Research Catalog

Title

Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. records, 1922-1929.

Author

Chicago Allied Arts, Inc

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951
• Carpenter, John Alden, 1876-1951
• De Lamarter, Eric, 1880-1953
• Karsavina, Tamara
• Page, Ruth, 1899-1991
• Remisoff, Nicolas

Description

0.63 linear feet (2 boxes)

Summary

The Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. records are chiefly comprised of correspondence, but the collection also includes some contracts, financial records, and drafts of legal documents concerning the establishment and operations of the short-lived organization, which produced a series of programs of music and dance in Chicago from 1924-1927. Most of the correspondence deals with financial or administrative matters, and mainly consists of letters to and from John Alden Carpenter soliciting contributions from potential donors. Similarly, correspondence between Adolph Bolm and Carpenter and Nicolas Remisoff and Bolm primarily pertains to payments, but occasionally also touches on artistic decisions. While incomplete, these records document some of the planning and development of the ballet programs for the group's initial 1924-1925 season. With the exception of two letters and accounts submitted by conductor Eric De Lamarter (one of which contains a full listing of the orchestra members), there is very little information in the collection on the musical component of the Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. concerts. Also of interest is an unidentified letter, dated January 3, 1929 (possibly from Carpenter to Ruth Page), which chronicles a trip to Russia and Europe. Though the titles of the works often are omitted, this lengthy letter contains extended descriptions of numerous performances attended by the sender, including stagings of The Red Poppy and The Sleeping Beauty at the Bolshoi, various Moscow Art Theatre productions, and Die Dreigroschenoper in Berlin. Although fragmentary in nature, the collection provides an insight into a mostly forgotten episode in the development of ballet in the United States and uncovers the organization's unique contribution to the cultural and social life of Chicago.

Subjects

• Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951 > Correspondence
• Contracts
• Chicago (Ill.) > Social life and customs > 20th century
• Chicago Allied Arts, Inc
• Remisoff, Nicolas > Correspondence
• Performing arts sponsorship > Illinois > Chicago
• De Lamarter, Eric, 1880-1953 > Correspondence
• Correspondence
• Carpenter, John Alden, 1876-1951 > Correspondence
• Financial records

Genre/Form

• Contracts.
• Correspondence.
• Financial records.

Biography (note)

• Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. was an organization formed in 1924 for the purpose of presenting small-scale ballet and music performances in Chicago. In doing so, it brought together Eric De Lamarter's Solo Orchestra and the Ballet Intime of Adolph Bolm. Modeled somewhat along the line of Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the project was to be funded through the guarantees of individual sponsors. Composer John Alden Carpenter was one of the group's founders and took the lead in organizing the programs and attracting additional donors. Using his social connections, Carpenter assembled a list of supporters that included many of the most prominent names in Chicago society, including members of the Aldis, Goodman, McCormick, and Ryerson families. The earliest programs put on by Chicago Allied Arts also featured international guest stars, such as the ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to augment the dance ensemble. The first program, which took place at the Eighth Street Theatre on November 27, 1924, set the pattern that would be followed in subsequent seasons: the first half of the program presented the orchestra on stage, while the second part was devoted to dance. Bolm choreographed most of the dance pieces, many of which gave a prominent role to Ruth Page. Russian-born scenic designer Nicolas Remisoff, who had developed a reputation through his earlier work with the Chauve-Souris cabaret, created the front curtain, costumes, and sets for the entire first production, as well as the group's logo. These initial performances were met with critical praise and quickly followed by a second program in January 1925. Much of this same creative team reunited for a second and third season of programs (1925-1927), which perhaps were even more progressive in outlook. Among the highlights were a fully staged performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, the premieres of several new Bolm ballets, including Bal des Marionettes (Erik Satie) and Visual Mysticism (Aleksandr Scriabin), Page's The Flapper and the Quarterback (Clarence Loomis), and a special gala performance for the visiting Queen Marie of Romania (November 14, 1926). Although plans for an ambitious new season were announced for March 1927, that program never materialized. In July 1927, it was reported that Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. was to suspend its activities for one year, but the organization, which had been responsible for presenting some of the most innovative programs of new music and dance to take place in Chicago, never reemerged.

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

• Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Call Number

(S) *MGZMD 175

OCLC

NYPG06-A122

Author

Chicago Allied Arts, Inc.

Title

Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. records, 1922-1929.

Biography

Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. was an organization formed in 1924 for the purpose of presenting small-scale ballet and music performances in Chicago. In doing so, it brought together Eric De Lamarter's Solo Orchestra and the Ballet Intime of Adolph Bolm. Modeled somewhat along the line of Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the project was to be funded through the guarantees of individual sponsors. Composer John Alden Carpenter was one of the group's founders and took the lead in organizing the programs and attracting additional donors. Using his social connections, Carpenter assembled a list of supporters that included many of the most prominent names in Chicago society, including members of the Aldis, Goodman, McCormick, and Ryerson families. The earliest programs put on by Chicago Allied Arts also featured international guest stars, such as the ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to augment the dance ensemble. The first program, which took place at the Eighth Street Theatre on November 27, 1924, set the pattern that would be followed in subsequent seasons: the first half of the program presented the orchestra on stage, while the second part was devoted to dance. Bolm choreographed most of the dance pieces, many of which gave a prominent role to Ruth Page. Russian-born scenic designer Nicolas Remisoff, who had developed a reputation through his earlier work with the Chauve-Souris cabaret, created the front curtain, costumes, and sets for the entire first production, as well as the group's logo. These initial performances were met with critical praise and quickly followed by a second program in January 1925. Much of this same creative team reunited for a second and third season of programs (1925-1927), which perhaps were even more progressive in outlook. Among the highlights were a fully staged performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, the premieres of several new Bolm ballets, including Bal des Marionettes (Erik Satie) and Visual Mysticism (Aleksandr Scriabin), Page's The Flapper and the Quarterback (Clarence Loomis), and a special gala performance for the visiting Queen Marie of Romania (November 14, 1926). Although plans for an ambitious new season were announced for March 1927, that program never materialized. In July 1927, it was reported that Chicago Allied Arts, Inc. was to suspend its activities for one year, but the organization, which had been responsible for presenting some of the most innovative programs of new music and dance to take place in Chicago, never reemerged.

Indexes

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

Request Access to Special Collections (Dance Division) material

Finding Aid

Added Author

Bolm, Adolph, 1884-1951.

Carpenter, John Alden, 1876-1951.

De Lamarter, Eric, 1880-1953.

Karsavina, Tamara.

Page, Ruth, 1899-1991.

Remisoff, Nicolas.

Research Call Number

(S) *MGZMD 175