General information
Type of the document Letter
SenderMartinů, Bohuslav
Sender (corporation)
Note on Sender‘s location[Nice?]
Send date24.09.1954
RecipientSacher, Paul
Recipient (corporation)
Note on Recipient‘s location[?]
LanguageFrench
AcquiredPaul Sacher Stiftung
Owner of the sourcePaul Sacher Stiftung
Former call number at IBM49/250
Call number at IBMSac 1954-09-24
Content and physical description
ContentBohuslav Martinů apologises to Paul Sacher for forgetting to call him in a previous letter.
How many singers does PS have in the choir and how many players in the string orchestra [part of the Basel Chamber Orchestra]? Are there any restrictions on the instruments he can add to the EPOS ON GILGAMES? Is he allowed to use a harmonium instead of an organ? He is not so much concerned with "noise", for that a choir would be enough, but he would like to achieve a powerful sonority. He will need solos.
The text is long, BM only has to choose a part. It's confusing because of the gaps in the text (some of the tables are destroyed or illegible). He also has a French translation available, based on other versions. However, the English translation by Reginald Campbell Thomson, sent to him by PS, is fairly complete. It will probably be necessary to obtain Thompson's permission to use the translation. It was published in London (BM gives an address) in 1928 and is excellent.
The substance is of course not up to date, but it raises a basic human question. The text is beautiful. BM would like to write it in tabular form as it was discovered. Even with much reduction the piece will be long, probably around 50 minutes. BM would like to dedicate it to Maja Sacher, he promised her years ago.
The cover by MS will allow him to stay in Nice for another year and work quietly on this piece he has been thinking about for a long time.
They [he and Charlotte Martinů] are devastated by the death of Tibor Harsányi. BM regrets that he will not be able to go to Paris - they are in the process of moving and are awaiting the arrival of friends from Argentina. BM gives his new address in Nice.
Total number of leaves2
Number of pages bearing text2
Fixationhandwriting
Digitisation
Quality of digitisationNot professional black-and-white
Digitized atBohuslav Martinů Institute
Date of digitisation2017

Preview only available at the Institute.

Location as subject
Argentina
London
Paris
Person as subject
Campbell Thompson, Reginald
Harsányi, Tibor
Sacher, Maja
Corporation as subject
Basler Kammerorchester
Composition as subject
The Epic of Gilgamesh [auth.], H 351
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