Lot 141

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Ginsberg Allen 1926 - 1997 Amazing letter in which the Poet Laureate of the Beat Generation lists his "favorite musical compositions accumulated in ear/mind" – including specific works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, "Prajnaparamita Sutra … which will turn everyone on … Hare Krishna Mantra … Fugs record on which I sang, or George Harrison's recent ‘My Sweet Lord' … Scott Joplin – Maple Leaf Rag … Bessie Smith … Ray Charles … Opera. Bertol Brecht / Kurt Weil Mahagony … Some Versions of Rolling Stones' Lets Spend the Night Together," four Beatles hits, "J. Lennon – Give Peace a Chance … Bob Dylan…" Lengthy Autograph Letter Signed,"love Allen Ginsberg [long-stemmed daisy drawing]," five pages, 8.5" x 11", separate sheets. [Cherry Valley, N.Y.], February 10, 1971. With original 9.5" x 4.25" envelope addressed by Ginsberg to "Mr. Gary Lorenz / Special Events Secretary / Symphony School of America / P.O. Box 454 / La Crosse, Wisconsin / 54601." The envelope is imprinted perpendicularly at the left edge: "CIA Conspiracy / Trial Office!" with a Detroit address, and "Free John, Pun & Jack!" along the bottom. The return address penned by Ginsberg in the upper left: "Allen Ginsberg / c/o City Lights Books" with a San Francisco address. Two airmail stamps are postmarked "Cherry Valley, NY, February 11, 1971." The letter itself has a post office box, Stuyvesant Station, New York City address handwritten by Ginsberg in the upper right of the first page. Marginal toning and light edge wear. Envelope is affixed to a white board. Fine condition.

Allen Ginsberg was living on his Cherry Valley farm in upstate New York. A month earlier, he had testified in pretrial hearings in Detroit for three members of the White Panther Party charged in the September 29, 1968, bombing of a CIA office in Ann Arbor, Michigan: 28-year-old poet John Sinclair, 21-year-old John W. Forrest, and 25-year-old Lawrence "Pun" Plamondon. Sinclair and Forrest were charged with conspiracy in the bombing; Plamondon was charged with the actual bombing. The envelope used by Ginsberg to mail this letter was printed by the defense.

With a long-stemmed daisy drawn by Ginsberg along the left edge, the poet begins his letter, "Dear Symphony School & Mr. Lorenz & Students: My favorite musical Compositions accumulated in ear/mind for several decades to present include, since you asked: (A) Jannequin – Les oiseaux (See Ezra Pound's 1970 Edition Cantos p.450) Alphonse De Mudarra [sic, Alonso Mudarra] – David's Lament (Triste Estaba El Rey David) Bach – Unaccompanied partitas (Esp. #2), Mass in 5 minor & St Matthew'as Passion. Beethoven – Grosse Fuge, Piano Sonata op. 111, Quarter op 116 (?) the one so straine'd – Missa Solemnis…" Ginsberg then lists pieces by Schubert, Brahms, Prokofieff, and Schoenberg.

He continues with," (B): Prajnaparamita Sutra [Highest perfect wisdom] –so chanted in Sino-Japanese presently in USA by S.F. Soto Zin Temple – by Rothi Suzuki & Disciples – Send someone to learn from them and you can perform it as a musical presentation of Chantery which will turn everyone on! Hare Khrishna Mantra – Any Iskon [sic ISKCON, International Society for Krishna Consciousness] version, as per Fugs record on which I sang, or George Harrison's recent ‘My Sweet Lord' or as done by Swami Bhaktivedanta's Groups around USA & London … (C) Scott Joplin – Maple Leaf Rag (& others) opera: Tremonisha (Can get score & recorded version from scholars Sam & Ann Charters c/o Gotham Book Mart 41 W 47 St. – N.Y,C.) Ma Rainey's version of Easy C.C. Rider blues ‘See, See what you have done' etc. and other (forget name) ‘I'm gonna buy me a pistol / Jus as long as I am tall, Lord Lord Lord / Kill my man and / Hit the cannonball…'"

"Bessie Smith's version of Empy [sic] Bed Blues, At the Christmas Ball, Gimme a Pigfoot & a Bottle of Beer, *Young Woman's Blues especially Leadbelly's versions of Boll Weevil, Black Girl, Irene. Ray Charles version of ‘Feel All Right' & Got a Woman. Billie Holliday's Version of Strange Fruit, Fine & Mellow, I Got a Right to Sing the Blues, Easy Living. Thelonius Monk Mysterioso, Round About Midnight. Charles ‘Bird' Parker --- Ornithology. Lester Young's Lester Leaps In & put these, listed above, as examples of Classical American Music which, if singers & musicians have proper training, they can approximate, imitate, or improvise in the spirit of original, for mind's historical pleasure, & for Cultural revolution's acknowledgement as ‘classic' U.S. art.

On page 4, Ginsberg has penned, in full, "Opera. Bertol Brecht / Kurt Weil Mahagony Greatest of XX Century Operas. Perform as much of it as possible."

He's headed the last page: "Pop Fragments addenda." In full, "Some Versions of Rolling Stones' Lets Spend the Night Together. Beatles I wanna Hold Your Hand (Early Beatles), I heard the News today Oh Boy (Pepper), I am a Walrus (Difficult Composition), Strawberry Fields. J. Lennon – Give Peace a Chance. Geo. Harrison (as before) – My Sweet Lord (Extended & Improved with varying mantras chorused in backround [sic]). Bob Dylan – Masters of War, & Hard Rain, Tamborine man, Sad Eyed Lady of Lowland, Gates of Eden & ask your students to check out, hear, my own recorded versions, tuned to music, of Blake's Songs of Innocence & Experience recorded last year 1970 – to see if they are singable by others than myself – especially Nurses Song and The Grey Monk. – there's all I can think of, fast."

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