intellectual; Peter Brook; Harold Taylor; researching dance history; dancers today; Meredith Monk [ends abruptly].

Subjects

• Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958
• Lloyd, Ruth
• Humphrey-Weidman Company
• Audiotapes > Lloyd, N
• Humphrey, Doris, 1895-1958 > New dance
• Limón, José
• Audiotapes > Lloyd, R
• Lloyd, Norman, 1909-1980
• Lawrence, Pauline
• Weidman, Charles
• Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (Choreographic work : Humphrey)

Note

• Interview with Norman and Ruth Lloyd conducted by Selma Jeanne Cohen on Jan. 20, 1971 in New York City. This interview was conducted as part of the research for Cohen's completion of Humphrey's autobiography: Doris Humphrey: an artist first (1972).
• Sound quality is poor to very poor on disc 1 and most of disc 2. The voices of the speakers are often very soft and difficult to understand. There are also occasional extraneous noises and gaps. The sound quality on the last part of disc 2 (tracks 8 - 9) and discs 3-4 is fair to good although the speakers' voices are soft at time, and the recording is marred by occasional extraneous noises. Also, disc 3 contains a reiteration of a section of the material recorded on disc 2, as detailed in the summaries below. The sound quality of disc 5 is fair to poor. The speakers' voices are often so soft as to be difficult to understand.

Funding (note)

• The assistance of the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts is gratefully acknowledged.

System Details (note)

• Transferred from 4 sound cassettes (ca. 252 min.; 1 7/8 in. per sec.; 2 channels; originally recorded in 1971) to wav file and compact disc formats in 2012.

Source (note)

• Selma Jeanne Cohen

Call Number

*MGZTL 4-949 no. 19-22

OCLC

78847222

Author

Lloyd, Norman, 1909-1980. Interviewee

Title

Interview with Norman and Ruth Lloyd [sound recording].

Imprint

1971.

Funding

The assistance of the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts is gratefully acknowledged.

System Details

Transferred from 4 sound cassettes (ca. 252 min.; 1 7/8 in. per sec.; 2 channels; originally recorded in 1971) to wav file and compact disc formats in 2012.

Local Note

Former call number: *MGZTC 3-949 no. 19, 20, 21, 22.

Former archival originals: *MGZTCO 3-949 no. 19-22

Added Author

Cohen, Selma Jeanne, 1920-2005. Interviewer

Lloyd, Ruth. Interviewee

Cohen, Selma, Jeanne. Donor

Research Call Number

*MGZTL 4-949 no. 19-22