Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Winter 2025 21 DDIn the last rows are notebooks and fifteen- inch long file boxes full of other organized collections: stamps (including first-day issues), music art postcards, USA state postcards, periodicals, and concert programs. I could happily have spent days — though only had two — looking at the materials in this room but also wanted to examine items in an enormous, climate-controlled area, which was the storeroom for rare books and manuscripts. My expert librarian guide used a passcode to enter. Inside, he turned handles that moved rows of heavy, gigantic bookcases to access forty more feet of shelves with Maestro's treasures — limited editions, pop-up children's books, and very old books — even incunabula (books printed before 1500) — as well as twenty scrapbooks about Stockholm's musical life a long time ago. A very expensive gift from him, the Östanå Castle's music collection acquired by Swedish diplomat Carl Fredrik Fredenheim (1748–1803), was also on display. The Herbert Blomstedt Collection is tangible proof of Blomstedt's astonishing generosity. Later, I followed my guide upstairs to the secure reading room. On a rolling cart were materials from the safe that he had selected for me: thirty-four notebooks and two cartons filled with large envelopes stuffed with memorabilia. I took time going through everything. There are only a few biographies of this musical giant — one in English, A Great Song by Ursula Weigert (see page 26 for review)— plus three in German and another in Japanese. The Herbert Blomstedt Collection is like a living autobiography and speaks volumes more about this nonagenarian. I was able to capture his essence by looking through the items, including greeting cards and contracts (one of a guest appearance with the Israel Philharmonic in December 1994 with his fee listed). Also included were pages of collated business and appointment cards, printed copies of emails, and confirmations of generous charitable donations. It was delightful to see his photos from years ago. Most impressive were copies of his personal handwritten notes to each player of the San Francisco Symphony at Christmas. Without a doubt, I discovered the uniqueness of his daily ins and outs off the podium. I read a lot of his correspondence. Always honest, yet kind, Blomstedt personally responded to many requests from contemporary composers to perform their music. Of the many letters, the one Leonard Bernstein wrote on May 20, 1954, stood out: "I have been simply delighted at your news... I am as proud as I can be of you. I hope you have every opportunity to keep up your work and to grow in stature. Do keep me informed of your activities. I am always interested to know of them." For more than seven decades, Blomstedt has created magic on the podium. Still in Lucerne, Switzerland, is a vast collection of his orchestral scores and recordings as well as extensive personal correspondence. Of particular note are the hundreds of meaningful postcards he wrote to his beloved wife each day when she did not accompany him on tour. When the remainder of his estate eventually becomes a part of the Herbert Blomstedt Collection, there just might be a mile of shelves to explore! See pg. 27 for Jayne Hanlin's bio. Jayne Hanlin with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt Jayne Hanlin with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt Books in the collection. Books in the collection. A Wld of Music

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