Sundays at the Sarnoff” Talks About Toscanini

Witherspoon Media Group One-Year Subscription: $10 IN PRINT. ONLINE. AT HOME. “Sundays at the Sarnoff” Zoom Event Talks about Toscanini MUSIC HISTORY: Arturo Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, which he led from 1937 until 1954. The orchestra was the idea of David Sarnoff, president of RCA. Two-Year Subscription: $15 The great conductor Ar- maestro was initially unin- cultural programs to the raturo Toscanini had resigned terested in the proposal, but dio network’s offerings. “In Subscription Information: from the New York Phil- Sarnoff prevailed, and the a statement to the press, he 609.924.5400 ext. 30 harmonic and retired to NBC Symphony Orchestra says the radio network had Publishing and Distribution or subscriptions@ witherspoonmediagroup.com his native Italy when RCA president David Sarnoff proposed creating a symphony debuted, with Toscanini on the podium, on Christmas Day, 1937. ‘an obligation to foster the love of good music.’ So, he did a lot of things to try and princetonmagazine.com orchestra, led by Toscani- create more high-level music ni, for radio concerts. The at NBC,” said Pierri. “Part of TOPICS that was an attempt to give NBC a symphony orchestra, Witherspoon Media Group Of the Town in 1937. By then, RCA was trying to make a recovery from the Great Depression, Continued on Next Page The relationship of Toscanini and Sarnoff, and the 17year history of the orchestra, are the focus of a “Sundays at the Sarnoff” Zoom event being presented Sunday, November 29 at 1:30 p.m. by the Sarnoff Collection at and they doubled down on cultural programming.” A full symphony orchestra was created. “Sarnoff didn’t know Toscanini personally at that point,” Pierri said. “By that time, Toscanini had retired from the New York Custom Design, Printing, Publishing and Distribution · Newsletters Weekly Inserts 10¢ per household. Weekly Inserts per household. Weekly Inserts only 10¢ per household. Get the best reach at the best rate! WEEKLY INSERTS START AT ONLY 10¢ PER HOUSEHOLD. Get the best reach at the best rate! The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The talk will trace the history of Toscanini’s time with the orchestra, relaying anecdotes and showing some of the collection’s artifacts and photographs. “Toscanini and David Sarnoff were friends,” said Florencia Pierri, curator of For additional info contact: · Brochures · Postcards · Books Get the best reach at the best rate!Get the best reach at the best rate! •Postcards •8.5″ x 11″ •Flyers •Menus •Booklets etc... Time just changed. Again. · Catalogues•Postcards the collection. “They sent each other gifts over the years, some of which are •Postcards We can accomodate almost anything! · Annual Reports•8.5″ x 11″ very strange. I love that we have Toscanini’s house keys. •8.5″ x 11″ We have a conductor’s baton that he used, some of his records, and photographs, Witherspoon Media Group•Flyers•FlyersReach 11,000 homes in Princeton and surrounding towns. • PostcardsReach over 15,000 homes in autographed portraits, and coins. We did a pop-up exhibit a while ago which told the story of how he was convinced by Sarnoff to come out of retirement to lead the orchestra, as well as how his career transitioned from radio to television. We played some of his old records. We Custom Design, Printing, Publishing and Distribution · Newsletters For additional info contact: melissa.bilyeu@ witherspoonmediagroup.com •Menus •Booklets etc... •Menus •Booklets etc... Town Topics is the only weekly paper that reaches EVERY HOME IN PRINCETON, making it a tremendously valuable product with unmatched exposure! Town Topics puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard. Please contact us to reserve your sPace now! toWn toPIcs neWsPaPeR • 4438 Route 27 noRth • KInGston, nJ 08528 • tel: 609.924.2200 • Fax: 609.924.8818 • www.towntopics.com • 8.5x11” flyers • Menus • Booklets • Trifolds • Post its Town Topics puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail · Brochures We can accomodate • We can accomodate won’t be able to play them this time around. This talk is We can accomodate · Postcardsalmost anything!almost anything! just a fun little music history lesson.” almost anything! The Sarnoff Collection was originally established in 1967 by RCA as the David Sarnoff Library in West Windsor, growing to include a museum, archives, and library. The more than 6,000 artifacts related to 20th century developments in communication were donated to TCNJ in 2010. At the same time the library and archival holdings, which include Sarnoff’s papers and memorabilia related to the histories of RCA and the RCA LaboFor additional info contact: melissa.bilyeu@ witherspoonmediagroup.com · Books · Catalogues · Annual Reports4438 Route 27 North, Kingston, NJ 08528-0125 Reach 11,000 homes in Princeton and surrounding towns. puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard. and surrounding towns. puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard. Reach over 15,000 homes in Princeton and beyond! Town Topics puts you in front of your target customer for less than what it would cost to mail a postcard! and ACCUTRON are registered trademarks. ratories, were transferred to the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Dela ware. Please contact us to reserve your sPace now!Please contact us to reserve your sPace now! -

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“Sundays at the Sarnoff” Continued from Preceding Page Philharmonic and was back in Milan. Sarnoff tasked his music director to go to Milan and convince Toscanini to work for NBC. Essentially, he said, ‘Don’t come back unless you have a Toscanini with you.’ Eventually, the music director was able to convince him to come back to the U.S.”

Judging by a letter from Toscanini, dated February 5, 1937, that is part of the collection, the music director did a good job.

“My dear Mr. Sarnoff,” it reads. “I am very happy to accept your invitation to broadcast a series of symphonic concerts over the National Broadcasting Company beginning December 1937. It is a great pleasure to me to think that I shall be able to put myself once more in touch with the radio public which gave me, in my last season with the Philharmonic, the greatest proof of its appreciation and sympathy.”

Toscanini originally planned to do just one season and go back, but the performances were so well received that he eventually spent 17 years in the job. “Over those years, he struck up a friendship with Sarnoff and presented him with several gifts,” said Pierri. “For Sarnoff’s 51st birthday, Toscanini gave him a copy of his handwritten score from Verdi’s Requiem. Toscanini always worked from handwritten scores.”

By the time Toscanini finally retired from the orchestra, he was 87. “The very last time he conducted, it was kind of a disaster. He got a big confused on live TV, and he left,” said Pierri. “That was his last time on TV. But up until then, he did seem to really love conducting first for radio, and then for TV.”

The “Sundays at the Sarnoff” Zoom events are an extension of live programs that were presented at the collection before the pandemic. To register for the November 29 talk, visit davidsarnoff. tcnj.edu. “We have a good crowd of regulars who have been museum visitors, and we seem to get some new people at each event,” said Pierri. “It’s a good way to connect and get new people interested in the collection.”

—Anne Levin

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Adam: “I am thankful for spending Thanksgiving with my friend. We are going to have a huge feast that will include fresh turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach. We are going to listen to the holiday music, have the fireplace on, and after Thanksgiving we will put the tree up. We are so lucky to do that.” Alec: “I am thankful to be able to spend the holidays with someone I love in my own household. I am thankful for my health and my loved ones and am planning on relaxing this upcoming holiday and take my mind off of the world for a couple of days.” —Adam Peters with Alec Tributino, Ardmore, Pa.