General information
Type of the document Letter
SenderHawkins, Erick
Sender (corporation)
Sender‘s locationNew York, NY
Send date28.04.1948
RecipientCopland, Aaron
Recipient (corporation)
LanguageEnglish
AcquiredCopy from Library of Congress, Hawkins Papers, Box 30, Folder 23, 08/2024
Owner of the sourceLibrary of Congress
Owner‘s call numberHawkins Papers, Box 30, Folder 23
Call number at IBMHawE 1948-04-28b
Content and physical description
ContentErick Hawkins describes to Aaron Copland his idea to adapt the novel Moby Dick as a ballet. He asks if AC would write the music. EH is putting together a small ensemble to tour with him: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano and percussion. He is currently writing a piece for this orchestra and a similar duration and stage setting by Bohuslav Martinů. Both Martha [Graham] and EH have independently treated the Oedipus theme. EH asked Robert Fitzgerald for the text. EH's ballet is a prelude to Martina's piece. It is a real rite of passage, the young man before the Sphinx. Martinů uses as percussion two small cauldrons [orig. "kettledrums"] and two hollowed wooden logs [orig. "two hollowed wooden logs"] that [Carlos[ Chávez brought for his concerts at the Museo and that EH used. Plus he uses Martin Hawkins' "pueblo Indian drum" [i.e., probably a wooden two-headed drum played with a mallet] and a few other smaller sounds. EH didn't know R. Fitzgerald except by his lyrics, and only later realized they were sitting next to each other in a lecture at Harvard. RF wrote a beautiful text and EH is terribly curious to see what Martinů will write.
Total number of leaves4
Number of pages bearing text4
NoteCarbon copy of the sent letter
FixationTypescript, handwritten signature
Digitisation
Quality of digitisationProfessional
Digitized atLoC
Date of digitisation2024

Preview only available at the Institute.

Person as subject
Chávez, Carlos
Fitzgerald, Robert
Graham, Martha
Martinů, Bohuslav
Corporation as subject
Harvard University, Cambridge MA
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Composition as subject
The Strangler [auth.], H 317
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