Collection inventory

Special Collections home page
printer friendly version

Kaikhosru Sorabji Music Scores

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Sorabji, Kaikhosru Shapurji, 1892-1988.
Title: Kaikhosru Sorabji Music Scores
Inclusive Dates: 1918-1980, undated
Quantity: .2 linear ft.
Abstract: Four original music scores of the English composer and critic, in his own hand.
Language: English, French
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892-1988) was an English composer and critic. Born Leon Dudley, he changed his name as a result of his interest in the Parsi (Zoroastrian) community. His compositions were unusual, sometimes employing as many as seven staves. He performed across Europe in the 1920s and 1930s but in 1940 announced a ban on all performances of his music without his express permission, though he continued to compose (he lifted the ban in 1976). He was also active as an essayist and critic.

Return to top

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Kaikhosru Sorabji Music Scores consist of four original music scores, in his own hand. The scores range in length from a single page to nearly a hundred pages. Titles are given exactly as written by Sorabji on the manuscripts, as best as they can be read.

Return to top

Arrangement of the Collection

Material is in no particular order.

Return to top

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Return to top

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has the collections of a number of composers. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

Return to top

Subject Headings

Persons

Sorabji, Kaikhosru Shapurji, 1892-1988.

Subjects

Piano music.

Genres and Forms

Scores.

Occupations

Composers.

Return to top

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Kaikhosru Sorabji Music Scores,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Norman Gentieu, 1982.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 23 Sep 2009
Revision history: 30 Apr 2019 - corrected subtitle of "Opus Secretum" (MRC)

Return to top

Inventory

Scores
Box 1 Campanile of St. Luke's Church (Germantown) undated
Box 1 Concerto pour piano et grande orchestre 1918 - bound in green with red title block; inscribed to Norman Gentieu; text and musical notation in French
Box 1 Concerto for orchestra piccola & pianoforte, "Simorg-Anka" 1924 - bound in green; inscribed "To Dr. Havelock Ellis, respectul homage in admiration and gratitude"
Box 1 Opus secretum atque necromanticum 1980 - inscribed to Norman Gentieu, with a brief poem, "I do not like the human race..."

Return to top