Alfred Lichtenstein Collection

This collection documents the personal and professional life of the flutist Alfred Lichtenstein. Among the papers in the collection are personal and official papers, correspondence, manuscripts, performance programs, flyers, a few drawings, and numerous music scores. In addition, the collection contains audio material in several formats and photographs.

Documentation recounting Alfred Lichtenstein's personal experiences and providing biographical information on him will be found in several areas of the collection. Series I holds the majority of the personal papers, including official papers such as identification and government-issued papers. This series also contains biographical articles on the musician and some jewelry that belonged to him. One folder describes and documents the fate of the golden flute given to Lichtenstein by King Constantine of Greece. Personal correspondence from family members and friends is located in Subseries 1 of Series III, and includes letters from Lichtenstein's mother and sister in Europe during the 1940s as well as a small amount of correspondence from his first wife Gerda and their daughter in the 1950s. Drawings and caricatures of Alfred Lichtenstein and his flute are located in Subseries 3 of Series IX: Addenda.

Papers that focus on the professional life of Alfred Lichtenstein are similarly represented in various places in the collection. Perhaps the areas that best represent his professional work are Series VI and Series VIII. Series VI: Audio Material contains a few sound recordings of Alfred Lichtenstein's performances, including a copy on compact disc of his LP record, Gems on the Flute. Series VIII, by far the most physically prominent series of this collection, holds numerous music scores used by Alfred Lichtenstein, often with handwritten notations and including both his own compositions and those created for him by other composers. Series V holds many papers related to his performances, including publications advertising his participation, scrapbooks, possible teaching documentation, and copies of permits. In Series I are located several folders with papers pertaining to the work of a professional musician, including a list of Lichtenstein's repertoire, curriculum vitae, and employment documents including two certificates certifying volunteer work and a contract in Spanish. The income and expense estimations found in Series I depict his earnings. Lichtenstein's correspondence with agents and performance venues will be found in Subseries 2 of Series III. Alfred Lichtenstein wrote several articles as well as a manuscript advocating study of the flute; correspondence with publishers concerning the latter is located in Series III. Among the photographs of Alfred Lichtenstein in Series VII are several taken with groups of others, possibly ensembles he took part in.

In addition to papers of Alfred Lichtenstein, this collection also holds documents pertaining to his family members. These will chiefly be found in Series II, which holds papers of his first wife Gerda and second wife Georgette, his daughter Sylvia, and a few photocopies of offical papers belonging to his father Siegfried. Among the papers in this series are a small amount of letters from Gerda to her daughter as well as a few clippings, identification cards, and other official documents. Sylvia Lichtenstein's papers in this series provide some information on the family genealogy as well as including some of her own poetry. As mentioned above, Series III holds Lichtenstein family correspondence in Subseries 1. Series VI contains audio featuring the music of Gerda and Sylvia Lichtenstein, and Series VII includes a few photographs of Gerda, Sylvia, Erna, and Georgette Lichtenstein. Finally, correspondence discussing Alfred Lichtenstein's attempts to receive restitution for the Lichtenstein family property in Berlin-Lankwitz is located in Subseries 3 of Series III and Subseries 2 of Series IX.