Writings | Sources database of B. Martinu Institute

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General information

Type of the document	Letter
Sender	Roth, Ernst
Sender (corporation)	Boosey & Hawkes, London
Sender‘s location	London
Note on Sender‘s location	[London]
Send date	03.03.1958
Recipient	Martinů, Bohuslav
Recipient (corporation)
Recipient‘s location	Schönenberg - Pratteln
Language	English
Acquired	1995, a gift from Boosey & Hawkes, New York; carbon copy of the letter from British Library, Boosey & Hawkes Archives, 12/2019
Owner of the source	Institut Bohuslava Martinů
Former owner	Boosey & Hawkes
Former call number at IBM	XXV/12
Call number at IBM	BH 1958-03-03

Content and physical description

Content	Ernst Roth apologises for replying to Bohuslav Martinů’s letter dated 4 January [1958] so late, he has had a lot of work. He writes about the printing and performing of some of BM’s compositions: 1) MIRANDOLINA – the vocal score will not be printed, it is only in Italian and no theatre has been found that would perform it (either in Italy or Germany), perhaps in Brno – he does not know. But he has sent the vocal score to Prague (to Dilia = the Theatre and Literary Agency). Should they want to make a Czech translation and produce their own materials, Boosey & Hawkes has nothing against it. Yet he has not heard anything about Dilia, and acting through Dilia is the only manner of negotiating with theatres in Czechoslovakia. 2) THE MARRIAGE – it has already been staged in Malmö, Sweden, to acclaim and ER hopes there will be more performances. It cannot though compete with the COMEDY ON THE BRIDGE, which is far more successful. The opera has already been broadcast by BBC television and will again be broadcast on 9 and 10 March [1958]. BM should not be worried about the “life” of this opera. 3) WHAT MEN LIVE BY – unfortunately, the situation is not good. It has been staged in Regensburg, yet to the dissatisfaction both of the audience and the press. 4) CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA NO. 3 – the problem is in the fact that Rudolf Firkušný seemed not to be overly satisfied with this concerto – BM should perhaps make several changes in the score. 5) SYMPHONY NO. 2 and SYMPHONY NO. 3 – there must be evident reasons why the pieces have not been printed in the USA. ER has enough material to lend to anyone who would like to play the compositions. They will perhaps publish them in the future. The same applies to SYMPHONY NO. 6 (the score’s pocket edition). Karel Šebánek told ER that BM will be going to Prague Spring. He hopes that the authorities will let him out. ER is also invited, yet he is cautious and will not be going.
Total number of leaves	3
Number of pages bearing text	3
Note	Original written on Boosey & Hawkes, London letterhead; carbon copy with no letterhead
Fixation	typescript, handwritten signature (Roth)