Composer Arnold Schoenberg's Archive Destroyed in Los Angeles Wildfires
Some 100,000 scores by Arnold Schoenberg were lost in the Palisades fire last week in Los Angeles.
Composer Arnold Schoenberg.
The fire destroyed the building housing Belmont Music Publishers, the exclusive publisher of physical works by early 20th century composer Arnold Schoenberg. The building contained the publisher's entire inventory of sales and rental materials – including some manuscripts, original scores, and printed works.
The composer's son, Larry Schoenberg, 83, whose home also was lost in the fire, said in a statement that "for a company that focused exclusively on the works of Schoenberg, this loss represents not just a physical destruction of property but a profound cultural blow." The archive had been kept in a 2,000-square-foot building behind Larry Schoenberg's home in the Pacific Palisades.
Born in Vienna in 1874, Arnold Schoenberg was a groundbreaking composer who explored atonality, developing his own version of the 12-tone method of composition. An influential teacher, some of his pupils included Alban Berg and Anton Webern. He fled the Nazis and came to America in 1933. He died in 1951 in Los Angeles.
Fortunately, Schoenberg's original manuscripts were not destroyed - they are held at a museum in Vienna, Austria - the Schoenberg Center. But lost were the printed rental scores that were used on a practical basis by those performing Schoenberg's works. Also lost were photographs, letters, posters, books and arrangements by other composers of Schoenberg pieces.
“While we have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials, we are determined to continue our mission of bringing Schoenberg’s music to the world," said the statement. "We hope to rebuild our catalog in a new, digital format that will ensure Schoenberg’s music remains accessible for future generations. We will keep you posted on our progress through this website or you can reach out to us by email, and we will contact you with updates."
The statement put forth plans for Belmont Music to digitize its complete collection of Schoenberg’s works, "providing access to scholars, performers, and music enthusiasts through online platforms. This shift toward digital distribution will not only help preserve the catalog for future generations but also ensure that Schoenberg's groundbreaking music continues to inspire and challenge musicians worldwide."
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January 16, 2025 at 12:21 PM · The loss is very sad, especially any one-of-a-kind items. Stewards of history really need to digitize what they can -- but who has the time or the equipment or the expertise? It's not just scanning but also there are good and bad means of archival.
Fire is not the only threat to inventories of paper documents. Water, vermin, oxidation, etc. are slower and less dramatic but still problematic. The move to digital is a good one for Belmont. What we really need on the user's end is an inexpensive, open-source version of Forscore that would run on a cheap device. Otherwise the local solution for an orchestra that "rents" a digital score and parts will be to print them all and try to store them -- or, worse, throw them away. My community orchestra can't afford 10" iPads for everyone, and most of our members can't afford to buy their own.