The Leonard Bernstein Letters (76 page)

My dear Lenny,

Everybody tells me that you made a magnificent performance of my old
Création du monde
. It is too bad I didn't hear it.
³⁹
Generally I always listen on the radio to your programs which I love. They are full of miracles. For instance Schumann (Robert!) 4th Symphony sound[ed] like a transparent, light, tender orchestra.

Bravo, dear.

Best wishes for the New Year from both of us to your family.

Milhaud

My dear little Miss Rodgers,

I am happy to inform you that you have won the contest for the best word to replace “classical”. Your magnificent choice of EXACT will ring down through the centuries, and no doubt enter Webster's 567th edition, if only as a footnote.

Congratulations; and please accept the enclosed gift as a token of our esteem and gratitude for your fine thinking.

Faithfully yours,

Leonard Bernstein

Lenny dear,

I was deeply touched by all the nice things you said about
Création du monde
, and you explained everything so
clearly
. You are just marvellous. The performance was
remarkable
too and you were so exciting in the Gershwin.

Lucky Philharmonic!

I hope it will not be years before we see you.

Most affectionately,

Milhaud

I should, I think, tell you that it is preferable not to use all the strings in
Création
. It's “sharper” with soli.

Dear Leonard,

1. The
Leonore
[Overture No. 3] played Thursday night was the work of the best-sounding (that's a loathsome simplification) orchestra I have heard in years.

2. The television program Sunday was – again – the best one you have done. The pattern is set and you cannot allow a poor one. That's fine with me. But I defy you to improve on “How Dry I Am”.
⁴²

3. Items 1 and 2 above are not set-ups for a complaint, but I have one. My children are pissed off, which is a concern of yours. They claim that at the last Saturday morning children's concert the TV strong-men blinded them by aiming great flood lights into the audience. Presumably the purpose of this was to make them – my spawn – look bright on television screens around the country. They don't give a good damn about being seen around the country because they came there to see you and the concert and they could not see
either at times. They claim they cannot hear when they cannot see, but that's the exaggerated howling of the angry young men. I think they have a case.

And as for me, I think the picture of the Child Listening Fervently is a wearying cliché by now anyway. I strongly suspect you of being Christ (but hell, you know all that) and you of all people know perfectly well that “suffer little children to come unto me” is not to be understood this way. Even Kenneth Tynan knows that.

I have urged your appointment as Secretary of State and you will be hearing from the Feds about this suggestion any day now.

Highest regards,

Joe Roddy

Dear Lenny,

As you know, I am devastated and shocked … as, no doubt, you were by Mr. Brooks Atkinson's and Mr. Walter Kerr's review of the show.
⁴³

I can understand them not liking the songs or a song; or not liking the book or direction; or not liking the performance or a performance … However, for Atkinson, a man of his high intellect, to write in his column his last line “a mongrel musical drama” about this show in this day and age, is shocking. This is unfair criticism.

Since you expressed yourself with great joy and thought the show was a beautiful musical and almost felt sure that it was a hit, I would appreciate your writing a letter to the
New York Times
Mail Bag immediately. I feel a letter coming from you, since they know how honest you are, would be of tremendous assistance to the show. I know you have the courage and honesty to consider writing this letter.
⁴⁴

Thanks again for your and Felicia's niceness and God Bless.

Love,

Jule

David, David, David,

(That's in answer to
three
letters of yours.)

The season is over: we've been to London and back in a week to see my
two
shows there (imagine that!), & it's as expected:
West Side
is booming,
Candide
is limping, & I guess always will. Since our return I've been doing mail mail mail with Helen – a whole season's worth, Lord – and spending days on the editing of my book that S[imon] & S[chuster] are bringing out in the fall (nothing new: just a collection of TV scripts & miscellaneous writings. But what time it takes to edit!)
⁴⁵

And so, finally, a minute to write you. And say how touched we both are by your wish to present us with the Trittico Dodecafonico! You are sweet. It's awfully hard to tell anything much from the photos: obviously color does a lot of the meaning; but what one can see is
fascinating
. I showed them to Danny S. [Saidenberg] & gave him a spiel, which I hope helps when he visits you this summer.

I've also talked twice to Oliver Daniel
⁴⁶
based on a cooky notion I had that you might do well to just chuck ASCAP at this point & cross the stream. He looked into the story of you & BMI & couldn't learn enough to satisfy him. If you think it's a good idea, write Oliver (he has asked to have you do this: & it is promised to be kept confidential); & tell him the whole sordid tale. I sense an interest there. I wasn't up enough on the facts to give him the whole story. (I am also still trying to get in touch with Nissim.)

I saw David O[ppenheim] yesterday & reminded him about releasing the 4th Symph: he has promised it for the early fall.

And Tommy [Schippers] is apparently doing
Klee
in Russia! Isn't it wonderful? But, as you say, when on earth will he rehearse it? Strange, fancy type fellow, that. I suspect also, frightened to death.

Dear David, this time we
must
meet in Italy! We don't alas, come to Firenze, but we do go to Venice on 26th Sept, & thence to Milan (concerts on the 28th & 29th). Meanwhile, June & July on the delicious old Vineyard, where I hope to recoup some energy & sanity, & maybe even
write
something, please God!

Bless you & love from us both

L

(& Best to Ciro!)

Dear D,

The Vineyard is glorious, a blessing every day. I've decided that gratitude – rather, gratefulness – is the essence of joy, the basic emotion, what we feel when we hear music we love, or look at our loved ones, or simply breathe on this golden island; and growing old means only losing that emotion. The retention of gratefulness is the guarantee of continued youth, don't you think?

When I go into N.Y. to open the Stadium, I shall have a talk with Stanley Adams.
⁴⁷
I've written him already & we have an appointment. I decided to go to the top, after failing with the underlings. We'll see. Meanwhile, write Oliver [Daniel].

As to the Ford grants, they were part of a special project for
performers
, who were asked to select composers they wanted concertos from. That's out. But I have a feeling Spivacke
⁴⁸
could be in. Why not write him? I'll put in a blast too.

Very odd to think of you & Tommy S. [Schippers] together, I don't know why.

I know nothing of Marlon [Brando] or his whereabouts. Irene Lee
⁴⁹
will be visiting you shortly – ask her.

I'll write after Stanley Adams.

[Dosvidaniya]

Lenny

(I'm studying Russian out of a little book, & I think of you every time I pronounce a hard L. What a delicious language!)

Dear Mr. Bernstein,

I am exceedingly touched and most thankfully surprised by your kind friendly wire. If other interjacent notes from me will not anticipate this my uttermost decision I hope to have the happiness to attend your concert on the eleventh. To that end, no daring or intending to trouble you to write anything, I shall by my own care look after four passes (for me and my family) to the performance. Only please indicate my name to the attendant before the door of your artistic room on the evening, that I may be admitted to you after the concert.

Besides that I shall try to get the luck the honour and the right to invite you to dinner at Peredelkino Wednesday the ninth at three o'clock.

I shall confirm it afterwards once more.

Obediently yours,

B. Pasternak

Sept 2nd 1959

No it will not go – I think it better to renounce to that great pleasure and not to meet apart from the concert evening (the 11) when I shall experience myself the delight and ecstasy all the town speaks of, & hereupon I am congratulating you fervently in advance.

Excuse my unexplainable discourtesy. My involuntary ungraciousness is my misfortune, not my fault. But I shall hear and see you.

With the same devotion,

Idem.

3 September 1959

Last note.

Please be welcome on the day and hour you dispose the best, except the intervals between 1–2
¹
/
₂
and after 8 in the evening, when I can be about on
walks. The best hour remains that of the dinner (3 o'clock). Come
as it were unawaitedly
. Ask the guidance of the concert organisation to provide for the return car. Agree with them upon my being admitted in the evening of the concert in the entr'acte.

I wish you the renewal of your habitual triumphs I know of from hearsay.

Respectfully yours,

B. Pasternak

For Mr. Leonard Bernstein,

Paste this dedication in your copy of my novel. It was so fine and kind of you to have wired to me from Leningrad, to have got the desire to find and to meet me. After-tomorrow I shall attend to the marvel and triumph of art which are your performances. In grateful presentiment of it.

B. Pasternak

Dear friends,

In the morning of the next day Saturday – Fatigue, yearning, exhaustedness, like after a sleepless night or a big command event, a great night fire in the town, a conflagration, having devoured [a] lot of houses, or a mighty storm with a powerful inundation.
⁵¹
So must be art. We must will its produced impression, long, and pine for it. Art must leave us love-stricken and sorrow overcome, like
a deep-felt parting or separation. Art is language of greatness, greatness is disclosure, its sight, its tragic and suffering
being exposed to view
.

Don't stand you both so often before my mental eyes, I will be along, don't hinder me to be diligent and working.

B. Pasternak

Hearty greetings to all yours; to Mr. St[even] Rosenfeld; to the whole orchestra, to the fiery, dear, expansive Mr. Zimmermann; to Goldstone and Varga.

Dear My Felicia, who was the lady you sent after me out of the lobby in the concert-room in the entr'acte? She wore a dark, straight, long dress, not girdled in the waist, that seems a sort of brocade. Her husband was dressed in a light brown suit.

They figure, they are present in my greetings, I am feelingly asking their names. Having spoken with them, I was so absent minded in the crowd, as to not have demanded to be presented to them. Write me be so kind about them, about her and him.

And forget I implore you, my stupid idiotic speeches when in commotion I employed one word instead of another (for instance I used the word “wife” for “woman” that in reality I intended to say), and gave occasion to think I have been foretelling incidents towards some certain future.

The Same, in the same state of affectionate devotion.

Dear David,

What a shock! The first I heard of Tommy [Schippers] taking off your Klee piece was
your
letter, which greeted my homecoming. I've thought hard; but there's nothing I can do about it. That he should replace it with yet
another
Barber piece is too silly, and that I will do something about.

Simultaneously, I heard two fine pieces of news: I ran into Stanley Adams in Washington, who said that all was
set
& definite for you to get a year's advance! Then Marc told me that the Minna C[urtiss] thing was in the bag for 4 thousand. Wonderful news, & congratulations.

But meanwhile you say you are broke; I hope the enclosed helps until the big money arrives, which should be soon.

We finally saw the paintings which are startling & fascinating! More about that later – I'm dashing off to Springfield & Boston with that goddamn Shosty #5!

Love, & don't despair,

L