Special Collections Finding Aids

Dossenbach Orchestra Collection - Ephemera

Accession: SC1998.17

Location: M2A 3,6

Size: .25 feet

Biography: Hermann Dossenbach, born on April 10th, 1868, was the son of German immigrants who came to the Rochester area in the mid-1800s. He served as a violin teacher and a member of a string quartet in Rochester, as well as leading the Dossenbach Orchestra (1900-1911) and the Rochester Orchestra (1912-1919). In 1913, Dossenbach and pianist Alf Klingenberg founded the D.K.G. Institute that would later become the Eastman School of Music. In 1918, George Eastman bought the Institute and in 1919, took over the Rochester Orchestra, renaming it the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and replacing Dossenbach with another conductor. Hermann Dossenbach died on January 28th, 1946.

Provenance: unknown

Scope and Content: Programs of the Dossenbach and Rochester Orchestras from 1894-1919, useful due to the orchestra's position as the precursor to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and its importance as a catalyst for general music appreciation and knowledge in Rochester.

Associations: In addition to this collection, Watanabe Special Collections also holds Ludwig Schenck's Rochester Symphony programs and a collection of programs of the Rochester Philharmonic Society. Rush Rhees Library, Special Collections holds a Herman Dossenbach collection that includes correspondence, clippings, scrapbooks, and programs extending from 1868 to 1943.

Restrictions: none

Series: 1

Series Name: Ephemera

Series Description: This series and collection contain programs from the Dossenbach and Rochester Orchestras the bulk of which date from 1904 to 1919.