General information
Type of the document Letter
SenderMartinů, Bohuslav
Sender (corporation)
Sender‘s locationNew York, NY
Send date28.02.1956
RecipientRoth, Ernst
Recipient (corporation)Boosey & Hawkes, London
Recipient‘s locationLondon
Note on Recipient‘s location[London]
LanguageEnglish
AcquiredCopy from British Library, Boosey & Hawkes Archives, 12/2019
Owner of the sourceBritish Library
Former ownerBoosey & Hawkes, London
Owner‘s call numberMs Mus. 1813/2/1/45/1. Martinu, 1956
Call number at IBMBH 1956-02-28
Content and physical description
ContentBohuslav Martinů hopes to finally meet Ernest Roth while he will be in Europe now and will remain there for a year as he holds a job at the American Academy in Rome. Most likely they could meet in Paris, where BM will be in early May. BM is interested in how the communication with Erich Leinsdorf turned out about the possibility of performing LOCANDIERA. Given that EL is now the director of the City Center Theater in New York, this would not be a bad start for its launch. LOCANDIERA should last two hours with two breaks, which according to BM is the usual length of this musical form [BM responds to previous correspondence, where the ER talks about the problem of the length of the work: BH 1956-02-14]. BM suggests a possibility of playing one act from COMEDY ON THE BRIDGE as a introduction ("lever du rideau").
BM never got the vocal part back from B&H for the third act of LOCANDIERA, so he can't even send it back, as ER asked him in the previous correspondence [BH 1956-02-14]. However, BM would like to see the scores again. BM also did not receive any manuscripts, so he will contact David Adams [New York branch of B&H], who is in charge.
BM is sorry that his contract with B&H has expired, as he now has works that would certainly be successful. BM also recalls that last year he won the Music Critics Award for SYMPHONY No. 6. BM still doesn't know much about the contract with Artia, he just hopes that everything will go well. In Czech, BM adds that he "needs money".
Transcription of the letter

February 28. 1956



Dear Ernest:

Thank you for your letter and I hope that we could meet one day and soon enough, I still have some little problems on my heart and would like to speak with you. I will be in Europe in May and stay the whole year as I got a job in American Academy in Rome for next fall. I will be in the beginning of may in Paris, leaving here by boat the may 2.



I am sorry about Locandiera and you didn’t mentioned what happehed [happened] with Leinsdorf who seemed very eager to have it and as he is a director of City Center theatre in N.Y. it wouldn’t be a bad beginning. He called me and I wrote you, I think in December but after that I didn’t hear anything new. The music should last with two intermissions just two hours, I think it is a regular size for this kind of comedy. Eventually on could play the one act of the comedy on the bridge as a lever du rideau,?



I didn’t receive any vocal score of the third act so I cannot send it back to you but would like to see it.

I didn’t receive my manuscript non plus.Will call Mr. Adams.



In a way I am sorry for not renewing the contract because I have new scores which could make a hit. You know that I received the Music Critics Award for the Fantasies symph. as the best piece orchetral [orchestral] for last year.



About Artia I do not know still very much and have only a hope that it will work out alright. Potrebuji penize.

That8s [That’s] about all news a let me know about yourself soon.



Yours sincerely



B. Martinu

108 East 60. t

New York 22. N.Y.


Total number of leaves1
Number of pages bearing text1
FixationTypescript
Digitisation
Quality of digitisationNot professional colour
Digitized atBritish Library
Date of digitisation12/2019

Preview only available at the Institute.

Location as subject
Paris
Person as subject
Adams, David S.
Leinsdorf, Erich
Corporation as subject
American Academy in Rome
Artia, Praha
New York City Center
The New York Music Critics' Circle Award
Composition as subject
Mirandolina, H 346
Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies Symphoniques), H 343
Comedy on the Bridge, H 247
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