"I never played with him in Boston, or else it would never have escaped my memory." – Typed Letter Signed

TLS from the great violinist to Doris Monteux, widow of the French conductor, regarding an unknown error in one of his books.  17th May 1977;  1 p. on personal stationary, in part "I stand corrected, and I shall have the correction made in future editions... It was before my time, before I knew him, and I never played with him in Boston, or else it would never have escaped my memory." He goes on to say it is good to hear from "a 'deeply chagrined' lady, who is rightly proud and zealous of her great husband's reputation."  Expected mailing folds, crease to upper and lower right corner, else fine.8 x 10 inches (20.3 x 25.4 cm.).  Together with transmissal envelope, upon which Mme. Monteux has written "Yehudi's apology for Boston mistake."

The great conductor Pierre Monteux was known for conducting the premiere of the Rite of Spring and for his tenures with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, and the San Francisco Symphony. Pierre and Doris Monteux met in 1922, during Monteux's time with the BSO. Though he was married (to his second wife, Germaine) and she had two children from a previous marriage, their attraction was immediate. They became a couple, although they could not marry until Germaine granted Monteux a divorce, and Monteux legally adopted Doris' children. They remained devoted to each other for the rest of their lives, frequently traveling together and together founding the Pierre Monteux School for conductors in Doris' native Maine. (19074)

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Classical Music

TLS

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