Poulenc, Francis. (1899-1963)
Autograph Note to Yevgeny Gunst
Brief ALS in French, signed “Poulenc,” one page, 5.25 x 4, no date [circa 1948], from "Noizay," a handwritten letter to the Russian composer and music essayist Yevgeny Gunst, in full (translated): “With the amount of my debt - I will see you soon dear sir." In overall fine condition. Accompanied by an original vintage 2.75 x 2 contact sheet photo of the French village Ecurie, annotated on the back by an unknown hand.Gunst was a Russian composer and pianist, as well as an educator and an author of essays on music.A student of Reinhold Glière and Alexander Goldenweiser, with Sergei Rachmaninov and other Russian musicians, he helped organize the Moscow Association for the Dissemination of Chamber Music in 1909. From 1912 to 1915, Gunst was a friend of Alexander Scriabin, whose music strongly influenced him. Gunst wrote music criticism and briefly served as the director of the music conservatory in Nizhny Novgorod. He also conducted the Moscow Chamber Theatre and the War Orchestra of Petrograd. Following the revolution, Gunst left Russia in 1920, moving first to Tallinn in Estonia before finally settling in Paris in 1921. There, he participated in activities of the Conservatoire Russe, which he left in 1931 to found his own Conservatoire Normal Russe, which lasted until 1936. In addition to teaching and composing, Gunst also worked as an arranger and copyist to make ends meet during the depression. Among his friends in Paris was Francis Poulenc. (23086)
Signed Photograph Classical Music