[García Lorca, Federico. (1898-1936)] Revueltas, Silvestre. (1899–1940) [Mitropoulos, Dimitri. (1896–1960)]
Homenaje a Federico García Lorca / I-Baile / II-Duelo / III-Son
No place [Mexico City?]: No publisher [self-published?]. No date [ca. 1940?]. First Edition. Full score of the work by the Mexican composer for chamber orchestra in memory of the murdered Spanish poet. Upright quarto, stapled, in original wrappers. Lithograph. No PN. Upper wrapper doubling as title, instrument list, 2–79 pp. Inscription, "With best wishes / [illegible signature] / Mexico, May 19, 1947" in blue ink to head of instrument list. Name "Paul Strauss" embossed to top right corner of upper wrapper. From the collection of Dimitri Mitropoulos. 9.75 x 7.75 inches (24.5 x 19.5 cm). Browned and extremely brittle; upper wrapper and first leaf detached, with significant loss to latter; significant chipping and wear to edges; one page with two red pencil markings possibly in the hand of Mitropoulos.Extremely rare and most likely self-published. WorldCat lists one copy at the Consejo Superior Investigaciones Cientificas in Madrid, Spain, which tentatively dates it, "1940?" The "official" first edition was published in 1958 by Southern Music Pub. Co, New York; it has only 31 pages and is definitely later.
The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) was murdered by a fascist militia on August 19, 1936. Revueltas was one of many Spanish-speaking intellectuals and artists to respond to García Lorca's death in their work, composing Homenaje a Federico García Lorca in October of the same year. It received its premiere on November 14, 1936.
Dimitri Mitropoulos was Greece’s most prolific conductor and New York Philharmonic Music Director from 1949-1958. Widely regarded as one of the most significant conductors of the twentieth century, he is best remembered for his significant recorded legacy and for his commitment in bringing new compositions to the stage of major symphony orchestras. Indeed, it is thanks to his efforts that many of our current symphonic standards made their way into the repertory. He gave World and American premiers of seminal works such as Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and Schoenberg’s Erwartung, as well as other major works by Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and many others. His personal collection has been held in private hands since his death in 1960, when it passed to conductor James Dixon, his student and protégé. Mitropoulos came to consider Dixon his son, introducing him to conductors and performing arts institutions around the world, jumpstarting his career. When Mitropoulos died in 1960 he left all his belongings, including his scores, to Dixon. The bulk of the musical library has been subsequently gifted to the University of Iowa’s music library, but a selection of rare items have been selected to be offered for sale exclusively by Schubertiade Music & Arts. These examples, many inscribed to the conductor from composers or associates, have only occasional markings from the conductor himself who committed all music to memory before his first rehearsal of the repertoire - a highly unusual method! Some of these scores, however, were also subsequently used by James Dixon as part of his working reference library for many years and include his occasional markings. (20154)
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