Victor Alpert (BSO librarian, 1953-1984) oral history interview: Alpert, Victor, interviewee, 1991-12-23T00:00:00+00:00, 2023-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

Cassette 6: Oral history conducted by Robert Ripley on December 23, 1991.

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT

Tape 06, Side A

INTERVIEWER: Bob Ripley INTERVIEWEE: Victor Alpert LOCATION: Newton, MA DATE: December 23, 1991

0:11 INTERVIEW BEGINS

0:28-3:10 Early life, began studying violin with "Mrs. Day" in fifth grade

3:10-4:40 studied at Conservatory with lessons under Paul RUDOVSKY(sp??), started studying with George FOUREL instead, lessons in viola, then Joseph DE PASQUALE

4:40-5:30 Played at Indianapolis

5:35-6:24 army service - "Winged Victory" and served as a welder, toured with Porgy & Bess

6:24-7:56 played with Dimitri MITROPOULOS in Minneapolis, on recommendation of FOUREL and Yves CHARDON

9:48-10:40 Served as Personnel Manager of Student Orchestra, played Don Quixote, played with Bobby SAYER as cellist

10:50-11:10 Played with an early iteration of the Boston Chamber Music Society

11:10-12:00 Leslie ROGERS needed assistant in the library, and the pay was better than Indianapolis

12:03-13:40 first impressions of BSO library & Leslie ROGERS, incl. Rogers' death in Stuttgart in 1956

13:40- memories of Leslie ROGERS, very positive; disc. of Pierre MONTEUX and Karl MUCK

17:56 memories of LEINSDORF's heavy editing tendencies

19:03-22:06 story of Karl MUCK attacked for Star Spangled Banner performed in Providence, arr. by STRAVINKSY

23:00-24:00 Memories of the early POPS, ROGERS' devotion to the work

24:00-25:03 Story of MONTEUX leaving the Symphony, "let's put it this way: he later married the young lady." Positive reviews of MONTEUX

25:05-30:08 LEINSDORF years, first five and half years were "pure torture"; difficulties of recording full Midsummer Night's Dream, and errors in bar count

30:08 RECORDING ENDS

Tape 06, Side B

Victor Alpert cont'd

0:10 RECORDING STARTS

0:20-3:40 Memories of LEINSDORF, continued conflicts

3:42-7:00 LEINSDORF's extensive editing preferences; work with William SHISLER in the library

7:00-8:58 memories of William STEINBERG, he was a "sweetheart of a man"

8:58-9:25 memories of Seiji OZAWA, had certain preferences for librarian, but easy to work with

9:47-11:10 ROGERS Christmas story, fond memories of working with him

11:10-14:18 memories of Arthur FIEDLER, argued extensively (positively), was one of few who could contest FIEDLER

14:20-15:00 memories of MUNCH, "never bothered me, never made changes"

15:00-16:40 long transitionary period during Alpert's retirement

16:45-21:25 discussion of notations in scores in catalog; one comment on a SEBALIUS work, likely from MUNCH: "I've conducted this x number of times, and I still don't understand it"; MUCK was notorious for meticulous for making changes; MONTEUX used BSO scores but left no comments, KOUSSEVITZKY had own scores

21:25-** library record-keeping, creating programs

**-30:00 discussion of exact timings for programs because it matters how long a program runs, since it affects the pay rate (rules on this changed regularly - when orchestra finished, last note played, end of applause...); FIEDLER cared a lot about timing

30:01 RECORDING ENDS