Highlights

Sukkot in LBI Collections

Steiner Prag Machzor

Leo Baeck Institute will be closed on Monday October 1 and Tuesday October 2 in observance of Sukkot. The staff at LBI wishes a good holiday to all and presents these images of Sukkot from LBI Digital Collections.

Haggadot from LBI Collections

Haggadot

Haggadot in LBI collections attest to the rich cultural life and unique identity of German-Jews in pre-war Germany. Many are also stunning examples of modern book design.

German-Jewish Émigré Journal Aufbau Now Digitized

Early Aufbau masthead (Leo Baeck Institute Library, C14)

Leo Baeck Institute has completed digitizing all issues of the German-Jewish émigré Journal, Aufbau, published between 1951 and 2004, which means the entire contents of the most important publication of the global German-Jewish refugee and exile community is now available online.

LBI Acquires Significant Collection of Books Designed by Artist George Salter

George Salter's cover for the German edition of "The 42nd Parallel" by John Dos Passos

LBI has acquired an extensive collection of about 200 books with covers designed by George Salter, who helped define the art of book design during a career that spanned from the 1930′s through the 1960′s in Berlin and New York.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Composer, 1897 – 1957

Photograph of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, undated

Before Erich Wolfgang Korngold was first called to Hollywood by his fellow Austrian émigré, the actor and director Max Reinhardt, he was a celebrated child prodigy and an up-and-coming composer of serious orchestral music who had had works premiered by artists including Artur Schnabel

William Steinberg, Conductor, 1899 – 1978

Conductor William Steinberg, LBI Photography Collection

Famous for his tenure with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg was already an important conductor before he left Germany. At the Frankfurt Opera, Steinberg had conducted the premiere of the first 12-tone opera, Arnold Schoenberg’s “Von Heute auf Morgen.”

Artur Schnabel, Pianist and Composer 1882 – 1951

Postcard from Artur Schnabel to Max Kowalski, April 16, 1921. “Dear Kowalksi, will you be in Wiesbaden when Therese will sing Mahler Lieder and my own, 'Notturno'?”

Known more for his communicative and emotional playing than technical mastery, Artur Schnabel eventually made recordings of all 32 Beethoven piano Sonatas which are still prized for their musicality despite inaccuracies. As a composer, he embraced a much more modern aesthetic.

Ernest Drucker: 1909-1993

Ernst Drucker Brochure

Violinist Ernest (Ernst) Drucker’s papers in the LBI archives reflect the rich pool of talent associated with the Jüdischer Kulturbund during the 1930’s. Unlike many artists of his generation, whose careers were completely derailed by oppression and exile, Drucker was able to continue a successful career in America.

Arnold Schoenberg, Composer, 1874 –1951

Drawing by Emil Orlik

Arnold Schoenberg is recognized as one of the most important composers of the 20th century, and he appears again and again as a correspondent and topic of discussion in the papers of prominent musicians in the LBI archives.

Ludwig Misch, Musicologist, 1887–1967

Ludwig Misch directing the Jewish Madrigals Association in Berlin.

The papers of the musicologist Ludwig Misch in the LBI archives tell a remarkable story about both the legacy of German-Jewish musicians and composers and the hardships Misch endured during his extraordinary survival of World War II in Berlin.