These letters, documents, photographs and manuscripts span three centuries of musical history. Rózsa collected these notes and letters over the course of a lifetime. Some he bought at auctions; others he received as gifts. Brahms' calling card with a brief note about a cantata, a few hastily scribbled bars of music in Richard Wagner's hand, a sentimental inscription to Rózsa from conductor Bruno Walter.

When the collection was in Rózsa's home, he kept it close to his studio and the piano where he composed. Asked if he would miss having them near, he replied, "yes, every one of them!" But having spent many years of his life teaching at USC, he said, nothing could make him happier than to see young people draw the same inspiration from the letters that he has.

Most of the correspondence relates to the composition, performance and business of music--Claude Debussy's 1899 missive about re-arranging a meeting with his publisher, for example, and Liszt's 1880 letter about going to Budapest to teach. Other writings deal with the mundane realities of daily life. Recurrent themes include the payment of debts (Liszt, 1853: "accept the repayment of my small debt, 8 Thaler, 18 gr."), the climate (Puccini, 1913: "My dear chap...Milan is terrible in winter and impossible in summer") and social amenities (Sergei Rachmaninov, 1906: "Birthday greettings to Nina Kushetz.").

Most of the letters in the collection were handwritten, though some of the more recent ones were typed. In a 1949 letter, which Rózsa said was his favorite, Richard Strauss attempts--in German--to explain to actor Lionel Barrymore the nature of his relationship with the Nazi party. Other items range from Tchaikovsky's apology, dated 1889, for being a tardy correspondent, which bears his large inked signature, to a faded typed message from Gustave Charpentier, dated Paris, 1932, regarding the broadcast of his "Poemes chantes" over Radio Paris.

The collection covers an intriguing mix of musical ruminations. One composer is struggling to finish an opera before he leaves for the country. Others are preoccupied by their health: Puccini, writing in 1906 from Paris' Grand Hotel de Londres, thanks his physician for a favorable urinalysis.

In addition to writings by musicians, the collection contains a 1670 letter from France's Louis XIV.