{"product_id":"25888-britten-benjamin-spring-symphony-score-with-autograph-presentation-letter","title":"Britten, Benjamin. (1913–1976) \"Spring Symphony\"  - Score with Autograph Presentation Letter (\" I was very sorry to not be able to come to the performance\")","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoftcover vocal score as arranged by Arthur Oldham 8vo. [PN] B \u0026amp; H 16868. 124 pp. Cover with illustration by John Constable. With an autograph signed postcard note from the composer,  \"If you send along the copies [of the score] I'd be happy to sign them for the boys. I was very sorry to not be able to come to the performance.\" Postcard addressed to George Taylor, Educator Depart...Leeds, postmarked 26 OCtober, 1950. Cover with light handling stains, some foxing to the early pages, else fine. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the consignor: \u003cem\u003e\"The back-story is that BB was due to conduct a performance of Spring Symphony at the Leeds Festival of Classical Music that year (Sept 1950) but had to back out at last minute due to illness. As part of his apology BB sent ...a signed message congratulating those boys who sang the piece at the festival. [This and the signed score, also featured in this catalogue] were \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ein the possession of Charles Hooper (the organist and lead chorister of Bradford Cathedral from 1938 to 1963) whose widow passed them on to me in the 1990s. One assumes that Charles had played a key part in the orchestration of the singing at the Leeds festival in 1950.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpring Symphony, Opus 44\u003c\/em\u003e is a choral symphony scored for soprano, alto and tenor soloists, mixed choir, boys' choir and orchestra. Britten used texts of several poems related to spring, mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries and also one by W. H. Auden. Dedicated to Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the work received its premiere in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on 14 July 1949 as part of the Holland Festival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62793668690079,"sku":"25888","price":400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/4826\/7423\/files\/Britten25888a.jpg?v=1780080743","url":"https:\/\/www.schubertiademusic.com\/products\/25888-britten-benjamin-spring-symphony-score-with-autograph-presentation-letter","provider":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}