• The John Totten Collection


    Carnegie Hall Archives
    Carnegie Hall
    881 Seventh Avenue
    New York, NY 10019

    Phone: (212) 903-9629
    E-mail: archives@carnegiehall.org

         

    Descriptive Summary

     
      Creator:   Totten, John J. , 1886-1969
      Title:   John J. Totten Collection
      ID:   SC-4
      Date [inclusive]:   1919-1967
      Extent:   11.0 boxes
      Language:   English

    Historical/Biographical Note

    John Totten (1886-1969) began his career at Carnegie Hall in 1903 as an usher. He frequently escorted Andrew Carnegie to his box in the Main Hall, now known as the Isaac Stern Auditorium. Totten worked his way up through the ranks of Carnegie Hall and became house manager in 1927, a position he held until his retirement in 1968. As house manager, Totten was responsible for the day to day operation of the performance spaces and for arranging all the details associated with the performance. Totten was very competent at handling the pressure backstage and was highly respected by the artists and artists' managements.

    Totten also aided young artists whom he thought showed promise. When George Gershwin was a young, struggling composer, Totten would sneak him into the Hall to watch performances. He also arranged for Gershwin to rehearse some of his works at Carnegie Hall. Gershwin never forgot Totten's kindness, and the two remained friendly colleagues until Gershwin's untimely death in 1937.

    The amicable relationships Totten developed with various artists over the years aided him in his passion for collecting. Along with his regular duties, Totten collected photographs and autographs of the artists who appeared onstage. During his tenure the house manager's office and backstage walls were covered with autographed photos of the many musicians and performers who appeared at Carnegie Hall.

    In 1955, together with baritone Lawrence Tibbett, John Totten organized the "Save Carnegie Hall Committee" when the building was threatened with demolition. The Committee attempted to raise enough money to buy Carnegie Hall from owner Robert Simon, Jr. The committee did not accomplish its goal, but did raise $6,000 which was given to Isaac Stern and his committee to save Carnegie Hall.

    After the Hall was successfully saved and Philharmonic Hall was completed in 1961, John Totten left Carnegie Hall to become the first house manager of Philharmonic Hall, now Avery Fisher Hall. The reason for his sudden move is not clear. He stayed with the Philharmonic until the end of the 1962-63 season and then returned to Carnegie Hall. Totten finished out his career as house manager and vice president until he retired in 1968. John Totten died May 3, 1969 in Manhattan.

    Scope and Content

    The bulk of the John Totten Collection is from Totten's tenure as House Manager, 1927-1960, during the administration of Carnegie Hall Incorporated. The collection consists of three series: Photographs, Administrative Records and the Autograph Book.

    Series one, Photographs, contains two subseries: Photographs signed "To John Totten" and unsigned photographs. The "To John Totten" photographs are autographed by artists, managers, and critics who either appeared in Carnegie Hall or were connected to the Hall and the music community. There are 136 signed photographs including Duke Ellington, Vladimir Horowitz, and Arturo Toscanini. The photographs have been conserved and are stored in acid free sleeves and print boxes. The photographs are mounted and on 11" x 14" board. There are sixteen oversize photographs approximately 14" x 18". The use of the photographs is confined to valid projects and when possible copy prints are used. The unsigned photographs consist of approximately 100 black and white 8" x 10" copy prints of John Totten in Carnegie Hall. There are several photographs showing the house manager's office and backstage facilities as they existed in the 1940s and 1950s. Other photographs include group shots of John Totten with artists backstage such as Jack Benny, Arthur Rubinstein, and John Barbirolli. All photographs are housed with the Photograph Collection of Carnegie Hall.

    Series two, Administrative Records contains programs, newspaper clippings and correspondence. The programs are Carnegie Hall concert programs that Totten kept from galas and important performances, such as an autographed Vladimir Horowitz program from April 17, 1966. There is also a program from John Totten's 50th Anniversary Dinner, held on the Main Hall stage (now Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage) on April 28, 1953. There are also photographs of this event in the unsigned photographs portion of his collection. The correspondence dates from 1943 to 1967 and includes letters from conductor Leopold Stokowski, pianist Alfred Wallenstein, as well as others in the music community. The correspondence mainly consists of thank-you letters concerning particular performances and congratulation letters when he became the first house manager of Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall). There are approximately twenty letters of correspondence. The clippings in this collection are primarily essays on the history of Carnegie Hall and include interviews and photographs of John Totten.

    Series three, the Autograph Book contains approximately 100 signatures of artists who have appeared at Carnegie Hall including Irving Berlin, Pablo Casals, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The book also contains signatures of impresario Sol Hurok, music critic Deems Taylor, and others in the music industry. The book measures 4" x 5" and has been disbound and conserved for preservation purposes.

    Arrangement

    The collection is arranged in three series: Photographs, Administrative Records and the Autograph Book. The photographs are arranged alphabetically.

    Restrictions

    Restrictions on Access

    Open for research without restrictions.

    Administrative Information

    Provenance

    The John Totten Collection is on deposit from the Estate of John Totten. The collection was deposited at the Carnegie Hall Archives in 1986.

    Collection Inventory

    Series 1: Signed Photographs 1919-1961 9.0 boxes

     
      Box

    Alda, Frances 1951

    		1

    Anderson, Marian

    		1

    Arrau, Claudio 1946

    		1

    Barbirolli, John 1937

    		1

    Barere, Simon 1946

    		1

    Bartlett, Ethel [and Rae Robertson]

    		1

    Barzin, Leon

    		1

    Baver, Marian

    		1

    Beckett, Weaver

    		1

    Beecham, Sir Thomas

    		1

    Bernstein, Leonard 1956

    		1

    Boerner, Charlotte

    		1

    Brailowsky, Alexander 1950

    		1

    Busch, Fritz 1942

    		1

    Chapman, Frank

    		2

    Cheatham, Kitty 1938

    		2

    Cohan, George M.

    		2

    Corigliano, John 1957

    		2

    Curry, Lt. Col. Hugh

    		2

    Damrosch, Frank

    		2

    Damrosch, Walter [with Sir John Barbirolli & Robert Simon, Jr.]

    		2

    Damrosch, Walter 1930

    		2

    Easton, Florence 1937

    		2

    Ellington, Duke

    		2

    Elman, Mischa 1942

    		2

    Enesco, Georges 1938

    		2

    Farrar, Geraldine 1932

    		3

    Firkusny, Rudolf 1940

    		3

    Flagstad, Kirsten

    		3

    Gabrilowitsch, Ossip 1931

    		3

    Ganz, Rudolph 1939

    		3

    Gelb, Fred 1939

    		3

    Gershwin, George 1935

    		3

    Gieseking, Walter

    		3

    Goldman, Edwin Franko

    		3

    Goodman, Dody

    		3

    Grainger, Percy 1937

    		3

    Greenfield, Alfred 1951

    		3

    Hadley, Henry 1931

    		4

    Hayes, Roland 1930

    		4

    Heifetz, Jascha 1930

    		4

    Hendl, Walter 1947

    		4

    Hendl, Walter 1948

    		4

    Hess, Myra

    		4

    Hofmann, Josef 1940

    		4

    Holmes, Burton 1933

    		4

    Horowitz, Vladimir 1947

    		4

    Huberman, Bronislaw 1942

    		4

    Hurst, Fannie

    		4

    Janssen, Werner

    		4

    Jaroff, Serge 1940

    		4

    Jepson, Helen

    		4

    Jeritza, Maria 1937

    		4

    Jones, Allan

    		4

    Key, Pierre van Rensselaer

    		5

    Kleiber, Erich 1930

    		5

    Klemperer, Otto 1942

    		5

    Koussevitzky, Serge

    		5

    Koven, Reginald de 1919

    		5

    Kreisler, Fritz 1931

    		5

    Kullmer, Ann 1948

    		5

    Lange, Hans

    		5

    Laurence, Robert

    		5

    Lawrence, Marjorie 1940

    		5

    Leginska, Ethel 1942

    		5

    Lehmann, Lotte 1936

    		5

    Levant, Oscar

    		5

    Levine, Mark

    		5

    Levitzki, Mischa 1930

    		5

    Liebling, Leonard 1931

    		5

    List, Eugene 1942

    		5

    MacDonald, Jeanette

    		6

    MacMillan, Ernest 1954

    		6

    Magnes, Frances 1947

    		6

    Mahler, Gustav [signed by Alma Mahler] 1961

    		6

    Maria-Theresa 1930

    		6

    Marini, Nino 1936

    		6

    McCormack, John 1932

    		6

    Meltzer, John Henry 1928

    		6

    Mengelberg, Willem 1928

    		6

    Menuhin, Yehudi 1931

    		6

    Merriman, Nan

    		6

    Milstein, Nathan 1949

    		6

    Mitropoulos, Dimitri [with King Paul & Queen Frederica of Greece]

    		6

    Mitropoulos, Dimitri 1941

    		6

    Molinari, Bernardino

    		6

    Oistrach, David 1956

    		7

    Ormandy, Eugene 1936

    		7

    Peerce, Jan

    		7

    Pons, Lily

    		7

    Ponselle, Rosa 1936

    		7

    Rabin, Michael 1936

    		7

    Rachmaninoff, Sergei 1931

    		7

    Raphael, Edward 1937

    		7

    Reiner, Fritz 1942

    		7

    Richardson, Alexander

    		7

    Rodzinski, Artur 1941

    		7

    Rous, Marion 1953

    		7

    Rubinstein, Arthur 1941

    		7

    Schrade, Robert 1954

    		8

    Shaw, Robert

    		8

    Shawn, Ted 1950

    		8

    Sokoloff, Nikolai 1930

    		8

    Soule, Thayer 1954

    		8

    Spalding, Arthur 1937

    		8

    Stock, Frederick 1940

    		8

    Stoessel, Albert

    		8

    Stokowski, Leopold

    		8

    Stransky, Josef 1931

    		8

    Stravinsky, Igor 1940

    		8

    Swarthout, Gladys

    		8

    Szeryng, Henryk 1961

    		8

    Taubman, Howard H.

    		9

    Tibbett, Lawrence

    		9

    Toscanini, Arturo 1941

    		9

    Totten, John [with Artur Rubinstein]

    		9

    Totten, John

    		9

    Totten, John [signed to wife, Hazel] 1956

    		9

    Totten, John [Alfred Eisenstadt photo for Life magazine of Totten removing photos from Carnegie Hall] 1960

    		9

    Totten, John [NY Herald Tribune photo of Totten removing photos from Carnegie Hall] 1960

    		9

    Traubel, Helen 1942

    		9

    U.S. Army Band

    		9

    Van Praag, Maurice

    		9

    Van Praag, Maurice 1932

    		9

    Voitchenko, Sasha

    		9

    Wallenstein, Alfred

    		9

    Wallenstein, Alfred 1938

    		9

    Walter, Bruno 1932

    		9

    Whiteman, Paul

    		9

    Yon, Pietro 1936

    		9

    Iturbi, Jose 1952

    		9

    Zirato, Bruno 1936

    		9
     

    Series 2: Administrative Records 1943-1967 1.0 Box

     
     

    Series 3: Autograph Book circa 1930-1950 1.0 Volumes Autograph book measuring 4" x 5" containing approximately 100 signatures (8 unidentified).

     
      Page

    Astruc, Rose

    		81

    Barbirolli, John

    		1

    Barzin, Leon

    		15

    Bay, Emanuel

    		125

    Berlin, Irving

    		92

    Brico, Antonia

    		49

    Burnside, R.H.

    		97

    Bustabo, Giulia

    		10

    Calimahos, Lambros

    		67

    Cantor, Eddie

    		112

    Casals, Pablo

    		70

    Casadesus, Robert

    		118

    Cheatham, Kitty

    		71

    Clayburgh, Alma

    		22

    Cohan, George M.

    		83

    Copeland, George

    		63

    Copley, Dick

    		14

    Damrosch, Walter

    		50

    Draper, Paul

    		72

    Elman, Mischa

    		3

    Elman, Mischa

    		69

    Enesco, Georges

    		9

    Feuermann, Emanuel

    		68

    Fischer, Leo

    		40

    Flagstad, Kirsten

    		36

    Friedberg, Annie

    		43

    Ganz, Rudolph

    		35

    Gibson, Alexander

    		37

    Godowsky, Leopold

    		17

    Gold, Walter

    		124

    Goldberg, Simon

    		57

    Goodman, Benny

    		11

    Gorodnitzki, Sascha

    		73

    Guerney, John

    		47

    Heifetz, Jascha

    		91

    Hofmann, Josef

    		120

    Hurok, Sol

    		18

    Iturbi, Amparo

    		22

    Iturbi, Jose

    		8

    Jepson, Helen

    		126

    Johnson, Osa

    		93

    Koussevitzky, Serge

    		13

    Lange, Hans

    		59

    La Forge, Frank

    		34

    Lawrence, Marjorie

    		74

    Lehmann, Lotte

    		28

    Levine, Marks

    		27

    Levitzki, Mischa

    		66

    Levitzki, Mischa

    		79

    Lhevinne, Josef

    		21

    Lhevinne, Rosina

    		20

    List, Emanuel

    		30

    Martinelli, Giovanni

    		5

    Martinelli, Giovanni

    		88

    Matzenauer, Margaret

    		54

    Melchior, Lauritz

    		29

    Menuhin, Yehudi

    		74

    Moscona, Nicola

    		122

    Ormandy, Eugene

    		46

    Pauly, Rose

    		81

    Peters, Julia

    		33

    Piastro, Mishel

    		6

    Piatigorsky, Gregor

    		56

    Pitzinger, Gertrude

    		16

    Rachmaninoff, Sergei

    		22

    Reiner, Fritz

    		119

    Rosen, Max

    		42

    Rosenthal, Moritz

    		44

    Ross, Hugh

    		24

    Rubinstein, Arthur

    		19

    Salmond, Felix

    		37

    Sarnoff, David

    		52

    Schipa, Tito

    		61

    Schnabel, Arthur

    		1

    Serkin, Rudolph

    		64

    Shankar, Uday

    		41

    Spaeth, Sigmund

    		82

    Stoessel, Albert

    		123

    Szigeti, Joseph

    		12

    Taylor, Deems

    		25

    Taubman, Howard

    		26

    Thomas, John Charles

    		2

    Tibbett, Lawrence

    		75

    Toscanini, Arturo

    		53

    Seidel, Toscha

    		65

    Van Praag, Willem

    		5

    Vronsky, Vitya

    		32

    Winchell, Walter

    		60

    Wise, Stephen

    		39

    Wolf, Ernest Victor

    		39

    Zimbalist, Efrem

    		109
     
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