Boulanger, Nadia. (1887–1979)
Early Autograph Letter about Meeting Stravinsky
Autograph letter from the influential French composer, conductor and pedagogue, signed «Nadia Boulanger.» Paris [n.d.], to Robert Lyon; 1 page. Oblong 4to, printed stationery with her address 36, rue Ballu. A few small tears to the edges, else fine.An interesting letter about wanting to meet with Stravinsky so as to better understand his compositional evolution and thus be able to teach those "who do not see far enough." She desires to see Robert before he leaves Paris "and also that you give me an opportunity to quietly see Strawinsky. I understand that the admiration we feel for his work is today too widespread for merely the fact of one's admiration to justify to wasting your time on your great friend. But on the other hand I know that there are still many people who need to be guided to follow his evolution which does not know useless rest - and I consider it too great an honor to have to speak/teach about this trend to not authorize [confirm] for myself what I consider necessary to help those who do not see far enough..."
[«et aussi que vous me donniez une occasion de voir tranquillement Strawinsky. Je comprends fort bien que l'admiration que l'on éprouve pour son oeuvre est aujourd'hui trop générale pour que le fait de l'admirer autorise qui que ce soit à faire perdre son temps à votre grand ami. Mais d'autre part je sais qu'il est encore bien des gens qui ont besoin d'être guidés pour arriver à suivre son évolution qui point ne connait les inutiles repos - et je considère comme un trop grand honneur d'avoir à parler de cette évolution pour ne pas m'autoriser de ce que je considère nécessaire pour aider ceux qui ne voient pas assez loin»...]
Following the death of Albert Wolff, Robert Lyon took control of the Pleyel instrument firm and concert venue Salle Pleyel and it was he who developed the chromatic harp for which Debussy wrote his Danse sacrée et danse profane. Later, he "encouraged Stravinsky to produce piano rolls of his works, and the composer kept a small apartment on Pleyel's premises on the rue Rochechouart." (Nigel Simeone, Paris--a Musical Gazetteer p. 232)
"Nadia Boulanger's love of Igor Stravinsky's music began upon hearing the opening notes to his Oiseau de feu during the ballet's premiere in 1910. Nearly two decades later, Boulanger had cultivated a commanding international reputation as an authority on modern music, formed primarily by her encyclopedic knowledge of music in general and Stravinsky's works in particular. Her intimate familiarity with Stravinsky's oeuvre, however, was based almost exclusively on private study; Boulanger was but a cordial acquaintance of Stravinsky's until he sought her out to supervise his younger son's musical education in 1929. Concurrent to Soulima Stravinsky's tutelage, his father and Boulanger engaged in a sort of professional courtship which resulted in the latter assuming full responsibility for the editorial revision of the piano/vocal reduction for Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms in 1931. This collaboration allowed the two musicians to establish a creative dialogue based on a love of the neoclassical aesthetic and an appreciation of disciplined artistry....After the Symphony of Psalms project, Stravinsky's and Boulanger's careers became increasingly entwined as Boulanger attempted to mobilize her powerful professional network to aid the composer and his family." (Kimberly Francis, "A Most Unsuccessful Project: Nadia Boulanger, Igor Stravinsky, and the Symphony in C, 1939–45," Musical Quarterly Volume 94, Issue 1-2, p. 234-270) (11356)
Autograph Letter Classical Music