Beschreibung:

Martinu, Bohuslav IMPORTANT SERIES OF TWENTY AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED ("B. MARTINU"), AND ONE AUTOGRAPH LETTTER, TO HIS FRIEND AND SUPPORTER PAVEL DEUTSCH ABOUT THE COMPOSER VITEZSLAVA KAPRALOVA, asking whether he might not be able to help her out, announcing her death, mentioning Safránek's booklet about him, his wife Charlotte, financial matters, his propaganda work, reflecting on the nature of the artist, commenting that the artistic oeuvre will endure as evidence of a nation's aspirations and achievements, observing that were it not for the war, his music would played all over the world, informing him that his compatriots not only did nothing to help him [leave Paris] but also were unwilling to save his manuscripts, reflecting bitterly that his government saved its own pointless employees and ministers, but is not interested in artists capable of really doing something, DISCUSSING MANY OF HIS COMPOSITIONS, including: the Field Mass, which he describes as embodying a longing for home as well as faith in the future, Tre Ricercari, the ballet Spalícek, Sonata for flute, violin and piano, Double Concerto, Concerto grosso for chamber orchestra, Sonata no.1 for violoncello and piano, Sinfonietta giocosa, and the Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra; in the letters Martinu also describes his situation in New York, states that he is well-known and appreciated there, regrets that he has not been able to salvage any of his manuscripts or clothing, and mentions various musicians including Ansermet, Sacher, Koussevitzky, who has offered him a position, the pianist Germaine Leroux, Rodzinski and Mitropoulos ...Nous avons quitté Paris en dernier moment sans pouvoir rien apporter avec nous et apres de longues recherché nous avons trouvé un abri très primitif, pour coucher et attendre les événements. J'ai envoyé mes manuscripts avant mais je suis bien inquiet, je ne les ai pas encore reçu. C'est fini pour la musique pour peut-être assez longtemps...Mes compatriotes m'ont bien laisser tomber, non seulement ils n'ont rien fait pour moi, ils n'ont pas voulu sauver au moin mes manuscripts. C'est la vie. J'espère que vous ne nous abandonner[ez] pas...Je vous annonce la triste nouvelle que M. Vita est morte a Montpellier, dans ces jours des tourmentes le 16 Juin... 35 pages, various sizes, sixteen in Czech and five in French, five on postcards, with six autograph envelopes, Paris, Aix en Provence, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Jamaica, N.Y., and elsewhere, 16 October 1939-11 June 1943, where indicated together with: an autograph letter signed by Martinu's wife Charlotte to Pavel Deutsch, written in America and describing Martinu's unhappiness due to the poor playing of an orchestra, 2 pages, no place, 12 March 1942; an autograph draft of a letter by Deutsch to Tomás Hejzlar, about his relationship to Martinu, 2 pages, 22 October [1975]; an autograph draft (?) of a letter, possibly by Deutsch to Kaprálová, 4 pages, 22 February [no month]; three carbon copies of letters written by Deutsch in support of Martinu, including to Leopold Stokowski in Rio de Janeiro and Cardinal Verdier in Paris, 3 pages, 4to, Lausanne and Rio de Janeiro, 31 March to 3 September 1940; and two typed letters and one handwritten letter to Deutsch concerning Martinu, including from Universal edition in Vienna and Otto Kraus in Paris, 4 pages, 4to, Vienna and Paris, 15 April to 8 May 1940 also including: Seven autograph letters to Pavel Deutsch, BY MARTINU'S FORMER LOVER THE COMPOSER VITEZSLAVA KAPRALOVA, signed ("Vita Kaprálová"; "Vitka-listicka" etc.), WRITTEN IN THE LAST MONTHS BEFORE HER UNTIMELY, TRAGIC DEATH ON 16 JUNE 1940, about Martinu, admitting that she would like to escape to Africa since two men have suddenly asked her to marry them, describing Mucha as her main suitor, discussing her wedding and Martinu's sadness at it, referring to her compositions, noting that she would like to compose some small orchestral pieces inspired by the landscape near Policka, and to