Milhaud, Darius. (1892–1974)
Autograph Musical Quotation, Letter and Photograph Ensemble to an important Percussionist
Collection of three intriguing items from the French composer, including a photograph postcard inscribed "1957/ to George Gaber/ Souvenir from Milhaud," a halftone photograph inscribed with an AMQS of one measure of Timpani music and signed "To Mr. George Gaber with my sympathy/ Milhaud/ 1942," and an autograph letter signed to Mr. Gaber (in part: "I have already written a concerto for percussion... I do not know if it is possible to find in this country as it is published in Europe"). Postcard with mounting remnants to verso, else fine, 3.5 x 5.5 inches (8.9 x 14 cm.); AMQS, horizontal and vertical folding crease, stains along creases, mounting remnants to verso, else fine, 5.25 x 5.25 inches (13.3 x 13.3 cm.); ALS 2pp., horizontal mailing folds, light toning, else fine, 5 x 8 inches (12.7 x 20.3 cm.).The composer wrote of his Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra: "I have always been very interested in percussion problems. In the Choéphores and in L’homme et son désir I used massive percussion. Is it the research done by Berlioz in this field that led me in that direction? Maybe! After the audition of Choéphores in Brussels, an excellent kettledrummer, Theo Coutelier, who had a percussion class in Schaerbeek near Brussels, asked me if I would like to write a concerto for only one percussion performer. He wished to use his piece for his examinations. The idea appealed to me, and this is how I came to compose the concerto. The school at Schaerbeek had only a few orchestral musicians: two flutes, two clarinets, one trumpet, one trombone and strings. The concerto consists of two parts connected together. It is a dramatic work. In view of the fact that when I composed it (between 1929 and 1930 in Paris), jazz was enjoying a decisive influence on musical composition. I wanted to avoid at any cost the thought that anyone might think in that kind of work, and so I therefore stressed the rough and dramatic part of the piece. This was also why I did not write a cadence and always refused that anyone adds one on. The debut of the Concerto was given under my direction by Theo Coutelier, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, in Brussels, in 1930. I will add that I am always pleasantly surprised to see that this concerto is often performed in high schools in the United States by young students who play by heart and brilliantly."
From the collection of George Gaber (1916–2007), noted percussionist who performed with a number of professional ensembles, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Baltimore Symphony and worked with Leonard Bernstein, Otto Klemperer, Igor Stravinsky, Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington and many others over the span of his career. From 1960 to 1986 taught percussion at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and was also an artist in residence at Carnegie Mellon University, an adjudicator for National Music Arts in Japan and the Canadian Music Competition, and a Hall of Fame recipient in Percussion Arts Society.
(18992)Classical Music Signed Photograph AMQS Autograph Letter Signed Document/Item