Helen Traubel Collection Span: 1920-1970 Bulk: 1940-1960 English collection 30 ft. 59 boxes American soprano Helen Traubel (1899-1972) was born in St. Louis and made her concert debut there in 1925. She became a leading Wagnerian soprano at the Met where she performed often during World War II with Danish tenor Lauritz Melchoir, a favored colleague. In the early 1950s, Traubel started singing popular repertoire in nightclubs, which earned her the disapproval of Met manager Rudolf Bing. Traubel did not back down, believing that the music of Cole Porter deserved as much respect as the arias she sang on the operatic stage. She resigned from the Met in 1953 over the dispute. The collection consists primarily of Traubel's annotated music scores, photographs and scrapbooks documenting her career. Music (225), photographs (372), scripts (23), scrapbooks (18), clippings, correspondence. Helen Traubel Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress Traubel, Helen Music scores and papers of the American soprano Helen Traubel. Researchers wishing to work with special collections are advised to inquire in advance about availability of material since many special collections are stored off-site. Opera American Musical Theater Popular Music Songs Women in the Performing Arts Traubel, Helen Bing, Rudolf Ganz, Rudolph Steinbeck, John Thomson, Virgil Tibbett, Lawrence Truman, Margaret Performing Arts Encyclopedia scdb Music Division, Library of Congress IHAS 120830 loc.natlib.scdb.200033814