Pasternack, Josef Alexander. (1881 - 1940)
Large Signed Photograph
A rare and attractive signed photograph from the well-known Czech-born conductor and composer in the first half of the 20th century. An original doubleweight sepia matte Freulich of NY photograph, signed and inscribed on the mount: "To Mrs. Orasky in gratitude and friendship, Josef A. Pasternack. New York 1915." Edges of mount nicked and somewhat creased, slightly trimmed along bottom margin, overall fine.Hired as a violinist and later first viola at the Metropolitan Opera in 1902, he was chosen by Toscanini to be Assistant conductor there in 1909. In 1911 he returned to Europe as Conductor of the Bremen Opera, but the Metropolitan asked for his release and he returned to the Met as a Conductor for 1911-13. During the period 1913-26, he was Conductor of the Century Opera Company in New York, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Philharmonic Society, where he introduced Marian Anderson as the first African-American singer to perform there. Starting in 1916 he also was Musical Director of the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor) with Rosario Bourdon, where likewise he (Pasternack) introduced Marian Anderson, and the Stanley Company of America, owned by Warner Brothers. In his role at Victor and with several orchestras he made recordings and conducted programs for many famous singers of the day, most notably Enrico Caruso, and directed many of the famous musicians of the day, including Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz. From 1928 until his death in 1940 he conducted orchestras for NBC in the days of live radio, including a show with Nelson Eddy and The Carnation Contented Hour. He composed songs and music for motion pictures and radio, and wrote the lyrics for "Taps".
The present image is signed in pencil by the photographer, Jack Freulich, who was chief portrait photographer for the New York office of Underwood & Underwood and was later a cinematic still photographer for Universal Studios. (4458)
Signed Photograph Classical Music