Abstract
In 1986, Pierre Boulez signed a contract to donate his musical manuscripts to the Swiss conductor and patron Paul Sacher, a friend of many years. The collection was the cornerstone of the musical holdings that have since been preserved and enriched by the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel. Classified and described by Robert Piencikowski, the collection comprises the bulk of Pierre Boulez's musical manuscripts (from sketches to rough drafts), together with other documents. It remains the primary source for Boulez studies, along with the archives collected in 2017 by the BnF.
However, other heritage collections around the world hold lesser-identified items that complement the Basel and Paris holdings: in the USA in particular (Morgan Library, Northwestern University Library), in Germany (SWR Archives, Baden-Baden), as well as in France (Bibliothèque La Grange-Fleuret, Radio France music library, library of the Ensemble InterContemporain, Musée de la Musique, and several BnF holdings, including the Renaud-Barrault archives). Several manuscripts can also be found in private collections around the world.
The circle widens considerably when interest turns to the musician's other activities, in particular orchestral conducting: researchers interested in this other facet of Boulez's rich activity cannot fail to consult the archives of the institutions he most frequently visited, in The Hague, Amsterdam or Brussels, in London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or Cleveland, as well as in Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, Bayreuth - and elsewhere still.
This paper will attempt to provide an overview, focusing first and foremost on Pierre Boulez's musical work.
