Virgil THOMSON / Autograph musical manuscript Four Saints in Three Acts Signed

Description: Autograph musical manuscript. Four Saints in Three Acts Author: THOMSON, Virgil 1896-1989 Title: Autograph musical manuscript. Four Saints in Three Acts Description: 1 leaf. Folio (354 x 287 mm) in piano-vocal score, being the opening 13 measures of the Prologue of the work, set for "Chorus I" and keyboard reduction. Notated on 16-stave Aztec music paper in light black ink on one side of the leaf only, with "an opera to be sung libretto by Gertrude Stein music by Virgil Thomson" to head.A presentation leaf, signed twice by the composer, with "for the Metropolitan Opera greetings 1975 Virgil Thomson" in red ink to upper outer corner and the autograph signature of the composer to lower right corner.ProvenanceEx the Virgil Thomson Collections at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with their circular embossed stamp with central embossed initials "VT" to outer margin.Creased at corners; narrow band of text to blank lower margin inked over in black; verso with minor remnants of former mount to blank upper margin and small stain to blank lower margin. Thomson met Gertrude Stein in Paris in 1926 and she soon became his close friend and collaborator. Four Saints in Three Acts, Thomson's groundbreaking opera, is set to a libretto by Stein; the two also collaborated on Thomson's opera The Mother of Us All, first performed in 1947."The first performance [of "Saints"], on 8 February 1934 at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, was presented not by an established opera company but by an organization called the Friends and Enemies of Modern Music. There was an all-black cast, stage direction and movement by Frederick Ashton and John Houseman and cellophane décor by Florine Stettheimer. The same production was presented that year on Broadway and in Chicago, for a run of more than 60 performances." John Rockwell in Grove Music Online"The premiere attracted the smart set of art patrons, fanciers of the avant garde and the curious. After the triumphant Hartford run, the production moved to Broadway where it played for six weeks at first one then another theater, a breakthrough for an opera. This was a year before Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, which was also conducted by Alexander Smallens and featured a black cast.Decades later, Philip Glass would cite Four Saints as the most important model that he and Robert Wilson had when they embarked on writing avant-garde operas."[Thomson] produced a sizeable catalog of stylistically diverse compositions characterized by expressive directness and textural transparency, written in a language that drew from hymnbook harmony, popular song, and dance idioms of the late 19th century, and utilizing plain-spoken tonal procedures but also diatonic dissonance and polytonal elements. In his many vocal works, and his two path-breaking operatic collaborations with Gertrude Stein, Thomson demonstrated a mastery of prosody. ... The wit, vitality, and descriptive precision of his writing, which demystified the complexities of music for lay readers, made him among the most influential and lasting critics of the 20th century." Anthony Tommasini and Richard Jackson in Grove Music Online. Seller ID: 39814 Subject: Autographs & Manuscripts, New Arrivals J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians The firm of J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians, established in 1977 by John and Jude Lubrano, has come to be recognized as one of the leading international antiquarian dealers in the specialties of Music and Dance. Items handled by the company include autograph musical manuscripts and letters of composers; rare printed music; and rare books, prints, drawings, photographs, and memorabilia relating to music and dance dating from the 15th through the 21st centuries. The firm has issued over 90 catalogues and numerous lists over its 45 years in business. Terms All domestic orders ship within two business days by USPS Priority Mail. Expedited and international shipping are also available; please contact us for rates. We would be happy to combine shipping costs on orders of multiple items. All items are guaranteed to be authentic. Material may be returned within 30 days of receipt for a full refund provided that it is in the same condition as when sent and is packed, shipped, and insured as received.This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 3220 USD

Location: Syosset, New York

End Time: 2025-01-24T07:59:10.000Z

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