The early years of music at Queens College were almost single-handedly shaped by Karol Rathaus (1895-1954), a Polish-born composer who immigrated to the United Stated during WWII. Rathaus joined the faculty as a professor of composition in 1940, a position he occupied until his death in 1954. In 1961, the department of music moved into its own building, Karol Rathaus Hall. The dedication concert on 25 March 1961 featured Karol Rathaus’ Sonata No. 2 and Luigi Dallapiccola’s Piccola Musica Notturna as well as works by Leo Kraft, Sol Berkowitz, and Gabriel Fontrier. Piccola Musica Notturna, originally for orchestra, was arranged by the composer for an octet (flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, celesta, violin, viola, and violoncello) for this concert. George Sturm, a music alumni and former student of Dallapiccola, generously donated the Dallapiccola manuscript to Queens College. Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975) taught several semesters of composition at Queens College starting in 1956 and was the first Italian composer to embrace serial techniques of the Second Viennese School.

	Score of The Chamber Music of Beethoven signed by students of Rathaus in Spring 1942 On the inside cover of this collection there is the inscription: “To Dr. Rathaus, With sincere gratitude and love from the composition students of ‘Spring’ 1942. May 31, 1942” Below are the names of Rathaus’ students, including the budding musicologist Claude Palisca and three who would play important roles in the School of Music as faculty members: Leo Kraft, Gabriel Fontrier, and Sol Berkowitz. From Queens College Special Collections Department
The world premiere recording (CD) of Rathaus’ orchestral compositions conducted by Queens College alumna JoAnn Falletta and performed by current faculty member Donald Pirone
1988 world premiere recording (LP) of Rathaus’ solo and chamber works, the cover of which features a famous caricature of the composer by Al Hirschfeld From the Queens College Music Library
Program from the 1 November 1974 Karol Rathaus Twentieth Anniversary Memorial Concert From the Aaron Copland School of Music Archives
	Manuscript score of Rathaus’ Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano From the Queens College Special Collections Department
	Manuscript score of Dallapiccola’s Piccola Musica Notturna arranged by the composer for Queens College and generously donated by George Sturm From the Queens College Special Collections Department
	Program of the 25 March 1961 Concert of Contemporary Music in dedication of Karol Rathaus Hall From the Aaron Copland School of Music Archives
	Score of Dallapiccola’s Piccola Musica Notturna signed by the composer: “a gli amici del Queens College ho ripensato questi suoni notturni con nostalgia” [to my friends at Queens College, I remember our nights with fondness] From the Queens College Special Collections Department