Lester S. Levy—Music Man

An exhibit celebrating Lester Levy, his life, family, work, and his contributions to the city of Baltimore is on view at the George Peabody Library in Mount Vernon from April 5th until July 31st, 1999.

In 1976 Mr. Levy donated his collection of over 29,000 pieces of vintage sheet music to the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at The Johns Hopkins University. Today scholars, researchers, and members of the general public with an interest in vintage popular music use the collection, which is housed in the Department of Special Collections and accessible through the World Wide Web. This was Mr. Levy's greatest wish for his collection. "The principal fun of a collection is to share it, and to meet the people whose interests dovetail with one's own," he wrote. "My collection today has many of the aspects of a public library."

Included in the exhibit is a display highlighting the achievements of the Levy family, beginning with the establishment of the family's straw-hat manufacturing business. An original M.S. Levy and Sons Company straw hat dating from the early part of the century will be on display. During Mr. Levy's years as a collector of sheet music, he came in contact with some of the great musical figures of our century. Correspondence and copies of autographed music from Arthur Fiedler, Irving Berlin, Beverly Sills, Richard Rodgers, and Ira Gershwin also will be featured. In addition, the exhibit will offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of sheet music collecting. One case documents the unusual story behind Levy's acquisition of the most valuable item in his collection, a first edition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Only ten known copies of this edition are extant; the Levy copy will be exhibited.

The George Peabody Library is open Monday through Friday, from 9 to 3. It is located at 17 East Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore.

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