Ellington, Duke. (1899-1974)
"Sophisticated Lady" - SIGNED
New York: Mills Music. 1932. First edition. One of the most important and iconic American compositions, a high point of the Big Band era, signed by the composer "Duke Ellington" in pencil over the first free open measure of the vocal line. The original printed purple wrappers quite creased and with tape remnants along the more recently archivally tape-repaired spine, margins slightly spotted but generally fine within, with an ownership signature at the head of the first page and neatly penned also within the front cover illustration."Sophisticated Lady" was composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington, with additional credit given to publisher Irving Mills, and to which words were added by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approval from Ellington, who described them as "wonderful—but not entirely fitted to my original conception." The original conception was inspired by three of Ellington's grade school teachers: "They taught all winter and toured Europe in the summer. To me that spelled sophistication." (9484)
Signed Document/Item Jazz