rt• s News for friends of Leonard Bernstein Spring/Summer 2000 The Leonard Bernstein To Our Collection Online Readers )$'. Leonard Bernstein Collection - Netscape ll!!I~ £i n typically exuberant fashion, file fdit )!iew Lao y,!indow !:!elp ILeonard Bernstein has taken a ~~drif.~l bold posthumous leap into the Search Guide Print Security 21st Century. Ever the multi­ media artist, Bernstein now has ~ Instant Message @) Internet d Lookup O New!.Cool @) RealPlayer a groundbreaking Internet AiW#!WMMAW11#11JM!AM-WMMiWiWM!AM•MMWl&WM;W#S presence through his archives, made available online by the Library of Congress. When the idea for this project was first being discussed eight years ago, C~onard it almost seemed like science fiction: the Bernstein archives accessible from a home computer? ~e-rnste-io Really? As usual, Bernstein turns out to be on the cutting edge. Colle-ctio At the same time that new media are being explored, it's ca.1920-1989 good to see the old media being Music Division, Library of Congress preserved, as the Grammy Foundation is doing with the Search by Keyword I Browse by Title Index I Name Index I Subject Index restoration of Bernstein's Omnibus kinescopes. And in another showing in an old medium - that creaky by Mark Eden Horowitz photographs, 1,100 pieces of dence, photographs, audio and dinosaur, television - we saw correspondence, 177 scripts from video recordings, fan mail, two WEST SIDE STORY leap to life hen WEST SIDE the "Young People's Concerts," conducting suits worn by Bernstein, in a crackling series of commer­ STORY debuted in 74 scripts from the "Thursday batons, and other types of materials. cials for the Gap. As we move Washington, D.C. Evening Previews," with the New The online collection focuses into another summer of world­ before it opened York Philharmonic, a complete mostly on personal correspondence W wide music festivals and concerts in New York City, an effusive Finding Aid for the collection, and writings. The music is not featuring Bernstein music Leonard Bernstein wrote his wife, and a special presentation of an included because it is published (including a performance of his Felicia, on August 23, 1957, in-depth article on Bernstein as and available at libraries and for MASS at the Vatican, no less), " ... It sure looks like a smash music educator, "Professor purchase through music publishers. we can sip our lemonade and and all our experiments seem to Lenny" by Joseph Horowitz, The letters between Leonard ponder the thorny dilemma of have worked. The book works, originall y published in "The New Bernstein and Helen Coates, who whether we consider ourselves to the tragedy works, the ballets York Review of Books." was Bernstein's piano teacher be a khaki or a jean. shine, the music pulses and soars The online items were cu lled when he was a teenager, comprise ... It's all too good to be true." from the Library's Leonard the largest portion of the online J.B. T. • This letter and hundreds more, Bernstein Collection, one of the correspondence. When Bernstein which reveal the remarkable life largest and most varied of the went to college, he and Coates and career of Leonard Bernstein many special collections held by maintained a friendship and are the latest additions to the the Library's Music Division. It exchanged letters. After Bernstein Library's American Memory Web contains more than 400,000 achieved his virtual overnight site at www.loc.gov. items, including music and success in 1943, Coates.became The Leonard Bernstein On line literary manuscripts, correspon- his secretary, a position she held Collection makes avai lable 85 (continued on page 3) Leonard Bernstein Center Preserving the Past along with highlights of music industry pioneer Jerry Wexler. e BEI The evening featured tributes to performers Jerry Butler, Art eonard Bernstein's Young Neville, B.B. King, radio announcer LPeople's Concerts are seminal Art Laboe, jazz musician Herbie events in television history. Less Mann and country singer Waylon well-remembered are a series of Jennings. televised programs delivered by "By preserving our rich past Bernstein for adults. Thanks to we can ensure future generations the Grammy Foundation's will have a cultural legacy from Leona rd Bernstein Center for which to learn, " said Michael Learning and the Music on Film Greene, President of the Grammy Preservation Project, highlights Foundation. Portions of the from the acclaimed Omnibus restored "Omnibus" segments are television series have been restored Alexander Bernstein, Michael Green, Midori, lsa cc Stern at the Grammy Foundation . earmarked for use by the Leonard and were screened last February Bernstein Center for Learn ing, at the Museum of Tolerance in highlights of oral histories docu­ Bernstein, who is now a member which prepares K-12 teachers to Los Angeles. mented by the Grammy Living of the Grammy Foundation Board use the arts and artistic process to The evening, which was Histories project. Bernstein of Directors. Also present were strengthen teaching and learning dedicated to celebrating the colleagues Isaac Stern and Midori composer Lamont Dozier whose in all subjects. • achievements of pioneers in the participated in the evening's videotaped oral history was viewed world of music, also featured program along with Alexander Midori's Remarks at The Grammy Foundation Event Myassociat ion with Leonard In the summer of 1985 he necessity and benefits of arts When Leonard Bernstein di ed Bernstein was a vital and organized a group of many musi- education, and of making music in 1990, I remember writing happy one, and what he gave me cians, in which I was included, to an important part of each child's down my thoughts that to me he has carried through my life today, tour through Europe and Japan. life. Therefore, I began my represented a garden of flowers, and will remain. I met him when He cared about bringing messages foundation, Midori and Friends, where there were a number of I was 13, and those first impre- of peace to the world through in 1992, in order to bring music blossoms waiting to bloom. Every ssions were very strong, even to a music. He felt it was his responsi- into the elementary schools and time I am with school children, I shy young girl. It was immediately bility to do so. I was a youngster, disadvantaged areas around New feel that a new flower blossoms in clear that he was warm and absorbing everything and learning York. And each year since, we've that garden. nurturing, and the most dynamic so much. The most important en larged the scope of the work. For more information: person I had ever seen - I think thing I learned from him on that Mr. Bernstein's commitment Midori and Friends perhaps that remains true today. tour was that when you believe in to music education has been a 850 Seventh Avenue Suite 1103 Yet this God-li ke figure was somethin g, you take action. guiding light as we have continued New York, NY 10019 2 so very human. Over time I That was a lesson that has our efforts. I am indebted to his Tel: (212) 767-1300 learned from him what vulnera- stayed with me. Later on, when vision, and to the lessons I learned Fax: (212) 767-001 8 bility was, and I saw how that I learned about the state of arts from him, and I know that they [email protected] • quality informed his work so that education in this country, l are directly connected to my it touched many hearts and many realized that something had to decision to organize this project lives in the deepest sense. be done, and I decided to take for school children. action. l believe strongly in the The Leonard Bernstein Collection Online, continued (continued from page 1) - a driving 2/4 in the great tradi­ Also among the correspon­ form, but never before have all until her death, which was shortly tion ... but it gives Tony balls so dence are letters to Bernstein the scripts been available - and before Bernstein's in 1990. that he doesn't emerge as just a from Aaron Copland and Serge in their original form. The correspondence begins with euphoric dreamer. " Koussevitzky, letters from Other Bernstein writings online Bernstein's first letter to Coates Bernstein continues, "We had Bernstein to Koussevitzky, and include the handwritten drafts in 1932, when he had just turned our first run-thru for people family letters between Bernstein and typed final scripts of the 14. The letter begins, " ... Mr. yesterday and it was a smash. and his parents and siblings. "Thursday Evening Previews." [Heinrich] Gebbhard ... referred Beginning with the New York me to you as a teacher," and ends Philharmonic concert season of "Hoping to have the pleasure of 1958-59, Bernstein offered his studying with you soon. " As their audience a departure from the correspondence continues, normal concert experience. He Bernstein discusses being taken included an informal talk in the under the wing of Serge Kousse­ first concert of a week's series, vitzky (his conducting mentor). which he called a "Thursday He also mentions his teachers at Evening Preview." The brief talks the Curtis Institute of Music, covered a variety of topics, often particularly his new piano teacher, centering on the techniques, styles Isabelle Vengerova. and compositional school of a As Bernstein's secretary, Coates composer whose work was featured served as the home base for all of that evening. The talks continued his professional dealings. When until 1964. he was on tour or vacation, it is As the "Young People's through their correspondence that Concerts" and the "Thursday offers and deals are discussed and Evening Previews" demonstrate, finalized, frustrations and gossip Bernstein was fond of using new are shared.