The Leonard Bernstein Letters

Simeone (Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story) has mined the vast treasure trove of composer Bernstein's letters housed in the Library of Congress. This book boasts an impressive assortment of 650 letters to and from the maestro, spanning the years 1932, when Bernstein was a precocious teenager studying piano, and 1990, the year of his death. The letters are arranged into nine chronological chapters, each with an explanatory introduction. Numerous footnotes provide context. Bernstein was one of the most articulate and witty writers on the contemporary music scene, and his posthumous prose collection Findings contains ample evidence of his literary prowess. This talent and prolixity are very much on display in this volume. Simeone has chosen letters that highlight Bernstein's musical activities rather than strictly personal ones, and the list of correspondents forms a who's who of musical, literary, artistic, and political luminaries in the second half of the 20th century. The numerous letters to and from composer Aaron Copland, who seems to have been both a father figure and a cherished mentor, are among the most revealing and touching.