A collection of festival brochures and programme books relating to the Bayreuth Festspiele given at the Bühnenfestspielhaus Bayreuth between 1951 and 1988, held loosely and arranged chronologically over 12 boxes: 1911-53, 1954-57, 1958-1959, 1960-1961, 1962-1965, 1966-1973, 1974-1975, 1976-1979, 1980-1981, 1982-1985, 1986-1987, and 1988.

Also, a miscellaneous selection of handbills, posters and prospectuses for the years 1911–12 and 1925–38, held in the first box and including handbills for performances given in 1938 to mark the 125th Anniversary of Wagner's birth.

Both the brochures and the individual programmes include extensive notes containing photographs and illustrations and occasional musical examples.

Box 1 (1911-53)
In addition to the miscellaneous selection of handbills cited above, this box includes festival brochures for 1951 (2 copies) and 1952 plus programme books for the following dates:
29, 30 and 31 July and 1, 4 10 August 1951. The first of these performances was of Beethoven, Symphony No. 9.
23, 24 and 29 July and 1, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19 and 20 August 1952.
27, 29 and 30 July and 8 and 9 August 1953 (2 copies for 9 August).

Also included is a leaflet prospectus for 1951, a handbill for Orgel Music given by Adelheid Gros (12 August 1951, Stadtkirche) and a programme for a Lieder-und Arien-Abend by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (14 August 1951, Markgräflichen Opernhaus).


Box 2 (1954-57)
Leaflet prospectuses for 1954, 1955 and 1956; festival brochure and artists list for 1957; plus programme books for the following dates:
23, 24, 25, 26, 28 and 29 July 1954
24 and 27 July, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19 August 1956
2, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 and 20 August plus one undated 1957
Also, a printed document entitled Bayreuth Encounters (1957).


Box 3 (1958-1959)
Festival brochures for 1958 and 1959; leaflet prospectus for 1959; plus programme books for the following dates:
24, 26, 27 and 30 July, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 9 August 1958
27 July, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13 August 1959
Also the July/August 1958 edition of ‘Monatsspiegel Festspielstadt Bayreuth’


Box 4 (1960-1961)
Festival brochures for 1960 and 1961; plus programme books for the following dates:
31 July, 1 and 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 August 1960.
28 July, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22 August 1961, plus undated programmes for productions of Rheingold and Götterdamerung


Box 5 (1962-1965)
Festival brochures for 1962, 1963 (celebration of Wagner’s 150th birthday), 1964 and 1965; artists list for 1954; plus programme books for the following dates:
28, 29 and 30 July, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 14 August 1962
19, 22, 24 July, 17, 18, 19 and 21 August 1964
19, 20 and 21 August 1965
Also a leaflet for the 1963 International youth festival meeting at Bayreuth, 4-24 August.


Box 6 (1966-1973)
Festival brochures for 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971 and 1972; plus programme books for the following dates:
12, 13 and 16 August 1966
16 August 1967
25 July 1969
7 August 1970 plus undated Tristan
5, 10 and 11 August 1971
21 July 1972
28, 29 and 31 July, 2 and 3 August 1973 plus undated Parsifal
Also leaflets for the International Youth Festival Meeting (4-24 August 1963) and Bayreuth Festival Master Classes, 1967, two copies).


Box 7 (1974-1975)
Complete collection of 1974 programmes in sleeve; only Tristan and Tannhäuser dated (27 and 28 August); also loose copies dated 3 August (Tristan) and 17 August (Tannhäuser).
Complete collection of 1975 programmes in sleeve; only Tristan and Parsifal dated (26 and 27 August); also loose copies dated 31 July (Siegfried) and 12 August (Meistersinger) and loose cast lists for 28 and 29 July and 2, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20 August 1975.
Also included is the Festspielrestaurant menu for 21 August 1975.


Box 8 (1976-1979)
Festival brochures for 1976 (100th anniversary of Bayreuth), 1977 and 1978; plus programme books for the following dates:
Rheingold, Siegfried and Parsifal undated 1976; cast lists for 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 August 1976
28 July, 10 and 12 August 1978 plus Parsifal and Götterdämmerung undated; cast lists for 15, 16 and 17 August
25 July 1979 plus complete collection of 1979 programmes in sleeve, all undated
Also included are two leaflets for the anniversary exhibition of 1976; a leaflet for the International Youth Festival (5-27 August 1977) and the Internationale Siegfried Wagner Gesellschaft bulletin for July 1979
Also included are leaflets prospectuses for the festivals of 1976 (100th Anniversary, 2 copies) and 1977 plus a single-sheet programme for 12 August 1975.


Box 9 (1980-1981)
Leaflet prospectus for 1981.
Complete collection of 1980 programmes in sleeve; only Parsifal dated (25 July)
Complete collection of 1981 programmes in sleeve; programmes dating from 25, 26, 27 and 29 July; Lohengrin undated


Box 10 (1982-1985)
Complete collection of 1982 programmes in sleeve, all undated; loose copy of Meistersinger, dated 15 August 1982
25 and 30 July 1983, plus Parsifal and Meistersinger undated
Complete collection of 1985 programmes in sleeve, all undated


Box 11 (1986-1987)
20, 23 and 25 August 1986, plus Götterdämmerung undated
25, 26 and 28 August 1987, plus Parsifal and Tannhäuser undated


Box 12 (1988)
Complete collection of 1988 programmes with sleeve (marked ‘Review copy’), all undated; cast lists for 26, 27, 28 and 30 July, 1 and 2 August 1988.

1911 - 1988

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Not Specific

• Wagner, Richard -
• Bayreuther Festspiele -

• Festspielhaus, Bayreuth

• 20th century - early 1900-1930
• 20th century - late 1971-1999
• 20th century - mid 1931-1970

• Leaflets
• Brochures
• Posters
• Photographs
• Analytical Notes
• Illustrations
• Musical Examples
• Handbills
• Programme notes

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The Portraits and Performance History Collection and its associated reading room is housed in a recently adapted space within the RCM's College Hall, its hall of residence for students. There is step-free access for visitors.

The Centre for Performance History (CPH) is a research centre and is also responsible for the stewardship of two well-established RCM research collections, the Museum of Instruments and the Portraits and Performance History Collection (PPHC). The latter houses a diverse collection relating to the history of performance including the RCM’s internationally famous collection of images, comprising 340 original portraits and sculptures and 25,000 prints and photographs, forming the most comprehensive archive of likenesses of musicians in the UK. The collection of 600,000 concert programmes from 1720 to the present day is of major importance for research into the history of music, society and culture.