Maurice Eisenberg Musical Score and Personal Papers Collection

Collection

Identifier: SC 0004

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains approximately 900 scores owned by Maurice Eisenberg. The collections includes many annotated pieces, including five pieces possibly annotated by Pablo Casals.

Dates

1900 - 1972

Creator

Eisenberg, Maurice (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Collection Historical Note

A gift of his daughter, Maruta Eisenberg Friedler, Maurice Eisenberg's collection of approximately 900 music scores and miscellaneous archival materials was acquired in 1989. It contains a predominance of twentieth century published music with a concentration of Eastern European composers. It also includes original manuscripts (such as Lennox Berkelley's Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra) as well as some collections of engraved music from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries

Biographical Note

Born in Konigsberg of Polish parents, Eisenberg was brought to the United States by his family when he was two years old. After early training in Baltimore, he played in the Philadelphia Orchestra before becoming principal cellist of the New York Symphony at the age of 18. In 1921, Eisenberg had the opportunity to play for Pablo Casals, who was touring the U.S. This meeting proved to be a turning point in Eisenberg's life because, with Casals' encouragement, he went to Europe the following year to continue his advanced training. Although he studied with Julius Klengel, Hugo Becker, Nadia Boulanger, and Diran Alexanian, Casals was his most important mentor, and they became lifelong friends.

Eisenberg spent the years between 1926-1939 playing and teaching in Europe. He was well known for his interpretation of the Bach Suites, but his repertoire also included much twentieth century music. He was a member of the Menuhin Trio, and was the founder and artistic director of the London International Violoncello Center. Eisenberg held teaching positions at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris (where he succeeded Alexanian as professor of the Casals Class), the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and during the last ten years of his life, the International Summer Courses in Cascais, Portugal. His book, Cello Playing of Today, first published in 1957, is now in its fifth edition. At the time of his death in 1972, Eisenberg was Professor of the Cello at the Juilliard School of Music.

Extent

115.50 Boxes (77 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

The Maurice Eisenberg Musical Score Collection is arranged into 19 series. The series are as follows: Series 1: Manuscripts in Eisenberg's Hand Series 2: Manuscripts in Various Hands Series 3: Cello Concertos Series 4: Cello Sonatas Series 5: Cello Pieces Series 6: Cello Methods Series 7: Cello Solos Series 8: Duos Series 9: Trios Series 10: Quartets Series 11: Quintets Series 12: Large Ensemble and Orchestral Excerpts Series 13: Violin Concertos, Pieces, Solos, Sonatas Series 14: Violin Methods Series 15: Piano/Keyboard Music Series 16: Viola Music Series 18: Vocal Music Series 19: Oversized

Related Materials

Maurice Eisenberg Digital Collection

Related Publications

Cello Playing of Today Maurice Eisenberg, by his students

Separated Materials

Bound scores, monographs, and serials were separated and can be searched through the library catalog.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.