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Igor Stravinsky: A Guide to Primary and Secondary Resources at the Library of Congress

Special Collections

Igor Stravinsky. Letter from Igor Stravinsky to Bronislava Nijinska. 1923. Bronislava Nijinska Collection. Library of Congress Music Division.

Special collections accessed through the Performing Arts Reading Room consist of the papers of individuals, organizations, and collectors significant to research in music, theater, and dance. The Music Division holds over five hundred named special collections in music, theater, and dance. Collections vary in size from fewer than a dozen items to more than half a million. Many of these collections are processed and have finding aids online. Others are in varying stages of processing and may have guides, inventories, or print finding aids available on-site.

Find materials in special collections relevant to Stravinsky by searching with the Finding Aids Tool or by browsing the Music Division's list of Special Collections. Collections with no finding aids or other guides are described by brief catalog records in the Online Catalog. The following sections highlight collections of particular interest and richness, including letters and correspondence, collections concerning his life and music, collections specific to dance, and collections in other divisions within the Library that may be of interest.

Accessing Special Collections

Some collections are housed off-site and require advance notice to retrieve. Contact us through Ask-A-Librarian if you have questions about researching a specific collection.

Other Library of Congress Research Centers

Collections with materials relevant to Stravinsky may exist in several divisions within the Library of Congress. Search across multiple divisions' finding aids using the Library's Finding Aids Tool.

Letters and Correspondence

Many special collections in the Music Division contain correspondence not only to and from Stravinsky but also between other individuals who knew him personally and discussed his music. The following collections link to descriptive catalog records or searchable finding aids. Some select special collections with correspondence are:

A handful of letters either by or directly relevant to Stravinsky have been individually cataloged. The manuscripts listed below link to fuller bibliographic information from the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

Select Special Collections with Stravinsky Materials

The largest and most significant collection of Stravinsky material in the Music Division is in the Igor Stravinsky / Robert Craft collection, which includes manuscripts (See the "Music Manuscripts" page of this research guide), publisher proofs, correspondence, and other ephemera related to Stravinsky and his music.

Search special collection finding aids with materials relevant to Stravinsky and his music using the following links.

Stravinsky and Special Collections in Dance

Stravinsky composed a prolific amount of music that, although now often performed in concert settings, was originally intended for dance. Several collections in the Music Division include materials that document this legacy. The following collections link to descriptive catalog records or searchable finding aids.

Other items, such as a published score for The Rite of Spring with annotations in pencil by Marie Rambert, have been individually cataloged. This title links to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.