The Leonard Bernstein Letters

by Leonard Bernstein

  Hoopes, Roy (1982): Cain. New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston.

  Houseman, John (1972): Run-Through: A Memoir. New York: Simon and Schuster.

  Hussey, Walter (1985): Patron of Art. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

  Joseph, Charles M. (2001): Stravinsky Inside Out. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

  Jowett, Deborah (2004): Jerome Robbins: His Life, his Theater, his Dance. New York: Simon and Schuster.

  Kimberling, Victoria J. (1987): David Diamond: A Bio-Bibliography. Lanhau, MD: Scarecrow Press.

  Laurents, Arthur (2000): Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

  Mangan, Timothy, and Irene Herrmann: Paul Bowles on Music. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

  Massey, Drew (2009): “Leonard Bernstein and the Harvard Student Union: In Search of Political Origins,” Journal of the Society for American Music, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 67–84.

  Milhaud, Darius (1995): My Happy Life (trans. Donald Evans, George Hall, and Christopher Palmer). London: Marion Boyars.

  Moorehead, Caroline, ed. (2006): The Letters of Martha Gellhorn. London: Chatto and Windus.

  Nixon, Marni (2006): I Could Have Sung All Night: My Story. New York: Billboard Books.

  Oja, Carol J., and Kay Kaufman Shelemay (2009): “Leonard Bernstein's Jewish Boston: Cross-Disciplinary Research in the Classroom,” Journal of the Society of American Music, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 3–33.

  Pollack, Howard (1999): Aaron Copland: The Life of an Uncommon Man. London: Faber and Faber.

  Sarna, Jonathan D. (2009): “Leonard Bernstein and the Boston Jewish Community of His Youth: The Influence of Solomon Braslavsky, Herman Rubenovitz, and Congregation Mishkan Tefila,” Journal of the Society of American Music, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 35–46.

  Seldes, Barry (2009): Leonard Bernstein: The Political Life of an American Musician. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press.

  Simeone, Nigel (2009): Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story. Farnham: Ashgate.

  Swayne, Steve (2011): Orpheus in Manhattan: William Schuman and the Shaping of American Music. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

  Vaill, Amanda (2007): Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

  Zadan, Craig (1974): Sondheim & Co. New York: Macmillan.

  Websites (selective list)

  Leonard Bernstein Collection, Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/bernstein

  Official Leonard Bernstein website: www.leonardbernstein.com

  Leonard Bernstein's Boston Years: Team Research in a Harvard Classroom [includes interviews with Lukas Foss, Raphael Hillyer, Sid Ramin, and Harold Shapero]: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=bernstein

  FBI Records: The Vault (online archive): http://vault.fbi.gov

  The Harvard Crimson: www.thecrimson.com

  Internet Broadway database: www.ibdb.com

  New York Philharmonic Digital Archives: http://archives.nyphil.org

  The New York Times: www.nytimes.com

  Time Magazine: www.time.com

  Index of Compositions by Bernstein

  Note: this is an index of works mentioned in the present book. For a complete catalogue of Bernstein's compositions, see Gottlieb 1998.

  Age of Anxiety, The. See Symphony No. (i)

  Anniversaries (unspecified) (i). See Seven Anniversaries and Thirteen Anniversaries

  Birds, The (1939; incid. music for play by Aristophanes) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) n73, (vi) n77

  First performance: 21 April 1939, Cambridge, MA, Sanders Theatre, Harvard Classical Club, Charles T. Murphy and Lawrence B. Leighton (dirs.), Leonard Bernstein (cond.); orchestra members included Raphael Silverman [Hillyer], first violin, J[esse] Ehrlich, cello and David Glazer, clarinet

  By Bernstein (revue) (i) n47

  First performance: 23 November 1975, New York, Chelsea Theater Center

  Candide (1954–6; book: Lillian Hellman; lyrics: Richard Wilbur, John LaTouche, Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman and Leonard Bernstein) (i) n104, (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv), (xvi), (xvii), (xviii), (xix), (xx), (xxi), (xxii), (xxiii) n77, (xxiv), (xxv), (xxvi) n14, (xxvii) n23, (xxviii), (xxix) n59, (xxx) n53

  First performance: 29 October 1956, Boston, Colonial Theatre, cast incl. Barbara Cook (Cunegonde), Robert Rounseville (Candide), Max Adrian (Dr. Pangloss); Tyrone Guthrie (dir.), Samuel Krachmalnick (cond.)

  First New York performance: 1 December 1956, Martin Beck Theatre, cast as above

  Orchestrations by Bernstein and Hershy Kay

  Chichester Psalms (1965) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi) n128, (vii), (viii), (ix) n142, (x), (xi) n47

  First performance: 15 July 1965, New York, Philharmonic Hall, John Bogart (boy alto), Camerata Singers, New York PO, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  First UK performance: 31 July 1965, Chichester Cathedral, Choirs of Chichester, Salibury and Winchester Catherdrals, Philomusica of London, John Birch (cond.)

  Dedication (on printed piano-vocal score): Commissioned by the Very Rev. Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral, Sussex, for its 1965 Festival, and dedicated, with gratitude, to Cyril Solomon

  Much of the score is recycled from earlier music:

  a) two numbers composed for the abandoned musical The Skin of Our Teeth: “Here Comes The Sun”, used in the first movement, and “Spring Will Come Again”, used for the outer sections of the second movement

  b) a cut number from West Side Story (“Mix!”), used for the central section of the second movement

  c) a sketch headed “Wartime Duet?” used as the main 10/4 theme of the third movement

  Conch Town (1941–2) (i), (ii) n25, (iii)

  Planned ballet, unfinished; manuscript for two pianos and percussion virtually complete. Started during Bernstein's stay at Key West in August 1941, he was “working very hard” on it in April 1942 with the plan to “turn it into a ballet” (see Letter 106). Bernstein later used material from Conch Town in Fancy Free and West Side Story

  David (January 1954) (i)

  Planned “big three-act opera” (see Letter 335), not composed

  Dedication to Aaron Copland. See Seven Anniversaries

  Dybbuk (1972–4) (i) n145, (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) n39, (vi)

  First performance: 16 May 1974, New York, New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet, Jerome Robbins (choreo.), Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Extension of a Theme by Adolph Green (by 21 February 1943) (i)

  First broadcast performance: 21 February 1943, New York, WNYC, 6:30–7:00 p.m. (see Letter 125), David Oppenheim (clarinet), Leonard Bernstein (pf)

  Reworked as the “Waltz” variation in Fancy Free

  Facsimile (1946) (i) n104, (ii) n145, (iii), (iv) n11, (v), (vi), (vii) n70, (viii), (ix), (x)

  First performance: New York, Broadway Theatre, Ballet Theatre, Jerome Robbins (choreo.), Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: For Jerome Robbins

  Fancy Free (1944, including material from 1941–3) (i) n104, (ii), (iii), (iv) n25, (v) n44, (vi) n76, (vii) n141, (viii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv), (xvi), (xvii), (xviii), (xix), (xx), (xxi) n30, (xxii) n65, (xxiii) n77, (xxiv), (xxv) n32, (xxvi), (xxvii), (xxviii)

  First performance: 18 April 1944, New York, Metropolitan Opera House, Ballet Theatre, Jerome Robbins (choreo.), Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: For Adolph Green

  Fanfare for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy (by January 1961) (i) n79, (ii) n81

  First performance: 19 January 1961, Washington, D.C., National Guard Armory, Inaugural Gala, orchestra, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  A reworking of “This Turf is Ours”, a cut song from West Side Story

  Orchestration by Sid Ramin

  Firstborn, The, incidental music (1958; incid. music for play by Christopher Fry) (i)

  First performance: 30 April 1958, N
ew York, Coronet Theatre

  Halil, Nocturne for Solo Flute with Piccolo, Alto Flute, Harp and Strings (1981) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  First performance: 27 May 1981, Jerusalem, Sultan's Pool, Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute), Israel PO, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  First US performance: 4 July 1981, Tanglewood, Doriot Anthony Dwyer (flute), Boston SO, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: To the Spirit of Yadin [Tannenbaum], and to his Fallen Brothers

  Partly derived from the CBS 50th Anniversary Music composed in October 1977

  I Hate Music: A Cycle of 5 Kid Songs (by 14 March 1943; see Letter 133) (i) n57, (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)

  First performance: 24 August 1943, Lenox, MA, Town Hall, Jennie Tourel (mezzo-sop.), Leonard Bernstein (pf)

  Dedication: For Edys [Merrill]

  Jeremiah. See Symphony No. (i)

  Kaddish. See Symphony No. (i)

  Lark, The (1955; incid. music for play by Jean Anouilh adapted by Lillian Hellman) (i), (ii), (iii) n74

  First performance: 28 October 1955, Boston, Plymouth Theatre, Russell Oberlin (counter-ten.), members of New York Pro Music Antique, Noah Greenberg (dir.)

  First New York performance: 17 November 1955, Longacre Theatre, cast as above

  Music from The Lark was later reworked as the Missa brevis

  Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers (1970–1; additional texts by Stephen Schwartz and Leonard Bernstein) 70 n104, 268 n3, 301, 502, 503 (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii) n55, (viii), (ix), (x)

  First performance: 8 September 1971, Washington, D.C., Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, cast incl. Alan Titus (Celebrant), Norman Scribner Choir, Berkshire Boy Choir, Maurice Peress (cond.)

  Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, Hershy Kay and Bernstein

  Dedication (added after the first publication of the piano-vocal score): For Roger L. Stevens

  Missa brevis (1988) (i) n24

  First performance: 21 April 1988, Atlanta, GA, Symphony Hall, Derek Lee Ragin (counter-ten.), Atlanta Symphony Chorus, Robert Shaw (cond.)

  Dedication: For Robert Shaw

  Derived from music for The Lark, 1955

  Nicest Time of Year, The (by 12 July 1943, see Letter 148) (i)

  Probably unperformed at the time. The melody used the following year for “Lucky To Be Me” in On The Town

  On the Town (1944; book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, on an idea by Jerome Robbins) (i), (ii) n43, (iii) n60, (iv) n75, (v) n104, (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii) n9, (xiii), (xiv), (xv) n90, (xvi) n173, (xvii), (xviii), (xix), (xx), (xxi), (xxii) n61, (xxiii) n128, (xxiv), (xxv), (xxvi), (xxvii)

  First performance: 13 December 1944, Boston, Colonial Theatre, cast incl. Betty Comden (Claire DeLoone), Nancy Walker (Hildy Esterhazy), Sono Osato (Ivy Smith), Adolph Green (Ozzie), Cris Alexander (Chip), John Battles (Gabey); Jerome Robbins (choreo.), George Abbott (dir.), Max Goberman (cond.)

  First New York Performance: 28 December 1944, Adelphi Theatre, cast as above

  Orchestrations by Bernstein and Hershy Kay, Don Walker, Elliott Jacoby and Ted Royal

  Dedication: none, but the Three Dance Episodes from “On the Town” are dedicated to Sono Osato (I), Betty Comden (II) and Nancy Walker (III)

  On the Waterfront (1954; film score) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  Sound recording: 25–8 April 1954, Hollywood, CA, Columbia Pictures Studio, North Gower Street, orchestra, Morris Stoloff (cond.), supervised by Leonard Bernstein

  Bernstein also played the piano for part of this recording: he performed the solo in saloon scene, approx. 37 minutes into the film (the manuscript of the music for this scene is headed “4C - Juke Box”)

  Peace, The (1941, incid. music for play by Aristophanes) (i), (ii), (iii)

  First Performance: 23 May 1941, Cambridge, MA, Sanders Theatre, Harvard Student Union Theatre, Robert Nichols (dir.), Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Peter Pan (1950, incid. music for play by J.M. Barrie) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii)

  First performance: 24 April 1950, New York, Imperial Theatre, cast incl. Jean Arthur (Peter Pan) and Boris Karloff (Captain Hook); John Burrell (dir.), Trude Rittmann (music coordinator), Ben Steinberg (cond.)

  Orchestrations by Hershy Kay

  Piano Trio (1937) (i) n18

  First performance: 1937, Madison Trio: Mildred Spiegel (piano), Dorothy Rosenberg (violin), Sarah Kruskall (cello)

  Later performance: 1939?, Harvard University, Paine Hall, Raphael Silverman [Hillyer] (violin), Jesse Ehrlich (cello), Mildred Spiegel (piano) [according to Raphael Hillyer]

  Dedication: For the Madison Trio: M.S., D.R., S.K.

  On the last page of the autograph score, Bernstein has written “Revised Apr. 1937”; Bernstein's movement listing on the inside front cover of this manuscript calls the work “Pianoforte Trio, op. 2”, as do the autograph parts

  Quiet Place, A (1983, rev. 1984; libretto by Stephen Wadsworth) (i) n46, (ii), (iii), (iv) n4, (v)

  First performance of original version (in one act; the second work on a double bill with Trouble in Tahiti): 17 June 1983, Houston Grand Opera, John DeMain (cond.)

  First performance of the revised version (in three acts, incorporating Trouble in Tahiti): 19 June 1984, La Scala, Milan, John Mauceri (cond.)

  First U.S. performance of the revised version: 22 July 1984, Washington, D.C., Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, John Mauceri (cond.)

  Riobamba, The (1942) (i), (ii) n80

  First performance: 10 December 1942, New York, Riobamba Club, 151 East 57th Street (see Letter 115), possibly Jane Froman (singer), who headed the bill on the club's opening night

  Derived from music in Conch Town and later reworked as the “Danzón” in Fancy Free

  Serenade (1947–8; 1955) (i); (i), (ii)

  Planned musical setting of James M. Cain's Serenade, not composed

  Serenade after Plato's Symposium (1954) (i), (ii) n83, (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix)

  First performance: 9 September 1954, Venice, Teatro La Fenice, Isaac Stern (violin), Israel PO, Bernstein (cond.)

  First US performance: 15 April 1955, Boston, Symphony Hall, Isaac Stern (violin), Boston SO, Charles Munch (cond.)

  Dedication: To the Beloved Memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky

  Seven Anniversaries (1942–3; completed by February 1943) (i) n59, (ii) n110, (iii) n65, (iv) n75, (v), (vi), (vii)

  First broadcast performance (as Six Pieces and Dedication to Aaron Copland): 21 February 1943, New York, WNYC, 6:30–7:00 p.m. (see Letter 125), Bernstein (pf)

  First known public performance: 14 May 1944, Boston, Opera House, Bernstein (pf)

  Dedications: I. For Aaron Copland; II. For My Sister, Shirley; III. In Memoriam: Alfred Eisner; IV. For Paul Bowles; V. In Memoriam: Natalie Koussevitzky; VI. For Sergei Koussevitzky; VII. For William Schuman

  Six Pieces. See Seven Anniversaries

  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976; book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner)

  First performance: 26 February 1976, Philadelphia, PA, Forrest Theatre, Ken Howard (President), Patricia Routledge (President's Wife), Gilbert Price (Lud); Donald McKayle (choreo.), Frank Corsaro (dir.), Roland Gagnon (cond.)

  First New York performance: 4 May 1976, Mark Hellinger Theatre, cast as above; Gilbert Moses and George Faison (choreo. and dir.), Roland Gagnon (cond.)

  Orchestrations by Sid Ramin and Hershy Kay

  Skin of Our Teeth, The (1964–5) (i), (ii) n31, (iii), (iv), (v)

  Planned musical, not completed. Two numbers (“Here Comes The Sun” and “Spring Will Come Again”) were reworked for Chichester Psalms

  Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1941–2) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) n38, (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix) n76, (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv), (xvi), (xvii), (xviii), (xix), (xx), (xxi) n144, (xxii), (xxiii) n157, (xxiv) n48, (xxv) n159, (xxvi), (xxvii), (xxviii)

  First performance: 21 April 1942, Boston, Insti
tute of Modern Art, David Glazer (clarinet), Bernstein (pf)

  First broadcast performance: New York, WNYC, 21 February 1943, 6:30–7:00 p.m. (see Letter 125), David Oppenheim (clarinet), Bernstein (pf)

  First New York public performance: 14 March 1943, New York Public Library, League of Composers Concert, David Oppenheim (clarinet), Bernstein (pf)

  Dedication: For David Oppenheim

  Sonata for Violin and Piano (by August 1940; see Letter 58) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)

  First performance: 1940, Cambridge, MA, Raphael Silverman [Hillyer] (violin), Leonard Bernstein (piano)

  Dedication: For Raphael Silverman [Hillyer]

  Songfest (1977) (i), (ii)

  First performance: 11 October 1977, Washington, D.C., Kennedy Center, Clamma Dale (sop.), Rosalind Elias (mezzo-sop.), Nancy Williams (mezzo-sop.), Neil Rosenshein (ten.), John Reardon (bar.), Donald Gramm (bass-bar.), National SO, Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: For my mother

  Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1960) (i) n72, (ii)

  First performance: 13 February 1961, Carnegie Hall, New York, New York PO, Lukas Foss (cond.)

  Orchestrations by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal with Bernstein

  Dedication: For Sid Ramin, in friendship

  Symphonic Suite from “On the Waterfront” (1955) (i) n79, (ii), (iii)

  First performance: 11 August 1955, Tanglewood, MA, Boston SO, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: For my son, Alexander

  Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah (1939–43) (i), (ii) n66, (iii), (iv), (v) n52, (vi), (vii) n138, (viii), (ix), (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv), (xvi), (xvii), (xviii), (xix) n77, (xx) n23, (xxi)

  First performance: 28 January 1944, Pittsburgh, Syria Mosque, Jennie Tourel (mezzo-sop.), Pittsburgh SO, Leonard Bernstein (cond.)

  Dedication: For my father

  Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety (1945–9; rev. 1965) (i) n163, (ii), (iii) n72, (iv), (v), (vi) n111, (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) n2, (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv), (xvi) n90, (xvii), (xviii), (xix) n63

  First performance of “Dirge” (only): 28 November 1948, Tel Aviv, Habima Hall, Gala Soirée in aid of the IPO Pension Fund, Leonard Bernstein (pf), Israel PO, George Singer (cond.)