The fires in Los Angeles destroyed archival scores of the famous composer Arnold Schoenberg, reports the British public broadcaster BBC. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to 'resurrect from the ashes' in a completely digital form,” said the family company that owned the archives.
At least 100,000 scores of the Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg, who died in 1951, were destroyed in a fire in Los Angeles, reports the BBC. The sheet music was stored in a family-owned music production company that burned down in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood last week.
The BBC emphasizes that although no original manuscripts were lost, the collections of scores loaned to orchestras and musicians belonging to Belmont Music Publishing were destroyed. American Symphony Orchestra director Leon Botstein said these are “essential resources” for performing musicians.
Arnold SchoenbergFred Stein Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images
“Reborn from the ashes”
Schoenberg's son, Larry, 83, said the sheet music was stored in a building behind his house. Both buildings burned down in a fire last week. Other memorabilia of Schoenberg was also destroyed, including photographs, letters and posters.
“For a company that focused solely on Schoenberg's work, this loss represents not only physical destruction of property, but also a profound cultural blow,” Larry said in a statement. He described the collection as “essential” for musicians who rely on “carefully curated releases” from their father's back catalogue.
Belmont Music Publishing said in a statement that it wants to create digital copies of the scores. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to 'resurrect from the ashes' in a fully digital form,” the statement said.
Most of Schoenber's original manuscripts are in a museum in Vienna, reports the BBC.
Fires in Los Angeles
Firefighters are still battling massive wildfires in Los Angeles that started in early January. So far, at least 24 people have died, thousands of buildings have been destroyed, and tens of thousands have been forced to leave their homes.
The BBC reports that two serious fires are still raging in Los Angeles, including the largest fire in the Pacific Palisades district, which has burned over 24,000 acres (nearly 10,000 hectares).
Main photo source: Fred Stein Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images