William R. Trotter collection
Scope and Content Note
The collection includes research materials for Trotter’s book, Priest of Music: The Life of Dimitri Mitropoulos.
Daniel and his assistant Donald J. Ott meticulously transcribed the hundreds of interviews done by Daniel. Included in the interview files [Boxes 1-3]are the typescripts, correspondence between Daniel or Ott and the interviewees, and additional material such as programs. A few files include copies of correspondence between the interviewee and Mitropoulos. Interviewees include noted composers, conductors, and staff and musicians from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. A list of interviewees can be found in the bibliography of Trotter’s book.
Boxes 3-4 include photocopies of newspaper clippings relating to Mitropoulos from newspapers in both Minneapolis and New York plus foreign papers when Mitropoulos was on tour. Nearly half of the clippings are organized chronologically.
Box 5 contains Trotter’s working files as he wrote the book. Notable items include:
- Cooper, William S.—Mitropoulos correspondence (photocopies)
- Diamond, David—Mitropoulos correspondence (photocopies)
- Kaysoyanis, Katy—Mitropoulos correspondence (photocopies) – Note by Trotter: omitted from the published edition of her book on Mitropoulos
- Kostios, Apostolos G.Copy of dissertation on Mitropoulos (in German)
- Krenek, Ernest—Mitropoulos correspondence (photocopies) Mitropoulos’ FBI file
- Paulu, Burton. “Conversations in History”
Dates
- Creation: 1980-96
Creator
- William R. Trotter (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open and available for use by researhcers in the Andersen Library Reading Room.
Restrictions on Use
Oliver Daniel, William Trotter and the interviewees retain copyright to their materials.
Historical Note
Oliver Daniel, producer of New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony broadcasts and author of a noted biography of Leopold Stokowski, began research on a biography of Dimitri Mitropoulos in the 1980s. He conducted extensive interviews of noted conductors, musicians, singers, and other people in the music world. He corresponded with old friends and colleagues of Mitropoulos in order to prepare for the biography. He died in 1990 after writing only one chapter of the book.
Bill Trotter was asked to complete the Mitropoulos biography. He notes in his introduction that “most of the research is Oliver’s; the writing is mine.”
Extent
5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Abstract
The collection includes research materials for Trotter’s book, Priest of Music: The Life of Dimitri Mitropoulos. Extensive research and interviews of noted musicians were done by Oliver Daniel who died before he could write the biography.
Organization of the Collection
The collection is organized by type of material:
- Boxes 1-3 Interview files arranged alphabetically
- Boxes 3-4 Clippings, letters, etc. arranged chronologically
- Box 5 Trotter's working files
Physical Location
Zone B, R5, D13, S9
Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Minnesota Orchestra Archives by Trotter in 1996.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Leslie Czechowski, January 2003.
Subject
- Trotter, William R. (Person)
- Mitropoulos, Dimitri, 1896-1960 (Person)
- Daniel, Oliver (Person)
- Ott, Donald J. (Person)
- Cooper, William S. (Person)
- Diamond, David (Person)
- Daysoyanis, Katy (Person)
- Kostios, Apostolos G. (Person)
- Krenek, Ernst, 1900-1991 (Person)
- Paulu, Burton (Person)
- Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (Organization)
- New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Organization)
- Title
- William R. Trotter collection
- Author
- Finding aid written by Leslie Czechowski
- Date
- 10 June 2003
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Performing Arts Archives Collecting Area
