The “Louis Herrmann Collection of Bernard Herrmann Scores” (PA Mss 153) was donated to the UC Santa Barbara library in 2019 by Bernard Herrmann’s nieces Frederica Amstey and Pat Brecher. The collection contains several significant items, most notably the autograph full score to Herrmann’s 1947 masterpiece The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. The score was originally given by Herrmann to his brother Louis along with several other items, including the sketches and vocal score to the television special, A Christmas Carol.
The items stayed with the family for over 50 years and following the death of Louis Herrmann’s wife Ruth, Amstey and Brecher donated them to the Bernard Herrmann Archive at UC Santa Barbara, where they are now available for consultation by scholars along with his other manuscripts and papers.
For a description of the collection, consult the finding guide in the Online Archive of California (OAC).
For more information on the collection or assistance in using the materials, please contact Special Collections staff at special@library.ucsb.edu.
