Series I: Music criticism, 1963-2018
This series contains material relating to Peter G. Davis's published music criticism, spanning his entire professional career as a journalist and commentator (1963-2018). The series includes clippings or tearings of Davis's published reviews and feature articles, complete editions of publications in which Davis's criticism was published, print-outs of reviews and articles that were published online, along with drafts (handwritten and printed, annotated and unannotated) of his published work. Publications featured in this series include publications which Davis wrote for regularly as a full-time staff columnist (The New York Times, 1975-1981; New York Magazine, 1981-2007), publications to which he contributed criticism on a freelance or part-time basis (The New York Times; Ovation Magazine; Opus Magazine; Opera News; Keynote Magazine; Connoisseur; Musical America), and publications where he also served as an editor (The New York Times, 1975-1981; High Fidelity; Musical America). This series includes correspondence with editors at Opera News, and material relating to Davis's dismissal from New York magazine in 2007. This series also comprises floppy disks containing drafts of his music columns. This series contains a number of reviews that were sent in correspondence by Davis's husband, Scott Parris, which have been filed together.
This series also includes Davis's professional correspondence - primarily addressed to Davis - in the form of letters, cards, and emails, spanning much of his career as a professional music critic (1970s-2010s). This series also contains a number of full publications that were sent to Davis through and as correspondence. Davis appears to have organized his correspondence thematically: reader correspondence is interspersed with correspondence from Davis's editors and other ephemera. Additionally, Davis kept correspondence from certain prominent musicians separate from his other professional correspondence, mostly celebrated musicians who wrote to thank Davis for his review(s) of their work. Musical figures represented in this differentiated correspondence include (among others) conductors (Leonard Bernstein, Erich Leinsdorf), pianists (Glen Gould, Emanuel Ax), singers (Régine Crespin, Dawn Upshaw), composers (Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson), critics (Tim Page, Donald Henehan), and impresarios (Speight Jenkins, Lou Galterio). Autographed memorabilia (from singers Renata Tebaldi, Anna Russell, and Frances Bible) is interspersed among this separate correspondence. This series also contains posthumous tributes to Peter Davis, including published obituaries of Peter Davis and letters written to Davis's husband, Scott Parris, sharing condolences in the wake of his passing in 2021.
Box 1 Folder 1-6
Complete issues of Opera News, 1974-1975, 1983, 1986-1988, 1990-1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 6 folders
Box 1 Folder 7
Material relating to Opera News, circa 2014-2015
Also includes contracts with the magazine.
Box 1 Folder 8
Correspondence with Opera News, 2005-2007, 2009, 2016
Davis kept this correspondence seperately from the other material relating to Opera News.
Box 1 Folder 9
Clippings from Opera News, 1983, 1986-1988, 1990, 1999-2000, 2002-2003, 2005, 2007, 2016
Contains a letter and other printed material relating to a 2003 story on Eleanor Steber ("Diva Manquée"), sent by an acquaintance of Steber.
Box 2 Folder 1-6
Complete issues of Opera News, 2003, 2005-2007, 6 folders
Box 3 Folder 1-6
Complete issues of Opera News, 2007-2009, 2013-2016, 2018, 6 folders
Box 4 Folder 1
Clippings from The Times of London, circa 1966-1975
Box 4 Folder 2-5
Complete issues of High Fidelity, 1967-1968, 1972-1976, 4 folders
Box 5 Folder 1-5
Clippings from New York magazine, 1981-1990, 5 folders
Box 6 Folder 1-8
Clippings from New York magazine, 1991-2007, 8 folders
Box 6 Folder 9
Material related to New York magazine's "Culture Issue", 2006
Box 7 Folder 1
Material related to Davis's dismissal from New York magazine, circa 2007
Contains newspaper clippings covering the dismissal, letters to Davis and to New York magazine regarding the dismissal, newspaper clippings related to the hiring of Justin Davidson, printouts from messageboards discussing the dismissal, and Davis's contract with the magazine.
Box 7 Folder 2-3
Complete issues of New York magazine, 1981, 1983-1985, 1990-1991, 1993, 1995, 2 folders
Interleaved in the 1995 issue is a draft of the "CNN Operas" article.
Box 7 Folder 4-6
Complete issues of Opus Magazine, 1984-1987, 3 folders
Box 7 Folder 7
Assorted clippings of reviews and articles, 1983-1984
Includes articles from Keynote, Connoisseur, Ovation, Opera News.
Box 8 Folder 1
Complete issues of the New York Times with front-page stories by Davis, 1976, 1979
Box 8 Folder 2
Clippings from the New York Times, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1984, 2007-2012
Includes a printout of a link to one of Davis's articles on Jonas Kaufmann's website; clippings from 1982 and 1984 are from the New York Times Book Review.
Box 8 Folder 3
Complete issues of print publications containing articles by Davis (Music and Musicians, Musical Newsletter, Gramophone, New York City Opera, Los Angeles Times Book Review, Yale Review), 1973, 1976, 1986, 1993, 1997
Box 8 Folder 4
Clippings of articles by Davis for High Fidelity, Opus, Connoisseur, Coda, San Francisco Opera, Opera Magazine, Cincinnati Opera, 1982-1984, 1986, 1990, 2000, 2008
Box 8 Folder 5
Complete issues of The Opera Journal, 1976
Box 8 Folder 6
Reviews sent in correspondence by Scott Parris, circa 2007-2012
From various publications, including The New York Times and Musical America.
Box 10 Folder 1
Clippings from Keynote Magazine, 1983
Box 10 Folder 2
Clippings from Ovation Magazine, 1984-1985
Contains a page of a comic strip that Davis filed with the material.
Box 10 Folder 3
Early reviews (Musical Letters, Musical America, Music Journal), 1963-1964
Box 10 Folder 4-5
Material relating to Musical America, circa 2006-2013, 2 folders
There is a funeral program for Olga Albizu in the 2009-2013 folder.
Box 11
New York Times bylines, circa 1971-1981, 1 boxes
These bylines have been housed in their original (labeled) packaging and placed in a Banker's Box. There are 11 individual parcels, labeled as follows: "Thru 1971"; "1971- April 1974"; "May-Dec 1974 + 1975"; "1976"; "1977"; "1978"; "1979"; "Jan-June 1980"; "July-Dec 1980"; "Jan-June 1981"; "July-Dec 1981."
Box 12 Folder 4
Correspondence regarding the New York Times, circa 1975-1981
Box 12 Folder 5-6
Correspondence received during employment at New York magazine, circa 1982-2007, 2 folders
Also includes clippings of articles, programs, contracts with New York Magazine and the BBC, a play by Ruth A. Gardner, a copy of Christa Ludwig's birth certificate, Curiculum Vitaes, other ephemera sent to Davis. Includes correspondence from the 2002 Pulitzer Prize Committee (includes annotated list of nominees). Includes correspondence with prominent gay activist Vito Russo. Includes correspondence from the following institutions: EMI, BMG Classics, Opera News, Seattle Opera, Metropolitan Opera Guild, Royal Opera House, Columbia Artists Management, 92nd St Y, Doubleday, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Rosa Ponselle Foundation, Central City Opera, the Richard Tucker Foundation, American Composers Orchestra, City University of New York.
Box 14
Ring-bound professional notebooks, circa 1970s-1980s, 1 boxes
23 ringbound notebooks containing draft material for reviews and feature stories, mostly for the New York Times.
Box 21 Item 40-42
Wordstar files of Davis's music column [likely for New York magazine], undated, 3 items
Box 21 Item 74
"Actors A-N"; Davis's music column [likely for New York magazine], undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 76
"[illegible, possibly 'kettle' or 'rattle'] column", undated, 1 items
Presumably files relating to Davis's columns in a print publication.
Series II: The American Opera Singer, circa 1997-1999
This series includes correspondence, publicity material, clippings, and photographs related to Davis's 1997 monograph The American Opera Singer: The Lives and Adventures of America's Great Singers in Opera and Concert from 1825 to the Present (New York: Doubleday, 1997). Also included are clippings and printouts of reviews of his book, and printouts of online message boards about the publication. This series comprises floppy disks containing various drafts of the monograph.
Box 10 Folder 6-7
Material relating to The American Opera Singer, circa 1997-1999, 2 folders
The two folders reflect two different groupings of similar material found in seperate boxes.
Box 10 Folder 8
Photographs collected for The American Opera Singer, circa 1997
Box 21 Item 43
Wordstar file of chapter 18 from The American Opera Singer, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 44
Wordstar files of chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, interludes 2 and 3, from The American Opera Singer, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 77
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: chapters 14, 19-24, 25, interlude 5, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 78
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: chapters 1-17, interludes 1-4, introduction, prelude, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 78
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: chapters 1-17, interludes 1-4, introduction, prelude, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 79
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: copy edits of chapters 12-20, interludes 3-4, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 80
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: copy edits of the title page, contents, intro, prelude, chapters 1-11, interludes 1-2, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 81
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: copy edits of chapters 21-25, interlude 5, postlude, coda, notes, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 82
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: unedited versions of chapters 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, interludes 4-5, postlude, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 83
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: unedited versions of chapters 10-18, interlude 3, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 84
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: unedited versions of title page, contents, intro, prelude, chapters 1-9, interludes 1-2, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 85
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: edited versions of interludes 4-5, chapters 15-23, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 86
Files relating to The American Opera Singer: edited versions of prelude, interludes 2-3, chapters 1-14, circa 1997, 1 items
Box 21 Item 87
Davis's music column [likely for New York magazine]; files relating to The American Opera Singer: edited versions of introduction, chapters 4, 25, postlude, bibliographies, footnotes, circa 1997, 1 items
Series III: Other writings, research, and professional activities, circa 1960s-2009, undated
This series features Davis's other writings from across his professional career (1960s-2010s), including program notes and essays (in academic journals or in other special volumes). The series comprises full editions of publications containing Davis's articles, and clippings or tearings of individual articles by Davis. Additionally, this series includes two cassette tapes of Davis's radio appearances. There are some unlabeled floppy disks within this series; these disks were housed with other identifiable disks relating to Davis's work as a writer and a critic.
Box 9 Folder 3
Seattle Opera Magazine: clippings and complete issues, 2007-2009
Contains an undated feature article, "Bellini's Endless Melody."
Box 9 Folder 4
Davis's article in the Atti del II Congresso Internazionale di Studi Verdiani, 1971
Contains the full edition of the publication and a bound copy of the article itself. Documents are in Italian.
Box 9 Folder 5
Copies of Riccardo Muti: Twenty Years in Philadelphia, playbills for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, 1992, 2008-2009
Box 12 Folder 1
Programs for the National Endowment of the Arts Opera Honors, 2009
Box 12 Folder 2
Publications received in correspondence, 1971, 1979, 1990, 1995
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts program (1971-1972 season), score of Octagon for orchestra by William Mayer, The Nutley Papers: A Fresh Look at the Titans of Music by James Billings, score of String Quartet No. 4 by Ned Rorem.
Box 12 Folder 3
Correspondence with prominent musical figures, circa 1960s-2010s
Includes letters from Anthony Perkins regarding cats; Correspondence regarding music from EMI, Leonard Bernstein, Glen Gould, Ned Rorem, Hugo Weisgall, Otto Luening, Lucia Popp, Gwyneth Jones, Astrid Varnay, Tim Page, Margaret Price, William Schuman, Régine Crespin (includes letter from Crespin to James Levine), E. Power Biggs, Lee Hoiby, Milton Babbitt, Emanuel Ax, Dawn Upshaw, Dominick Argento, Eric Bentley, Richard Tucker, Dorothy Kirsten, Lazlo Halasz, Boris Goldovsky, Felix Wolfes, Carl Lamson, Allen Sapp, Jean Kraft, Erich Leinsdorf, Meyer Kupferman, Schuyler Chapin, Donald Martino, William Mayer, Heddy Baum, Alexander Kipnis, Kent Nagano, William M. Hoffman, Joel Honig, Timothy Nolen, Omus Hirschbein, Nina Bojolo Alfano, Speight Jenkins, Teresa Sterne, Stephanie von Buchau, Nora London, Denes Striny, James Billings, autographed material by Renata Tebaldi, Frances Bible, and Anna Russell.
Box 13
Rosa Ponselle Juror's Medal (for judging the Rosa Ponselle singing competition in the mid-late 1970s), circa mid-late 1970s, 1 items
In a small box inside Box 13.
Box 21 Item 8
A radio interview with Peter Davis, WNFC-FM's Verdi Celebration, circa 1989, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 26
Davis's radio show, "The Art of Great Singing", undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 26.
Box 21 Item 31-39
Unlabeled 5.5-inch floppy disks, undated, 8 items
Items 33-39 have paper sheaths.
Box 21 Item 45
Windows 98 startup disk, 1998, 1 items
Box 21 Item 46
"Movie Actors, Part One", undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 47-48
"Movie Actors, Part Two", undated, 2 items
Two floppy disks with the same label: may contain the same content or it could be a single piece of content spread out over two disks.
Box 21 Item 49-50
"Movie Actors, Part Three", undated, 2 items
Two floppy disks with the same label: may contain the same content or it could be a single piece of content spread out over two disks.
Box 21 Item 51-66
Unlabeled 3.5-inch floppy disks, undated, 15 items
Box 21 Item 67
Universal boot disk (disk 1 of 1), undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 68
Upgraded modem download, undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 69-70
McAfee [anti]virus backup, undated, 2 items
Box 21 Item 71
McAfee [anti]virus program, undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 72
"Invisible Rivers, Marmoneck, masters of ceremony, [illegible]", undated, 1 items
It is unclear whether the phrases written on the label of the disk refer to a single file or to multiple files.
Box 21 Item 73
"Actors N- composers", undated, 1 items
Box 21 Item 75
"Actors A-M", undated, 1 items
"Davis Music Column" and some other text has been scratched out.
Series IV: Interviews, undated
Materials relating to Davis's interviews with various singers (Dawn Upshaw, Victoria de los Angeles, Thomas Hampson, Frederica von Stade, Elisabeth Söderström, among others) conductors (Zubin Metha, Karl Böhm, Trevor Pinnock, Christopher Hogwood, among others), composers (Robert Wright), and other musicians. The series consists primarily of audio material (interview recordings on CD and cassette tape), but also includes a pad containing interview notes. Further interview notes may be found within Davis's professional notebooks, housed in Series I. Notably, this series features cassette recordings of a number of interviews with musicians, conductors, and administrators at the New York Philharmonic. This series also includes a number of unidentified cassette tapes that were stored alongside cassette tapes which contained recordings of interviews.
Box 21 Item 1-3
Interview with Dawn Upshaw, undated, 3 audiocassettes
On both sides of items 1-3.
Box 21 Item 4
Interview with Jan de Gaetani, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 4
Interview with Eileen Farrell, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 6
Interview with baritone and professor of voice, Kevin McMillan, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Only one side is labeled, but the interview may span both sides.
Box 21 Item 7
Interview with conductor and Juilliard president, William Schumann, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 9
Interview with Victoria de los Angeles, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 10
Interview with composer/lyricist Robert Wright and his collaborator George Forrest, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 10.
Box 21 Item 11
Interview with Dame Janet Baker, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 11
Interview with conductor Eric Leinsdorf, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 12
Interview with conductor Trevor Pinnock, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Only one side is labeled, but the interview may span both sides.
Box 21 Item 13
Interview with conductor Christopher Hogwood, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 13.
Box 21 Item 14
Interview with conductor Zubin Mehta, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 14.
Box 21 Item 15
Audio tape labeled "Webster" on both sides, possibly an interview with New York Philharmonic managing director, Albert K. Webster, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Label on the tape case says: 'Robert Dick. Side A, 1: "Flames Must Not Encircle Sides," 2. "Piece in Gamelan Style," 3. "Or"; Side B, 1. "Young Teeth," 2. "T=C10 (bass flute)," 3. "Whispers and Landings," 4. "Glimpse from the Blimpse (bass flute)." All works composed and performed by Robert Dick and all were recorded acoustically without any overdubs or electronics. circa 1983 by Robert Dick.' [This label may not reflect the contents of the tape].
Box 21 Item 16
Interview(s) with musicans of the New York Philharmonic: "Ware" [John Ware?] and "Benedetti" [Evangeline Benedetti?], undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 16
Interview(s) with musicans of the New York Philharmonic: "Benedetti" [Evangeline Benedetti?] and "Smith", undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 17
Audio tape labeled "Shanet" on one side and "Leinsdorf - Shanet" on the other, possibly interviews with Howard Shanet and Eric Leinsdorf, undated, 1 audiocassettes
One side is only labeled "Shanet" and the other is labeled "Shanet-Leinsdorf" (likely Erich Leinsdorf).
Box 21 Item 18
Audio tape labeled "Webster 1" on one side and "Webster 2" on the other, possibly an interview with New York Philharmonic managing director, Albert K. Webster, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Label saying "This and That/William Elliott, Misc. Music 1975-1980, stereo only" has been crossed out on one of the sides.
Box 21 Item 19
Interview with Los Angeles Philharmonic general director, Ernst Fleischmann, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 19.
Box 21 Item 20
Audio tape labeled "Webster 3," "Whyte," "Bernsohn," and "O'Brien" on one side, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Label is only on one side of item 20. These are most likely interviews relating to the New York Philharmonic; however, it is unclear if these are seperate interviews or just a single interview. "Bernsohn" is likely to be cellist Lorin Bernsohn, "Webster" is likely New York Philharmonic managing director, Albert K. Webster, "Whyte" is likely violinist Donald Whyte, "O'Brien" is likely bassist Orin O'Brien.
Box 21 Item 21
Interview with Elisabeth Söderström, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 21.
Box 21 Item 22
Interview with Frederica von Stade, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Only one side is labeled, but the interview may span both sides.
Box 21 Item 23
Interview with Thomas Hampson, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Only one side is labeled, but the interview may span both sides.
Box 21 Item 24
Interview with Thomas Hampson, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 25
Interview with conductor Karl Böhm, with Met[ropolitan Opera] artistic liaison, Sissy Strauss, as intermediary, undated, 1 audiocassettes
On both sides of item 25.
Box 21 Item 27
Unlabeled audio cassette tape, undated, 1 audiocassettes
Both sides and case unlabeled.
Box 21 Item 189-190
CDs labeled "E + P interviews", undated, 2 compact disks
One CD has additional labeling "1. Wozzeck, 2. I cavalieri di Ekebù, 3. I masnadieri, 4. Elisa, 5. Boris Godunov"; another has labeling "1. Il mulatto (The Barrier), 2. Leonore, 3. Prisoniero (P + Wayne Shirley), 4. libretto reading."
Box 21 Item 191-193
Interview with Victoria de los Angeles, undated, 3 compact disks
Box 25 Folder 6
Pad containing interview notes, undated
Series V: Compositions, circa 1950s-1964, bulk 1959-1962
This series consists primarily of musical compositions written by Peter G. Davis, mostly in the form of autograph manuscript scores and recordings. Davis undertook a MA in composition at Columbia University from 1959-1962, and many of the materials in this series were likely produced during this time. This series also contains various materials (annotated scores, annotated and autographed parts, reel-to-reel tapes) relating to the 1964 performance of Davis's opera, Zoe, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. A number of musical genres are represented in this series in various forms, including opera (Zoe and its predecessor The Catalyst), string quartet (the String Quartet on E-flat), art song (the song cycle Shards and its predecessor Sherds, various lieder), orchestral music (Changes for orchestra), operetta (settings of two different W.S. Gilbert libretti), and cabaret (the musical revue Miss Informed). This series contains notebooks, sketches, rough drafts, fragments, lyric sheets, and correspondence relating to many of these pieces, in addition to complete manuscript scores, manuscript vocal scores, and other performing materials in Davis's hand. This series contains a significant audio component, including reel-to-reel tapes, long-playing records, and a number of cassette tapes.
Box 9 Folder 1
Texts set by Davis: Shards by Richard Ringler; Zoe by Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson, circa 1950s-1960s
Including Zoe (Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson) and Shards (Richard Ringler); also contains Davis's curriculum vitae from the early 1960s and a program for the Columbia-Barnard Arts Festival, 1961.
Box 9 Folder 2
Loose manuscript vocal score: a setting of W.S. Gilbert's Thespis (operetta), undated
Manuscript: likely set to music by Davis himself.
Box 15 Folder 1
Bound manuscript vocal score: His Excellency (operetta), text by W.S. Gilbert, circa 1959-1962
Manuscript with typed dialogue taped onto pages: hardcover bound.
Box 15 Folder 2
String Quartet (on E-flat), circa 1959-1962
Full score of the autograph manuscript (loose, numbered pages), sketches, parts (violin I, violin II, viola).
Box 15 Folder 3
Manuscript of an orchestral arrangement of Leoš Janáček's Zápisník zmizelého (1919), undated
Manuscript: likely arranged by Davis himself.
Box 15 Folder 4
Sketches and fragments, circa 1959-1962
Fragments of works for piano and voice, for orchestra, for piano solo; fragments of musico-dramatic works; sketches for Shards; sketches of tone rows.
Box 15 Folder 5
Performing copies of Shards (song cycle), texts by Richard Ringler, circa 1959-1962
Loose pages: some contain annotations.
Box 15 Folder 6
Sketches and fragments; material relating to Shards, "Robert" (art song/song cycles), circa 1959-1962
Includes various drafts of Shards, photocopies of the Shards manuscript, other sketches and fragments for voice and piano (possibly also from Shards); also includes page 54 of Eliot Carter's Piano Concerto.
Box 15 Folder 7
Art song manuscripts: "Sänge eines Fahrenden Spielmanns," "Friedensabend" (texts by Stefan George); "Poem"; "Robert", circa 1959-1962
May also include material from Shards.
Box 17 Folder 1
Material relating to Zoe/The Catalyst (opera): correspondence with librettist Snick Wilson, pencil sketches, full manuscript of The Catalyst in ink, circa 1959-1962
The full manuscript is written in ink and is hardcover bound. Correspondence is tucked in the cover of the manuscript.
Box 17 Folder 2
Two wirebound notebooks containing sketches for the String Quartet (on E-flat), Zoe/The Catalyst (opera), and others, circa 1959-1962
Box 17 Folder 3
Annotated, spiralbound vocal scores of Zoe (opera), text by Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson, circa 1964
The first copy has annotations and corrections in all parts (including corrections taped into the manuscript); the second copy is labeled "Tenore" in pencil in the front cover and has annotations for the role of Asa; the third copy has annotations for the role of Zoe. These are likely from the recording session at La Scala in 1964.
Box 18 Folder 1
Pencil sketch (orchestral); pencil sketch (chamber or orchestral), circa 1959-1962
Box 18 Folder 2
Manuscript orchestral score of Zoe (opera), text by Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson. Three volumes: Scene 1, Scene 2, and Scene 3, circa 1959-1962
Box 18 Folder 3
Orchestral parts for Zoe (opera), signed and annotated by players of the La Scala Orchestra, circa 1964
Likely from the recording session at La Scala in 1964. Parts labeled: corno inglese, corno in fa, trombone, trumpet in do, piano, oboe, fagotto, violino 2, flauto, contrabasso, violoncello, timpani, violino 1, clarinetto basso in si bemolle, clarinetto in si bemolle. Viola (alto) part seems to be missing.
Box 18 Folder 4
Orchestral manuscripts: Changes for orchestra, circa 1959-1962
Three manuscripts: two labeled "Changes for orchestra" and one that is unlabeled but may also be part of Changes for orchestra.
Box 18 Folder 5
Sketches and fragments: primarily material relating to Zoe/The Catalyst (opera), circa 1959-1962
A number of pencil manuscripts (loose and in volumes), mostly relating to the opera Zoe and its predecessor The Catalyst. There are also a number of unlabeled sketches.
Box 18 Folder 6
Complete manuscripts for Shards and Sherds (song cycles), texts by Richard Ringler, circa 1959-1962
Sherds is a shorter version of Shards. Also contains a program from the Barnard-Columbia Arts Festival, Columbia Composers concert on April 12th (circa 1961), in which Sherds was performed.
Box 18 Folder 7
Onionskin manuscript of the vocal score for Zoe (opera), text by Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson, 1961 December 22
Box 18 Folder 8
Onionskin manuscript of the orchestral score for Zoe (opera), text by Lewis Steel and Snick Wilson, 1961 December 22
Box 18 Folder 9
Vocal parts for The Four Chaplains (in two volumes: parts 1 and 2); fragment of His Excellency (operetta), text by W.S. Gilbert, undated
The Four Chaplains appears to be a musico-dramatic work; it was likely either composed or transcribed by Davis himself. His Excellency is a new setting of a W.S. Gilbert libretto: the fragment here is from the number "Now all that we've agreed upon-o."
Box 20 Item 195
The cabaret Miss Informed, text by Margot Dennes and Al Jacobs, produced by Rockwell Films Inc, Cambridge MA, 1957
Two sides. The recording series title is given as "Drumbeats and Songs 1957." Side 1: 8 bands (Overture, "Teen-age Square Dance," "Study-Time Madrigal," "Intellectual Song," "Dear John," "Miss Informed," "Society Song," "You're in Love." Side 2, 7 bands: "Professorial Polka," "Section Man's Lament," "Priscilla-Fred Duet," "Flat on a Brattle Street," "I've Got A Lot to Learn," "Why Do You Keep Us On a String?," "Women Were Made for Men," "How Do You Do?," "Finale."
Box 21 Item 28
Zoe (opera) with both voices and orchestra, libretto by Lewis Steel, conducted by Dennis R. Burk, La Scala orchestra, 1964, 1 open reel audiotapes
Recorded by the Professori dell'orchestra della Scala di Milano, conducted by Dennis Burk (1964).
Box 21 Item 29
Zoe (opera) with orchestra only, libretto by Lewis Steel, conducted by Dennis R. Burk, La Scala orchestra, 1964, 1 open reel audiotapes
Recorded by the Professori dell'orchestra della Scala di Milano, conducted by Dennis Burk (1964).
Box 21 Item 30
Sherds (song cycle), text by Roger Ringer, Leyna Gabriele (soprano), Norman Curtis (piano), March 1961, 1964, 1 open reel audiotapes
Full track copy. Only songs 2, 4, and 6 recorded ("Iphigenia," "Helen," "Penelope"). .
Series VI: Education, 1948-circa 1960
This series contains material relating to Davis's education at Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts (1948-1954), Harvard College (1954-1958), and the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik (1958-1959). Material relating to his MA in composition at Columbia University is housed under the series "Compositions." This series includes notebooks, diaries, essays, and correspondence produced while Davis was enrolled at these institutions. This series also contains material relating to performances that Davis gave during his high school, college, and post-college schooling, such as audio recordings (on reel-to-reel tape and cassette tapes), programs, and annotated scripts. (Note that some material relating to performances which he gave or attended during his time at high school and college is kept in the scrapbooks house in the series "Programs.") Throughout this series, there are a number of documents relating to Davis's high school friend, actor Earle Edgerton, who he continued to collaborate with beyond his time at Belmont Hill School.
Box 13
Karen Lee Boroughs Music Award, Belmont Hill School, 1953, 1 items
Large trophy, wrapped in bubble wrap. The plaque that encircles the trophy has come loose.
Box 19 Folder 1
Harvard College materials, 1954-1958
Includes graded essays, correspondence, material relating to college performances. Contains some material relating to the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik.
Box 19 Folder 2
Harvard College notebooks: diary and a handwritten study on Richard Strauss, circa 1957
Box 19 Folder 3
Belmont Hill School materials, circa 1948-1954, 1993
Includes material relating to high school performances (such as annotated programs) and a school newspaper with an article by Davis on Der Rosenkavalier. Includes Davis's 1993 obituary for his high school friend, Earle M. Edgerton.
Box 19 Folder 4
Belmont Hill School: annotated scripts, circa 1948-1954
Annotated scripts of Dear Brutus, Montserrat, and Old Crump (all of which Davis performed at Belmont Hill School in the early 1950s).
Box 19 Folder 5
Europe travel diary; appointment book, 1956, 1959
Box 20 Item 88-110
CDs containing recordings of various Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at Belmont Hill School, 1953-1955, 23 compact disks
Works featured include The Pirates of Penzance, Patience, Iolanthe, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, The Grand Duke, His Excellency, Trial by Jury, The Sorcerer, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, The Gondeliers, Utopia Limited. Recordings are spread out over multiple CDs; some CDs contain excerpts from multiple works.
Box 20 Item 111-188
CDs containing recordings of various Shakespeare plays, with Peter Davis and Earle Edgerton playing all roles, circa early 1960s, 78 compact disks
A vast majority of Shakespeare's plays are featured, including: The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, All's Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Love's Labours Lost, Othello, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Troilus and Cressida, Romeo and Juliet, King John, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry VI, and Richard III. Recordings are spread out over multiple CDs; some CDs contain excerpts from multiple works. The sheaths containing the CDs are labeled with the name of the play(s) and the act(s) and/or scene(s) featured.
Box 20 Item 194
Davis's audition tape for the Stuttgart Hochschule für Musik, circa 1958, 1 phonograph records
Two sides: Pieces featured in the audition include: [Johann Sebastian] Bach, Prelude and Fugue in B-flat minor (side 1, band 1); [Wolfgang Amadeus] Mozart, Sonata in B flat, K.498a, movement 1 (side 1, band 2); [Ernst von] Dohnányi, Rhapsody in F-sharp minor, opus 11 (side 2, band 1); [Camille] Saint-Saëns, "Amour viens aider ma faiblesse" [from Samson et Dalila] (side 2, band 2); [Giuseppe] Verdi, "O don fatale" [ from Don Carlo] (side 2, band 3).
Box 21 Item 5
Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern by W.S. Gilbert, circa 1953-1956, 1 audiocassettes
Side A (1) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Box 21 Item 5
"Blithe Spirit - operatized", circa 1953-1956, 1 audiocassettes
Side A (314) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Box 21 Item 5
A party in Earle [Edgerton]'s freshman dormitories with "P," Rich Hill, Tom Flint, Josh Epstein, 2 intruders, spring 1953, 1953, 1 audiocassettes
Side A (419) and Side B (1) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Box 21 Item 5
A party in Lowell House, 1956, with "P," Robin Kinnell, Charlie Wohl, Theo Weyer, "Swiss guy", 1956, 1 audiocassettes
Side B (253) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Box 21 Item 5
P[eter?] playing [Ernst von] Dohnányi's Second Rhapsody, circa 1953, circa 1953, 1 audiocassettes
Side B (420) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Box 21 Item 5
"Ilse and Omi greetings to Stephen on birthday", circa 1953-1956, 1 audiocassettes
Side B (492) of item 5 ("Home Tapes 1: Earle [Edgerton] and Peter [Davis], plays, improvisations, parties").
Series VII: Personal and musical memorabilia, 1912-1913, 1953-2021, bulk 1953-1989
This series consists of musical and personal memorabilia that Davis collected over the course of his life. This series primarily includes souvenir programs and ticket stubs, photographs, and scores that Davis owned. Davis collected a number of souvenir programs and ticket stubs for a range of musical, operatic, and theatrical performances. These materials mainly date from the 1950s through to the 1980s and were primarily collected during Davis's travels in Europe. However, there are some programs from the 1950s and 1960s that were collected from performances in the United States of America (primarily around Boston, and New York). Many of these programs were held in a ring-bound scrapbook kept by Davis, where they were taped to lined paper containing Davis's handwritten annotations on the performance. This series contains full programs for a number of major international Classical music festivals (the Bayreuth Festspiele, the Salzburger Festspiele, the Spoleto Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival). Other institutions that are significantly represented include the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Staatstheater Stuttgart, the Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Opera Theater.
Additionally, this series contains photographs collected by Davis: photographs of Davis himself, of various musical figures (composers and singers), of Davis's personal acquaintances, and of the 1965 recording of Mahler's Symphony No.10 at Columbia Records (which Davis attended). This series also contains an autographed portrait of soprano Lisa Della Casa. Note that photographs collected for publication in The American Opera Singer were largely kept separate by Davis and have been filed under the series relating to that monograph. This series also includes two published scores that Davis kept in his papers (an annotated score of songs by Carl Loewe, a score of Tobias Picker's String Quartet with Bass), and cassette tapes of various radio broadcasts.
Box 16
Photocopy of a manuscript of Tobias Picker's String Quartet with Bass, 1988, 1 boxes
Box 21 Item 8
Act IV of Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore, Metropolitan Opera, 1/21/1989, 1989, 1 audiocassettes
Box 21 Item 8
Interview (not conducted by Davis) with Rosa Ponselle, "Verdi the Dramatist," Jerome Hines singing "Ella giammai m'amo" from Verdi's Don Carlo in Buenos Aires, 6/6/1967, 1967, 1 audiocassettes
On side A of item 8; some illegible text on label; it is unclear if the features listed are three seperate radio broadcasts or all part of the same radio broadcast.
Box 21 Item 24
Concert Artists Guild: 1989 New York Competition Winners. Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo-soprano, and Bo Veistrup, piano: Hugo Alfvén, "Saa tag mit Hjerte"; Gustav Mahler, "Hans und Grethe." Marie-Pierre Langlament, harp: Gabriel Fauré, "Impromptu", 1989, 1 audiocassettes
Possibly on side 1 of item 24.
Box 22 Folder 1
Personal photographs, 1957, undated
Includes a photograph of Davis at the Tanglewood Summer Festival, a photograph of Davis's former partner, Jeffrey Gorney, and a signed photograph of soprano Lisa Della Casa. The latter was formerly housed in a frame and delivered in a labeled envelope. It has since been deframed; however, the envelope is included in the folder. Its label reads: "Photo of Lisa Della Casa, soprano beloved by Peter, vocal career primarily from the 1950s through the 1970s. Peter heard her in various opera houses."
Box 22 Folder 2
Photographs relating to Davis's professional activities, 1965, undated
Includes photographs of various composers and singers, photographs of Davis, photographs from the 1965 recording of Mahler's tenth symphony at Columbia Records (which Davis attended).
Box 22 Folder 3
A copy of the published score for Carl Loewe's Balladen und Lieder (New York: Peters, circa 1968), annotated by Davis, circa 1968
Annotated notes related to recordings of Loewe's lieder.
Box 22 Folder 4
Posthumous tributes to Peter Davis, 2021
Obituaries of Peter G. Davis and letters of condolence to Scott Parris.
Box 22 Folder 5-6
Souvenir programs from Europe, 1985-1988, 2 folders
Some programs are interleaved with loose ticket stubs and/or correspondence. Contains programs from the Schubertiade Hohentems, Teatro di San Carlo, Bayerische Staatsoper.
Box 23 Folder 1-4
Souvenir programs from Europe, 1953-1955, 1957-1959, 4 folders
Some programs are interleaved with loose ticket stubs and/or correspondence. Contains programs from the Spoleto Festival, Berlin Philharmonic, Teatro alla Scala, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Salzburger Festspiele, among others. Folder labeled 1953-1955 includes a playbill for the musical The Boy Friend at the Royale Theatre, New York; the first folder labeled 1957-1959 includes programs for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Guide Theater Company, and the Lowell House Music Society.
Box 24 Folder 1-5
Souvenir programs from Europe, 1957-1959, 1961-1962, 1965-1966, 5 folders
Some programs are interleaved with loose ticket stubs and/or correspondence. Contains a complete set of programs from the 1962 Bayreuth Festspiele, individual programs from the Royal Opera House, Theater an der Wien, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Edinburgh International Festival, Bayreuth Festspiele, Arena di Verona, Bayerishe Staatsoper, Wurtembergische Staatsoper, among others.
Box 25 Folder 1
Souvenir programs from Europe, 1972
Program for the 1972 Salzburger Festpiele.
Box 25 Folder 2-4
Scrapbook of annotated programs and ticket stubs, 1912-1913, 1951-1955, 1957-1959, 3 folders
These were originally held together in three ring-binders (corresponding to the three folders that now house them). Consists of programs and ticket stubs, each taped to a sheet of ring-binder paper containing annotations by Davis. The folder labeled "1953-1955" contains loose, unannotated programs and an envelope of loose ticket stubs that were found in the scrapbook. The folder labeled "1912-1913, 1951-1953, 1955, 1957-1959" also contains correspondence (in German), programs of Davis's performances at Belmont Hill School and at Harvard College, and a program of the 1912-1913 Boston Opera House season. Institutions featured include the Sadlers Wells Ballet, New England Opera Theater, New Century Theater, Plymouth Theater, Jordan Hall, Colonial Theater, Boston Symphony, Symphony Hall, Wilbur Theater, Schubert Theater, New York City Ballet, Majestic Theater, New England Conservatory of Music, New York City Opera, Belmont Hill School, and Harvard College. Includes programs for opera, ballet, operetta, chamber music, symphonic music, spoken theater, and musical theater.
Box 25 Folder 5
Material relating to the death of Jan DeGaetani, 1991-1992
Includes programs for memorial concerts, obituaries, correspondence regarding her death.