An Archive of Material and Correspondence from the Toscanini Estate Including a Draft of "To the People of America," with Notes in Toscanini's Hand

Various Places. Most 1940s-1950s, various formats. Very Good. A wide-ranging collection of Toscanini material, found amongst his scores in the estate of his grandson Walfredo. The highlight is a late draft of his speech "To The People of America," an important document in Italian-American history that was printed in Life Magazine during the Second World War.

Full descriptions as follows:

Typed Draft of Arturo Toscanini's "To The People of America" with Corrections in Toscanini's Hand.
New York, September 3, 1943.
A late typed draft of Arturo Toscanini's "To The People of America," which appeared ten days later in Life (truncated) Magazine. Corrections in the hands of Walfredo and Arturo Toscanini. From the Toscanini estate. "On 13 September 1943 the editorial page of Life Magazine was occupied by an article entitled 'To the People of America,' and signed by Arturo Toscanini; It was the only extensive declaration he ever wrote - and it was about politics, not music... The article had originally been intended as a letter to President Roosevelt and the first drafts had been prepared for Arturo Toscanini by the Italian historians in exile Gaetano Salvemini and Giorgio La Plana, who were both teaching at Harvard University at the time. They knew that their beliefs and Arturo Toscanini's coincided perfectly, and they wanted the letter to appear over his signature because his fame was much greater than theirs. In their letter to President Roosevelt, the exiles stated their hopes and fears for Italy's immediate future, and they tried - as the text illustrates - to influence allied policy toward their native country." Harvey Sachs, The Letters of Arturo Toscanini, page 389. Sachs wrote in his 1978 biography of Toscanini that Toscanini wrote the article on his own, but then found evidence to the contrary. Regardless of its hidden origins, this letter was a defining moment in Toscanini's career in the United States. This copy, from September 3, would have been one of the final drafts. The text is nearly identical to the published version with a few small changes - "defying everything" is added in the fourth paragraph of the published version, the "..." marks are replaced by simple periods in a few instances, and "just" has been replaced by "righteous" in the published version. Strangely, the one error in AT's hand - moving the word "either" in the sixth paragraph - did not make it into the printed version. A remarkable piece of Toscanini ephemera. Four pages, carbon paper, with text on rectos only. Excellent condition overall with some normal tanning. A few stray corrections in pencil, which an accompanying folder from the estate states are in Walfredo's hand.

A Collection of Nine Letters to Arturo Toscanini from his Colleagues.

These letters were found inside various scores and sheet music in the Toscanini estate. A wonderful collection, quite effusive in nature, most containing high praise for the maestro, discussing the works of various composers and lamenting the passage of time. Contains the following items: 1) Typed Letter, Signed, from Harold Byrns to Arturo Toscanini. New York, 1942. 2) Typed Letter from Associated Music Publishers to Arturo Toscanini. New York, 1949. 3) Manuscript Letter from Max Reiter to Arturo Toscanini. San Antonio, 1948. 4) Typed Letter from Domenico Savino to Arturo Toscanini. New York, 1945. In Italian. 5) Manuscript Letter from Adolf Busch to Arturo Toscanini. S.p., s.d. 6) Manuscript Letter from Carlton Cooley to Arturo Toscanini. Stockton, New Jersey, 1956. 7) Autograph Letter from Robert Casadesus to Arturo Toscani. Princeton, 1940. 8) Autograph Letter, Signed, from Pina Carmirelli to Arturo Toscanini. Rome, 1951. In Italian. 9) Typed Letter from Foetisch Freres to Arturo Toscanini. Lausanne, 1948. scanini. Lausanne, 1948.

Four Original Photographs of Arturo Toscanini in Rehearsal, March 1954 with Negatives.
New York, 1954.

A collection of four 9 x 7 photographs of the great Toscanini in rehearsal, with their original negatives. From the estate of Arturo Toscanini. The images show Toscanini casually dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, conducting his orchestra. All photos are stamped "File Copy / Do Not Remove" and have holes in upper left corners from thumbtacks and have inventory numbers written in ink. The inventory numbers - which all contain the prefix "33107," suggest that they could be for the rehearsals from his final performance on April 4.

Typed Letter from Arturo Toscanini to his Orchestra, 1940.
N.p., July 22, 1940. Typed letter, text on recto only.
Arturo Toscanini wrote this letter to his orchestra upon the completion of a successful South American tour in 1940. He writes: "My dear friends [sic] Tomorrow our trip will be over... To-morrow we will be separated after two months we lived day by day the same life. It is very sad indeed, but that is life... We have never been so linked, all as one, as in these 16 concerts... We must be proud of what we have done... God bless you all." The full text of the letter appears on page 374 of Harvey Sach's The Letters of Arturo Toscanini. Some indecipherable notes on margins in an unknown hand, a few small various stains, good condition overall.

Christmas Card to Arturo Toscanini from the Embassy of the USSR, 1943.
Washington, 1943. Card with stamped envelope, 6 x 5 inches.
A Christmas card to Arturo Toscanini from Fedor Orekhov, First Secretary and Press Representative of the USSR Embassy in Washington. Addressed to Toscanini at his Sycamore Street residence in Riverdale, New York.
An interesting group, all quite well preserved in excellent condition. (Inventory #: CAT0169)