Bidspirit auction | BOULT ADRIAN: (1889-1983) (x49)

BOULT ADRIAN: (1889-1983) (x49) - BOULT ADRIAN: (1889-1983) English conductor. An extensive correspondence collection comprising twenty-seven A.Ls.S. and twenty T.Ls.S., most signed with his first name only, and some with initials, seventy-six pages (total), largely 8vo and a few 4to, various places (Birmingham, London, Farnham etc.), 1930 (1), 1949-1981, the majority to Linda Williams (née Whitehouse), a long standing friend who had studied at the Leipzig Conservatory at the same time as Boult. The letters are largely social in content, although make various references to music, in part, ´The whole business was the usual rush, but I looked for you at the rehearsal and some member of the Orchestra seemed to imply that rehearsal rules had been stiffened. If this is the case please let me try and unstiffen them at the time of my next visit´ (11th March 1952), ´How very kind of you to send those delightful cuttings. I will certainly not throw them away....I will put them in a score where they will be very much treasured´ (17th December 1957), ´Thank you very much for your jolly letter and the Klinger Beethoven, which I have not got, and it will be very nice to have´ (11th April 1960), ´....let us hope that the nice son-in-law will soon decide that there are enough aborigines to keep him thoroughly busy in Brixton or Hampstead or somewhere nice and handy and that there is no need to go off to darkest Africa because it is now with us.......Several of your photographs were passed in review for the Conducting Book......and I do agree with you about Bruno Walter´s book. The new one on music-making is also fascinating´ (27th January 1964), ´But Nigeria is a far cry, or seems so to old fogeys.....which is definetly me!.....I´m having great fun trying to teach conducting at the R.C.M. now - I only hope other people are!´ (3rd July 1964), ´Yes, kids are marvellous , but not quite all day! Our 10 joined together to give me an L.P. all done by themselves. 4 singers, 2 cellos, a viola, 3 pianists.....even the label & cover were done by one of them with a toy printing press!´ (25th April 1969), ´Music is grand though wiser I think as a hobby than as a job!´ (10th June 1969), ´No I´m afraid Evelyn Waugh is a practically unknown author. We must put it right. I remember Ronald Knox at Oxford years ago - a brilliant creature. Hobbies - Ann says I have none, but I am keeping myself out of mischief now indexing my dreadful memoirs - a nice boring job. Yes - we actually hired colour T.V. for the Investiture yesterday. It was really worth it. That kind of thing is terrific but how seldom they are!´ (2nd July 1969; the day after the public investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales), ´The BBC have been very kind about doing records. I´m sorry you missed The Sanguine Fan, as it is a brand new discovery - a ballet E [dward] E [lgar] did for some war charity in 1916, & it has since been quite forgotten & never published. So we have recorded it, & will try top get the Royal Ballet to do it again´ (16th April 1974), ´And the Lepizig book has just come & given me a great deal of pleasure: the pictures are lovely reminders of happy days, & I am going to gloat over them a little longer before returning it´ (20th December 1974), ´I can´t resist sending you this card [no longer present, but evidently of Osborne House] I expect you know it was a convalescent home for Service People, but now they admit ex-Civil Servants, & so I am being sent there.....Last time I had.....a very large room Queen Mary used to have when she stayed there. Kaiser Bill (who often dashed over to visit Grandmama) used to have the middle of the main block (on the first floor) & looked straight down to the Solent......The little block on the R is quite separate from the main building (just a colonade to join them) & Queen V & Prince Albert had their rooms there with the children on top floor, but no one else.....The story goes that K. Edward VII drove out of it the day after she died, & said he would never come there again. Give it to the Nation for a Convalescent Home so that we need never see it!´ (30th May 1977), ´ [Simon] Rattle does seem to be a good egg - I have only heard him once except of course by wireless also´ (21st November 1980). Accompanied by a few related letters (one a facsimile sending thanks) and newspaper clippings etc. Some light overall age wear, G to generally VG, 49