Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts For Reading and Listening.

BERNSTEIN, Leonard.

Item Number: 135829

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1962.

First edition of Bernstein’s classic work on the meaning of music, dedicated to young people. Tall octavo, two volumes, original laminated pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by Bernstein on the flyleaf in Yiddish in the year of publication to his assistant, Jack Gottlieb who has transliterated the inscription on a tipped in note, “L’Jack mit hertzlichen vunschen. M’Lenny. Christmas 1962.” The recipient, Jack Gottlieb, was not only Bernstein’s personal assistant, but a trained composer and musician who played an instrumental role in the shaping and publication of Bernstein’s first three books. In his memoir “Working with Bernstein”, Gottlieb relayed, “Close to my heart were the editing jobs I did on three of Bernstein’s popular books. First was ‘The Joy of Music,’ on which I had the pleasure of working with the genial Henry Simon of Simon and Schuster. The next two books, also S&S publications, were co-edited with gentlemen who have since become distinguished men of letters: Michael Korda on ‘Young People’s Concerts for Reading and Listening’ and Robert Gottlieb (no relation) on ‘The Infinite Variety of Music’ (pp. 22-23). In addition to single-handedly managing negotiations with Bernstein’s publishers, Gottlieb managed his over-booked professional schedule and, as is illustrated in Bernstein’s warm inscription to Gottlieb in Yiddish, shared the unique experience of navigating the 20th century American landscape of conducting and composition as a relative minority of Jewish faith and ancestry. In near fine condition with the companion box containing five 45rpm LP’s, both housed in the original slipcase. In very good condition. With Gottleib’s newspaper clippings regarding the publication of the book laid in. An exceptional association copy, inscribed by Bernstein to the man who not only facilitated this volume’s publication, but Bernstein’s success and recognition as an American composer.

Bernstein's television teaching took a quantum leap when, as the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, he put the orchestra's traditional Saturday afternoon Young People's Concerts on the CBS Television Network. Millions of viewers of all ages and around the world enthusiastically embraced Bernstein and his engaging presentations about classical music. Bernstein often presented talented young performers on the broadcasts. Many of them became celebrated in their own right, including conductors Claudio Abbado and Seiji Ozawa; flutist Paula Robison; and pianist André Watts. From 1958 until 1972, the fifty-three Young People's Concerts comprised the most influential series of music education programs ever produced on television. They were highly acclaimed by critics and won numerous Emmy Awards.