Bronisław Kaper (1902-1983) was an Oscar-winning film composer in Hollywood (mid-1930s to mid-1970s) with over 200 film and TV scores. The Bronisław Kaper Collection was initiated in with a gift of rare orchestral scores by Kaper’s manager, Steve Goldring who, before retiring, donated to the PMC the following scores in October of 2006:
- The Stranger (1946)
- The Glass Slipper (1955)
- Green Mansions (1959)
- Tobruk (1967)
- The Way West (1967)
In addition, thanks to Irene Kearney, during the years 2007-2010 PMC received sheet music containing many of Kaper’s most popular songs, including Lili, On Green Dolphin Street, Blue Love Bird, and Invitation, among many others.
Since 2010, Dr. Eva Muchnick, another friend of the composer, had donated a number of private photographs and newspaper clippings relating to Kaper’s long tenure as one of Hollywood’s most successful film composers.
The Kaper Collection also includes a signed manuscript by Heitor Villa Lobos, with his notation of an indigenous Amerindian chant that was used in feature film, Green Mansions.
The Bronisław Kaper Collection is available online here: digitallibrary.usc.edu