The University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library has embarked on an ambitious project to digitize the handwritten sketches and full scores of Dimitri Tiomkin, according to Sandra Garcia-Myers, the library’s assistant director. The film scores of Elmer Bernstein are also being digitized. Garcia-Myers recently gave a presentation on the project during a three-day symposium titled “Musicological Film Studies: Sources, Bibliography, and Editions,” held in partnership with the library and the Pacific-Southwest chapter of the American Musicological Society.

During her PowerPoint presentation, Garcia-Myers provided an overview of USC’s Tiomkin collection holdings that included several scanned images. “Not only is the library pleased that the digital scans will help preserve Tiomkin’s invaluable contribution to American film scoring, but it also will be easier to share the archival aspect of his music with future generations,” she says.

To date, twenty-eight complete Tiomkin scores have been digitized using state-of-the-art scanning equipment and a computer workstation generously provided by Olivia Tiomkin Douglas. At present, the digitized scores are not available over the Internet due to copyright restrictions and other issues. Garcia-Myers later fielded questions from the audience with the help of library director Steve Hanson and assistant John Brockman. In attendance were distinguished musicologists and scholars from Canada, England, Germany, Italy, and Mexico, as well as those from universities across the United States.

The session took place on Thursday, February 26, in the Intellectual Commons on the second floor of USC’s Doheny Library. Material from the Tiomkin collection was on display downstairs in the David L. Wolper Center as part of the exhibit “Duke: The Life and Legend of John Wayne.” On view were Tiomkin’s sketch for the main title of The Alamo and a photograph of the composer with John Wayne and his wife, Pilar, along with artifacts and memorabilia from the actor’s Batjac Productions. On Friday, the library hosted a wonderful reception in the Library Courtyard for symposium participants.