Alois Reiser papers, 1871-1957

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Summary

Creators:
Reiser, Alois
Abstract:
This collection consists of the sheet music manuscripts of Czech cellist, composer, and film music director Alois Reiser. These materials span Reiser's entire career and include his classical compositions, operas, materials from his time as conductor at New York's Strand Theater, and work as a composer and music director for the film industry in Los Angeles. Also included are screenplays for various films, newspaper clippings of publicity for Reiser, some published material, and a few photographs.
Extent:
8.2 Linear Feet (4 document boxes, 14 flat boxes and 1 oversize flat box.)
Language:
Materials are in English, Czech and German.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Alois Reiser Papers (Collection PASC-M 6). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection predominantly consists of manuscripts and holographic sketches of Reiser's orchestral, operatic, chamber and film music. Sheet music includes full scores, miniature scores, parts, vocal scores, and lead sheets. Also included are film scripts and treatments, some published works, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

Biographical / historical:

Reiser (born on April 6, 1887) was a Czech composer and cellist. Born in Prague, Reiser studied with Antonín Dvorák at the Prague Conservatory and received his doctorate of music at the University of Prague. Reiser also took cello lessons and toured Europe and the United States as a concert cellist with the Bohemian Trio, also performing for a time as a cellist with the Pittsburgh and New York Symphony Orchestras. Afterward, Reiser reestablished himself in Prague and became conductor Prague Opera House. Returning to New York in 1918, he worked as a conductor at the Strand Theater until 1929, when he moved to Hollywood to work as a composer and musical director for film studios. At Warner Bros. and, later, Fox Studios, he worked on films such as Noah's Ark (1928), Her Private Life (1929), Spring Is Here (1930), The Millionaire (1931), and Caravan (1934). His classical compositions include the opera Gobi (1912), Concerto for cello and orchestra (1916), String quartet in E minor (1916), Little Coquette (1918), From Mount Rainier (1926), Slavic Rhapsody (1927), Trio in F major (1931), and Erewhon (1931). He died on April 4, 1977 in Los Angeles.

Processing information:

Collection processed by UCLA Library Special Collections staff. Reprocessed in 2015 by Lori Dedeyan.

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form located on our website: Report Potentially Offensive Description in Library Special Collections.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series: Series 1. Orchestral works; Series 2. Operas; Series 3. Songs for voice and piano; Series 4. Chamber music; Series 5. Film music; Subseries 5.1. Film scores; Subseries 5.2. Scripts and Treatments; Series 6. Personal materials.

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Alois Reiser Papers (Collection PASC-M 6). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website