Series I contains material relating to Gabriele's career as a freelance singer from the 1940s through the 1970s. The series covers a range of opera, recital, and concert performances both in the United States and in Europe (with Gabriele's Italian performances particularly well represented). The bulk of this series consists of programs, publicity material, and press clippings relating to these performances, but also includes correspondence, administrative documents, photographs, sheet music, and some recordings. Scores in this series (many of which are annotated) document her collaborations with a number of contemporary American and Italian composers, including Douglas Moore, Jack Beeson, David Amram, and Vincent Persichetti. Notable performances featured in this series include Gabriele's early recital work in West Virginia in the 1940s, her 1958 recital at the New York Town Hall, her performances at Central City Opera and other regional opera houses, and her 1959 performance of La bohème at the Teatro di San Carlo. Notably, this series features a number of rare, unreleased recordings of Gabriele's opera and concert performances (including world premieres) and also recordings of Gabriele's singing lessons with Laszlo Halasz. Note that although Gabriele sang in recitals and operas with the Masterworks Laboratory Theater, these materials are held under Series II, alongside documents relating to her directorial work. And although Gabriele performed frequently at Chez Vito, this facet of her vocal career is housed under Series III.
This series contains a wide range of material (press clippings, promotional material, programs, correspondence) relating to Gabriele's performance in Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe - both at its Central City Opera premiere in 1956 and its subsequent revival in Stanford, California. The opera gained a cult following in the wake of its premiere, spawning a passionate fandom known as the "Doeheads." Gabriele was heavily involved in the "Doehead" community attending almost every subsequent production of the opera on the American continent, talking on panels about the opera, hosting "Doehead" parties, and corresponding with her fans about her performance. These "Doehead" materials are well represented in this series (including programs, press clippings, promotional material, correspondence, administrative documents), and provide insight into the performance and reception history of Moore's opera. Gabriele also collected material relating to the life of the real Baby Doe Tabor (books, articles, etc.), all of which are included in this series. This series not only contains recordings of Gabriele performing The Ballad of Baby Doe, but also of various conferences, panels, and events relating to the opera.
Box 1 Folder 5
Two books about Baby Doe, 1971, 1973, 2002, 2006
Caroline Bancroft, Silver Queen: The Fabulous Story of Baby Doe Tabor (Boulder: Johnson Publishing Company, 1971) [contains a handwritten annotation on the inside cover dated 1973]. Duane A. Smith, The Ballad of Baby Doe: "I Shall Walk Beside My Love" (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2002) [contains a handwritten annotation on the inside cover dated 2006].
Box 1 Folder 6
Photographs of Gabriele in performance and at "Doehead" events, 1959, circa 2006, undated
Includes: various photographs of Gabriele in recital and performance; a photograph of Gabriele with Douglas Moore [?]; photographs from the fiftieth-anniversary performance of The Ballad of Baby Doe at Central City Opera, which Gabriele attended.
Box 1 Folder 7
Zinc photographic plate of Gabriele, undated
Box 1 Folder 8
Baby Doe correspondence, 2000-2001
Also includes some clippings sent in correspondence and printouts of emails.
Box 1 Folder 9
Memorabilia relating to a production of The Ballad of Baby Doe by Ars Nova in Huntsville, Alabama, 2010
Includes: a typed copy of a speech related to the performance; programs; clippings of articles about the performance.
Box 2 Folder 1-3
Memorabilia and correspondence relating to The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1955, 1961, 1997, 2000-2004, 2006, 2008-2009, 2011, 3 folders
From productions around the United States, including: programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, printouts of articles, brochures, advertisements, correspondence with "Doeheads," singers, critics, and opera companies. Opera companies represented among the memorabilia include: New York City Opera, Central City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Connecticut Opera, Calgary Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Washington Opera, Governor's School for the Arts. Also includes print material relating to various Douglas Moore memorial concerts. Also includes publications about the real Baby Doe Tabor and the Tabor Opera House. Includes a copy of Gabriele's address book. Some of this material was originally in a folder titled "Baby Doe Party."
Box 2 Folder 4
Memorabilia relating to the 50th anniversary performance of The Ballad of Baby Doe at Central City Opera, 2005-2007
Includes: travel planning documents; newspaper clippings about the anniversary; correspondence about gala events (with Central City Opera and the "Doeheads").
Box 2 Folder 5
Memorabilia relating to a production of The Ballad of Baby Doe at Calgary Opera, 2007-2008
Includes: emails about publicity for the production; newspaper clippings about the production, Gabriele, and the "Doeheads"; a program and a brochure for the performance; travel planning documents and emails (with David Kanzeg).
Box 2 Folder 6
Photographs and newspaper clippings from the original production of The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1956
Includes newspaper clippings about the opera and about Leyna Gabriele's performance. Includes production photographs and photographs of the cast and composer at events relating to the performance.
Box 3 Folder 1
Gabriele's recital at the New York Town Hall with National Artists Corporation, 1958
Includes brochures, programs, invitation letters, a seating map of the Town Hall, and a notebook containing a list of attendees and their seat allocations.
Box 3 Folder 2-5
Programs for operas and recitals featuring Gabriele, 1945, 1947-1950, 1952-1954, 1956-1960, 1962-1968, 4 folders
Venues or companies include: New York City Town Hall; Toledo Opera; Peabody Art Theater; Allied Concert Services; Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia; Bradford Civic Music Association; Castello di San Giusto; Charleston Symphony Orchestra; Fairmont Business and Professional Women's Club; Piazzetta Carlo Cattaneo; Masterworks Theater; Maggio Castagnolese; Clarksburg Opera Guild; Teatro di San Carlo; Interfaith Oratorio Society of Long Island; Central City Opera; Columbia University Composer's Forum; Finger Lakes Lyric Circus; Dayton Opera Association; Eighth Operalogue; Columbia University Collegium Musicum; The Women's Division of the State of Israel Bonds; Columbia University Opera Workshop; American Association of University Women; New School for Social Research; First Presbyterian Church of Fairmont; The Actors Studio; Clarskburg Opera Guild; Civic Music Association; Middle Georgia College; La Grange Mutual Concert Association; Takoma Park Baptist Church; Marshall School of Music and Drama; Fairmont State College; Concert Artists Guild; Georgetown College; Musicarnival; Carnegie Recital Hall; Cincinnati Summer Opera Festival. Works include: I Pagliacci; Idomeneo; Hamlet (Kagen); Don Pasquale; La Traviata; La bohème; Judas Maccabaeus; The Ballad of Baby Doe; Hello There!; Die Fledermaus; The Telephone; Der Schauspieldirektor; Polifem (Bononcini); Gianni Schicchi; Martha; Rosalinda. Includes some service sheets for Gabriele's church gigs. Includes some newspaper clippings about Chez Vito. Includes typewritten lists (of audition repertoire, concert repertoire) and other administrative documents relating to her concert career (itineraries, etc.).
Box 4 Folder 1-2
Publicity materials produced for Gabriele by talent agencies, 1958-1963, 1965-1966, 2 folders
Talent agencies include: Eric Semon Associates, National Artists Corporation, and Listin Music.
Box 4 Folder 3-6
Leyna Gabriele publicity photos, 1949, 1952, 1963, undated, 4 folders
Some photographs are stained, burned, or silvering.
Box 5 Folder 1
Leyna Gabriele performances (photographs), 1949, 1952, 1959, 1963
Original folders had additional labelling: "1. Hart School Music, Martha, Gianni Schicchi (1949), [unintelligible] (1952). 2. Don Pasquale, Lugano, Switzerland, Fernando [unintelligible] (1959). 3. La Traviata (First) [unintelligible] under directions of Ruby Marshall Scott (first voice teacher) with [unintelligible]. 4. Die Fledermaus [unintelligible] theater the [unintelligible], Rosalinda, [unintelligible] 1963" and "Musetta in La Bohème, Central City Colorado Opera, 1962. 1954 First Musetta New York City. Musetta in San Carlo Opera, [unintelligible] Naples, Italy."
Box 5 Folder 2
The Hartt Opera Guild, 1948-1950
For: Martha and Polifem; programs for Hansel und Gretel, The Gooseherd and the Goblin, Polifem, Gianni Schicchi, Martha, and An Evening of Modern Opera. Cast lists for various showcases.
Box 5 Folder 3
West Virginia recitals and concerts, 1945, 1949-1950, 1952, 1957
Includes photographs of recitals (Gabriele and other singers), newspaper clippings, programs, correspondence, airline tickets, programs for Rosalinda, La Traviata, scrapbook pages of press clippings. For various local companies and venues.
Box 5 Folder 4
Recitals and concerts: NYC and other locations (not West Virginia) including reviews, 1947, 1949-1953, 1958-1959, 1963-1964, undated
Includes newspaper clippings, programs, correspondence, repertoire lists, notes. Locations include: Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, Nutley (New Jersey), Milton Gerberer Zionist District (New York City), Columbia University Composers Forum, National Opera Club of America (New York City), Queen Elizabeth II (transatlantic ship), Concert Artists Guild (New York City), Town Hall (New York City), Civic Music Association (Bradford, Pennsylvania), Alfred Concert Series (Watertown, South Dakota), Boston Opera Group.
Box 5 Folder 5
Fulbright Grant to Italy, 1950-1951
Includes press clippings announcing Gabriele's Fulbright award; programs (for Gabriele's concerts, including her opera debut in Milan); administrative documents (from the State Department, the American Commission of Cultural Exchange with Italy); course documents (for the Italian University for Foreigners); a ticket pass to La Scala; correspondence; application materials; travel documents; a full list of Fulbright awardees, 1950-1951.
Box 5 Folder 6
Press clippings regarding Gabriele's performances (Europe and the United States), 1954, 1957, 1959-1963, 1965, 1978
From Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. Includes: La bohème at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Martha at Clarksburg Opera; La bohème at Central City Opera; I Pagliacci in Toledo, Ohio; Hamlet at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore; Die Fledermaus at Lyric Circus in Skaneateles, New York; Die Fledermaus at the Cleveland Musicarnival; Don Pasquale in Clarksburg; Don Pasquale in Lugano, Switzerland; Hello Out There at Columbia University.
Box 5 Folder 7
Press clippings and programs from performances with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, 1949-1950
Includes correspondence with the American Symphony Orchestra League.
Box 5 Folder 8
Press clippings from performances in Italy, 1959
Includes a contract and correspondence with the Teatro di San Carlo.
Box 6 Folder 1
Judas Maccabaeus with the Interfaith Oratorio Society, 1966
With the Nassau County Department of Public Works at Salisbury Park. Includes photographs of Gabriele in Walt Witcover's production, press clippings, and a press release.
Box 6 Folder 2
Gabriele's singing contracts, 1954, 1959, 1964
With the National Artists Corporation, Fingerlake Lyric Circus, Fairmont Concert Association, Toledo Opera Association, Dayton Opera Association, Civic Concert Service.
Box 6 Folder 3
Publicity material for The Ballad of Baby Doe in Central City and at Stanford, 1956-1957, 1961
Includes a list of Gabriele's opera VCRs.
Box 6 Folder 4
Photographs of Central City Opera's production of La bohème, 1962
Box 6 Folder 5
Publicity and programs from Mrs. Scott in Clarksburg, 1957-1960, 1976, 1978
Relating to Gabriele and to other singers at the Clarksburg Opera Guild.
Box 7 Folder 1
Photographs of Gabriele's recital at the New York City Town Hall, 1958
Includes a program for the event.
Box 7 Folder 2
Leyna Gabriele performance programs - general, 1949, 1951, 1960, 1966, 1979, 1983-1984, 1996
For: the Purchase Symphony Orchestra; SUNY Purchase faculty recital series; Columbia University Chorus; Interfaith Oratorio Society of Long Island; RMS Queen Elizabeth; Business and Professional Women's Club of Fairmont; Bryant Park Restoration Corporation.
Box 7 Folder 3
Articles about Gabriele, 1963, 1967, 1990, 2007, undated
Includes a complete issue of Opera News.
Box 7 Folder 4
Photographs of an unidentified operatic production, most likely La bohème, undated
Box 22 Folder 5
Life magazine, 1959 May 11
Includes an article about Baby Doe Tabor.
Box 22 Folder 6
Stray Birds, song cycle by Kenneth Gaburo, 1959
For soprano and piano. Text by Rabindranath Tagore. Ringbound ozalid score. Two copies.
Box 22 Folder 7
Piano-vocal scores by Gabriele's contemporaries, 1945, 1951-1952, 1955-1956, 1959, 1961
Ozalid copies of handwritten scores. Works include: "Milly's Song" from scene 3 of the opera The Wings of the Dove by Douglas Moore (three copies); "Three Songs" for high voice, by Jack Beeson, texts by William Blake; "Against Idleness and Mischief and In Praise of Labor: a practice session for voice and piano for Leyna, Madga, Mari, Shirlee, and Teresa" by Jack Beeson, text by Isaak Watts; "Six Lyrics" for high voice and piano, by Jack Beeson; "Eldorado" for high voice and piano, by Jack Beeson, text by Edgar Allan Poe; "Five Arias from Solo Cantatas by Benedetto Marcello," edited and with figured bass realizations by John Edmonds; "My True-Love Hath My Heart" by Seymour Barab with text by Phillip Sidney; "Four Songs from Shakespeare's Tempest" by Roy Travis; "The Preachers" by Edmund Haines, text by Norman Nicholson; "Vocalise" by Edmund Haines; "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Vincent Persichetti.
Box 23 Folder 1-3
Piano-vocal score of Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden, circa 1965, 3 folders
Loose ozalid copies and some ringbound pages. Some are annotated. Pages were stored out of order and it is not clear if the entire score is present.
Box 23 Folder 4
Piano-vocal score of Lilium Crucis by Licinio Refice, undated
For soloists, women's chorus, orchestra, and organ. Ringbound ozalid handwritten score.
Box 23 Folder 5
Piano-vocal score of Twelfth Night by David Amram, undated
Libretto adapted from Shakespeare by Joseph Papp. Ringbound ozalid handwritten score. Some pages appear to be missing.
Box 23 Folder 6
Piano-vocal scores for songs by Hubert Doris, 1960, undated
Spiralbound ozalid handwritten score. Includes some loose pages interleaved. Texts by John Donne and William Blake.
Box 23 Folder 7
Piano-vocal score of Sherds by Peter Davis, circa 1961
Ozalid copy. Texts by Richard Ringler.
Box 24 Folder 1-2
Piano-vocal score for the opera Hello Out There! by Jack Beeson, circa 1953, 2 folders
Text by William Saroyan. Ringbound ozalid handwritten score and loose pages.
Box 24 Folder 3
Gabriele's headshots, undated
Box 26 Item 1-2
"Leyna Gabriele, Douglas Moore: The Ballad of Baby Doe", 1999, 2 digital audio tapes
Box 26 Item 3
Unlabeled digital audio tape, circa 1999, 1 digital audio tapes
In a box titled "Baby Doe." In a bag titled "Baby Doe Film and DAT recordings."
Box 26 Item 4-7
"Baby Doe", 1956 June 30, 4 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 10
"Leyna Gabriele", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 11
"Outtakes", 1980, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 12
"Leyna Demo Tape", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 13
"[illegible]: My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair; She Never Told Her Love. Mozart. Strauss. [illegible] songs: [illegible] ([illegible]). Regatta Virginia [?]. Lesson with Halasz on Recital Program. Not Very Good.", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 14
"Lesson with Halasz on Traviata, Act I", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 15
"Duo Recital with L. Gabriele [?], B. McBrath [?]", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 16
"Leyna: Hamlet with Halasz. A Double Pound [?] All the Way", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 17
"Blank Except for Jack's Songs by [illegible]. Radio Broadcast", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 18
"Lesson with M. Halasz for [illegible].", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
The carton label "Radio Music" is crossed out.
Box 26 Item 20
"Lesson on Traviata with Halasz", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 22
"Gabriele Mozart Outtakes", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 23
"Bécaud [?], Adamo, Brel, French Music", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 24
"Side One: Mozart, The Goose of Cairo (K.422)", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
The rest of the carton label reads: Paul Media, Don Pippo; L. Lehmann, Clidora; George Helden, Biondello; Kurt Westi, Calandrino; Gertraut Stocklassa, Chicchibio; Ilse Hollweg, Auretta; Munchen Chamber Orch. cond. by Gunther Weissenborn."
Box 26 Item 25
"Gabriele: SUNY recital", 1983 March 3, 1 open reel audiotapes
Box 26 Item 26
"Gabriele: Operatic Arias", 1962, 1964, 1 open reel audiotapes
Track list includes: "Leyna, 8/62. Ignited, 3/64. 1. Manon, Adieu mon petit table. 2. Pagliacci, Baletta. 3. Catari, Cor ingrato. 4. I Could Have Danced All Night."
Box 27 Item 28
"Phyllis Paige, O zittre nicht (Magic Flute). Regnara nel silenzio (Lucia). Madama Butterfly: Lesson with Maestro Halasz. Bad recording with part of another recording on tape.", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Carton labeled: "Not good: Use to retape."
Box 27 Item 30
"Leyna: Opera", undated, 1 open reel audiotapes
Label on the back of the carton says "Opera. [illegible]."
Box 27 Item 34-35
"Leyna Demo Tape", undated, 2 open reel audiotapes
Labels are loose inside cartons.
Box 27 Item 40
"Leyna Gabriele. Verdi: La Traviata, Act One (In English)", 1999 June 12, 1 digital audio tapes
Box 27 Item 41
"Gabriele 78's", undated, 1 digital audio tapes
Track list: "1. Travis, Songs from The Tempest. 2. Scalinatella (2 versions with guitar). 3. Mattinata. 4. Adele's Song. 5. Summertime. 6. Hungarian Song."
Box 27 Item 43
"Leyna Gabriele: O zittre nicht (in English), Magic Flute, Radio Broadcast", undated, 1 digital audio tapes
Carton says: "Approx. 5 min."
Box 27 Item 45
"Leyna Gabriele, Soprano: Arias and Songs, 1954-1970", 1954-1970, 1999 June 12, 1 digital audio tapes
Box 27 Item 47-48, 50-51
"Baby Doe: Calgary Opera", circa 2008, 4 compact disks
Box 27 Item 49
"Calgary Opera Symposium, January 26, 2008", 2008 January 26, 1 compact disks
Front cover of the case contains a picture of David Kanzeg standing delivering a speech at a podium titled "Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium" and captioned "D. Kanzeg speaking at the symposium." The back cover of the case contains a picture of Gabriele and two others captioned "Katherine McClelland of the CBC, Leyna Gabriele, Bill Richardson after the symposium."
Box 29 Item 66-82
"Wolf + Strauss w/ Leyna Gabriele", undated, 16 compact disks
Originally grouped together with a rubber band and a post-it note. Title variations include: "Audio CDs, Wolf + Strauss songs"; "L. Gabriele: Wolf and Strauss"; "Leyna Gabriele sings Wolf and Strauss"; "Love Lives: H. Wolf, Strauss."
Box 29 Item 83
"1st Semicentennial Doehead Days, Central City, Colorado", 2006 June-2006 July, 1 compact disks
Includes a post-it note: "Baby Doe, Central City, 2006."
Box 29 Item 84-86
"Doehead Days", 2006 June, 3 compact disks
Box 29 Item 87
"Baby Doe Conference, Alberta", 2008 January, 1 compact disks
Box 29 Item 89
"Moore. Ballad of Baby Doe", 1956 July, 1 compact disks
Rest of the label reads "Baby Doe: Leyna Gabriele. Horace Tabor: Walter Cassel. Augusta Tabor: Frances Bible. William Jennings Bryan: Norman Treigle. Central City Opera, Central City, Colorado, July, 1965. Private recording made by Walter Cassel."
Box 29 Item 90
"Douglas Moore, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Central City Opera, 1956, with Leyna Gabriele as Baby Doe", 1956, 1 compact disks
Back of label reads: "The Ballad of Baby Doe, by Douglas Moore and John LaTouche (Original Version). Recorded onstage during a performance of the 1956 World Premier [sic.] Production at The Central City Opera. Leyna Gabriele as Baby Doe. Frances Bible as Augusta Tabor. Walter Cassel as Horace Tabor. Conducted by Emerson Buckley. CD 1: Acts 1 and 2. CD 2: Acts 3 and 4. This recording is for private listening only. Do not reproduce, sell, or broadcast."
Box 29 Item 91
"Moore: Ballad of Baby Doe. 4 Arias. Colorado. Leyna Gabriele, Walter Cassel. DO NOT COPY", 1956, 1 compact disks
Box 29 Item 92
"Douglas Moore, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Central City Opera, 1956, with Leyna Gabriele as Baby Doe", 1956, 1 compact disks
Back of label reads: "The Ballad of Baby Doe, by Douglas Moore and John LaTouche (Original Version). Recorded onstage during a performance of the 1956 World Premier [sic.] Production at The Central City Opera. Leyna Gabriele as Baby Doe. Frances Bible as Augusta Tabor. Walter Cassel as Horace Tabor. Conducted by Emerson Buckley. CD 1: Acts 1 and 2. CD 2: Acts 3 and 4. This recording is for private listening only. Do not reproduce, sell, or broadcast."
Box 29 Item 93-94
"Baby Doe, Iowa TV", undated, 2 compact disks
Box 29 Item 104-105
"Musicarnival, Raw Transfer Tag 0097, 08/20/12. CD 1. Die Fledermaus. 8/27/61. Side 1: 0:55:18. Side 2, Part 1: 0:23:22. Side 2, Part 2: 1:11:41".", 1961 August 27, 2012 August 20, 2 compact disks
Includes post-it note: "Leyna 1961. Performance of Die Fledermaus as Rosalinda."
Box 29 Item 110
"Moore. The Ballad of Baby Doe. 4 Arias. Copyright L.G. 2001. Colorado, 1956. Leyna Gabriele, Walter Cassel. DO NOT COPY", 1956, 2001, 1 compact disks
Includes post-it note: "The tracks are labeled incorrectly. These are Leyna's arias from The Ballad of Baby Doe."
Box 29 Item 111
"Leyna Gabriele: The Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, DVD", undated, 1 DVDs
Box 29 Item 115
"Leyna: Una voce poco fa", undated, 1 audiocassettes
Box 29 Item 117
"A. Baby Doe, Act I. Götterdämmerung, Act I, Duet. Immolation. 6/2/77 B. Siegfried: Final Duet", 1977, 1 audiocassettes
Case is labeled: "A. Baby Doe, Act I. Götterdämmerung, Act II, Duet. Immolation. B. Siegfried: Final Duet"
Box 29 Item 119
"Baby Doe, Sc. 4", undated, 1 audiocassettes
Case is labeled: "Side 1: Baby Doe, Sc. 1 + 2. Baby Doe, Sc. 4."
Mapcase 14-Q-2 Folder 1
Four posters for a production of La bohème at the Teatro di San Carlo with Gabriele as Musetta, 1959, 1 items
Mapcase 14-Q-2 Folder 1
A poster containing duplications of various articles about Baby Doe Tabor and The Ballad of Baby Doe, undated, 1 items
Box 31 Folder 4
A poster for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra concert season, featuring Gabriele, 1949-1950