| Content | Written by Maria Martinů:
Thanks for the letter, they wanted to write themselves but were waiting for more recent news from Bohuslav Martinů, but due to the strike in France they are not receiving letters, so he can only list some of the earlier letters. BM always asks about Karel Šebánek. He doesn't write to him directly so as not to cause him any trouble. Orbis apologised to him in response to the letter from his lawyer but did not resolve anything. BM left New York on 5/5 and plans to spend a year in Europe. He hopes he might come home as well. From France he went to Brussels where he was invited by the Queen to be a judge to select songs for the festival. They had lunch with the Queen and wrote beautifully about it. From Belgium they went to Holland where the choir rehearsed the Field Mass, sang it in Czech and had success. They wanted BM to stay, they gave him a yacht to work on, but BM was in a hurry to go to Paris where Charles Munch was to perform his [1st] SYMPHONY, but ChM changed the programme in the end, so BM was sorry. Then they went to Brittany. They intended to spend the winter in [Nice?] in the villa of [Joseph] Shima. It's outside the city, so it will be good to work in. BM is apparently planning a new opera [A PLEA AGAINST THE UNKNOWN]. František Martinů is perhaps in better health, his eyesight is worse, he could put up with his hearing. They have managed to save some money, because they had it divided into three books in the savings bank, but there is not much left, so they live on their pensions (142 K/month), and they always take part of it from the savings bank. "It was tragic not only for us but for the great majority of the people". They were looking forward to the visit and hope that KS will visit them sometime, they have a lot to talk about.
Written by Jindřiška Martinů:
They often reminisce with František Martinů about KS and how "fate played mercilessly" with them and him. FM would like to write something too, but he can't, JM is afraid of the worst disaster. From MM's letter he must have learnt all about BM, they were sorry that KS did not visit them. JM was in Prague, she wanted to visit KS. They also remember KS's mother and his sister. |