Lawrence Tibbett Collection, 1929-1945

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Summary

Creators:
Tibbett, Richard M.
Abstract:
The collection contains primarily sound recordings of performances of Lawrence Tibbett from recording sessions that occurred between 1929 and 1945. Some of the recordings are 12" vinyl 33 1/3 rpm microgroove discs, but most are 78 rpm shellac discs and 12" instantaneous discs. A few 10" 78 rpm single-sided test pressings, and 1 7" tape reel are also included. Written materials in the collection consist of a set of of 13 index cards with handwritten listings of the contents of tape reels in Tibbett's personal collection (tape reels not included in this collection), photocopies of published articles by Tibbett, and typed inventories of the collection which were prepared by the donor.
Extent:
2.8 linear feet, 3 audio disc storage boxes for 12" sound discs; 1 small box with tape reel; 1 document storage box for miscellaneous documents
Language:
English, German, Italian, French
Preferred citation:

Lawrence Tibbett Collection, ARS.0041. Courtesy of the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Lawrence Tibbett Collection was assembled and donated by his son, Richard M. Tibbett. The recordings in the collection are primarily privately issued 12" sound discs, both 78 rpm and 33 1/3 rpm. The collection also includes 10" single-sided discs recorded for the Victor Company, 1 7" tape reel, and written materials consisting of a set of 13 index cards with handwritten notes in pencil, photocopies of pages from published articles by Tibbett, and photocopies of two typed inventory lists of the collection prepared by the donor.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Bakersfield, California (USA) on November 16, 1896, baritone Lawrence Tibbett began his career as an actor as well as a singer in performances of light operas and also in churches. Tibbett's teachers were Joseph Dupuy and Basil Ruysdael in Los Angeles and Frank La Forge and Ignaz Zitomirsky in New York. Tibbett's study in New York led to his Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of Lewicki in Boris Godunov in 1923. Following shortly after his Met debut he sang the role of Valentin in Faust. In 1925 Tibbett became an overnight sensation in the role of Ford in Falstaff, and he later assumed the title role. He eventually sang many leading Italian, French, German and American roles at the Met and remained a principal with the company for 27 seasons. He sang in the premières of Deems Taylor's The King's Henchman (1927) and Peter Ibbetson (1931), Louis Gruenberg's The Emperor Jones (1933), Howard Hanson's Merry Mount (1934) and John Laurence Seymour's In the Pasha's Garden (1935). The first Metropolitan Opera performances of Jonny spielt auf, Peter Grimes, Richard Hageman's Caponsacchi, as well as Simon Boccanegra and Khovanshchina also included Tibbett in the cast. His last appearance at the Met occurred in 1950 as Ivan in Khovanshchina. In 1936, along with violinist Jascha Heifetz, he founded the American Guild of Musical Artists, and served as its president for 17 years. Tibbett appeared in major opera houses around the U.S. and the world, including San Francisco, Chicago, Paris, London, Vienna and Prague, and at Covent Garden he created the title role in Eugene Goossens's Don Juan de Mañara (1937). In addition to performing on stage, Tibbett also sang frequently in radio performances during the early years of his career. Partly as a result of his striking good looks, as well as his dark, agile voice, Tibbett had significant success in film roles and light opera. He also appeared in Broadway stage productions, and his last Broadway role was in the musical comedy Fanny in 1956. His recordings for Victor sold in the millions. Among his best recordings are those of Verdi's Otello, in which he sang the role of Iago, and the live recording of his 1935 performance of La Traviata at the Met with Rosa Ponselle. Tibbett died in New York, on July 15, 1960.

Processing information:

This collection has been processed under the auspices of the Council on Library and Information Resources with generous financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged by material type in five boxes as follows: (1) Vinyl and aluminum sound discs, arranged in chronological order by recording session date with undated materials at the end; (2-3) Shellac and instantaneous sound discs, arranged in chronological order by recording session date with undated materials at the end of Box 3; (4) 1 reel-to-reel tape; (5) 13 handwritten index cards with information about content of audio tapes in Tibbett's personal collection, none of which are included in this collection; typed and photocopied documents.

Physical location:
Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound Stanford University Libraries Stanford, California 94305-3076
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Listening appointments may require 24 hours notice. Contact the Archive Operations Manager.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with repository. Publication and reproduction rights reside with the creators or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Head Librarian of the Archive of Recorded Sound.

Preferred citation:

Lawrence Tibbett Collection, ARS.0041. Courtesy of the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.

Location of this collection:
Braun Music Center, 541 Lasuen Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3076, US
Contact:
(650) 723-9312
soundarchive@stanford.edu
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