A Hand of Bridge. For Four Solo Voices  and Chamber Orchestra. Text by Giano Carlo Menotti. Upright folio. 28 pp. First leaf with a tear along the right edge, else fine throughout. Uncommon. 

A Hand of Bridge is a very short chamber opera by Samuel Barber (music) and Gian Carlo Menotti (libretto), who were friends of Warhol’s and the cover was exclusively designed by Warhol for this sheet music publication. Perfect for haters of opera, the opera only lasts for about nine to ten minutes. It premiered in 1959 in Spoleto, Italy and a year later in the US. In 1960 the sheet music was published by G. Schirmer. The present example includes the line “G. Schirmer, New York” as written in Julia Warhola’s hand writing (Warhol’s mother), but with the second issue price of $3.00 (first published at $2.50). Later copies have the name of the publisher in a different font and then with a bar code on rear cover.

Warhol’s drawings with so called sprite faces in the form of hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds were made for this booklet exclusively. Warhol also designed stage plans and costumes for another opera by Menotti, Introductions and Goodbyes.