Collection 20-M

Rudolf Friml Collection

Charles Rudolf Friml was born on Dec. 7, 1879 in Prague, Czechoslovakia; studied composition with Antonfn Dvorßk and piano with Josef Jirßnek at the Prague Conservatory (1900-3); was accompanist for the violinist Jan Kubelfk on tours of Europe and the US (1900-6); settled in the US in 1906, performing his First piano concerto with Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra; gained a reputation for his keyboard improvisations, character pieces, lyrical salon dances, etudes, violin and cello pieces and songs, some written under the pseudonym Roderick Freeman; wrote 30 operettas and revue scores; moved to Hollywood in 1925, adapting his works and writing new scores for films; compositions include The firefly (1912), Rose Marie (1924), The vagabond king (1925), and The three musketeers (1928); he died on Nov. 12, 1972 in Los Angeles.

The majority of the collection is in the midst of being processed. The finding aid will be updated periodically.

The collection consists of: scores and sketches, and ozalid reproductions of music for the stage and other compositions by Friml; printed sheet music and scores of Friml's compositions; commercial and non-commercial sound recordings, including improvisations by Friml at the piano; business and personal papers; and posters and ephemera relating to the composer's career.

For additional information about this collection consult:

Catalog record
Finding aid

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