Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 24

Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Autographs-Musicians & Composers

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 442		Gould, Morton & Elman, Mischa. Morton Gould (1913-1996) was an American composer who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1995, and in 1994 received the Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime contributions to American culture. Autograph Musical Quotation Signed and Inscribed ("Greetings to Dean Collins from Morton Gould June 26, 1977") under a holograph bar of music, on Chappell Music Company paper, 8½ x 5½ in. Gould was president of ASCAP 1986-1994; in 1986 he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Mischa Elman (1891-1967) was a Russian-American violinist. 3 x 5 in. tan Card Signed, "with best wishes from Mischa Elway Feb. 1 / 1964." Both Fine. (2 items). Estimated Value $200 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $184
Lot 443		Hammerstein, Oscar II (1895-1960) One of the greatest lyricists in American musical theater; wrote many hit shows with Richard Rodgers. Typed Letter Signed ("Oscar"), on personal stationery, New York City, May 27, 1954, 1½ pp., small quarto. Hammerstein writes to novelist Edna Ferber about a TV series being made from her novel Show Boat. In part: "….I…told the producer that I thought it was a pretty good start from a narrative standpoint, but that I didn't believe the musical part had been handled very well. They are obviously trying to illustrate that we can't keep playing the songs from the show, and they are demonstrating that other songs could be brought it. I don't believe their choice has been particularly fortunate. I think that using the song from the picture 'Show Boat' was not a bad way to introduce Joe and Queenie, but must say that the plot of the program seems good to me….I am anxious to know what you think…." One light paper clip mark, else Very Fine. Hammerstein wrote the lyrics of shows such as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The King and I. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 444		Porter, Cole (1891-1964) American composer and lyricist. Typed Letter Signed ("Cole"), on "Doctors Hospital" stationery, New York City, December 2, 1937, 4½ pages, quarto. In late 1937, Porter was in a very serious horseback riding accident that would necessitate thirty surgeries in the years to come. Not long after the accident, he writes from the hospital to Monty Woolley, whom Porter had met at Yale and who became his sometimes lover, fellow carouser, and life-long friend; Woolley achieved stardom as the insufferable Sheridan Whiteside in the 1939 Broadway production The Man Who Came to Dinner. Porter begins by saying, "Stop writing pages about your damned lip and then saying it must be a bore to sit around patiently while my bones knit." He goes into great gory detail about his injuries. In part: "If I had merely broken my legs, I'd have no complaints to make. But, although the left leg got a compound fracture…the right leg was mashed to such a pulp from below the knee to just above the ankle that a great many of the nerves were injured, one of them very seriously….From the second day it was obvious that the toes of my right leg were without sensation. And after a few more days, the most excruciating pains, as if from burns, began….these were blebs forming….a bleb is a hemispheric ulcer about an inch in diameter….the doctors decided that the blebs could be treated with Amertan…the stuff they used for the burnt passengers of the Hindenburg…." Porter describes the struggle of the doctors to find the right drug for him: "Morphine simply made me want to give parties and did nothing toward diminishing the pain. Hyoscine drove me crazy, Nembutal…induced nothing but drowsiness. Then they hit on Dilaudid…it's a mixture of morphine with a lot of other nice drugs….I have had a shot of it every four hours for the last month and it has saved my life…." The doctors asked Porter to write down how the pain felt. Porter encloses 2½ pages of his sensations to Woolley; they are headed "A Few Illusions Caused By An Injured Anterior Popliteal Nerve"; his descriptions reflect how well the drugs are or are not working. They include: "I'm a toe dancer, but a toe dancer who dances only on the toes of his right foot.…"; "…the right foot is doing its best to fit into a shoe that is much too short for it…some one inserts…a jagged glass shoe-horn."; and "A procession of little men with picks…choose a spot on the inner side of the instep of my right foot, near the ankle, and start digging a hole…." There is much more incredible personal content in this letter. Many thought Porter's career would be ended by this devastating injury, but he went on to create The Taming of the Shrew, Anything Goes , and other shows. From a biographical point of view, this could well be the most important Cole Porter letter ever on the market. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,955
Lot 445		Porter, Cole (1891-1964) American composer and lyricist known for his urbane and witty lyrics and sinuous music. Photograph Signed and Inscribed, "Yours In '09 / Cole Porter," Worcester, Mass., 9¼ x 6½ inches with actual image size of 5½ x 3 5/8 inches. A three-quarter portrait of the eighteen-year-old Porter, taken by Schervee & Bushong, Worcester, Mass., the year Porter graduated from the Worcester Academy, where he was class valedictorian and where he met the teacher, Abercrombie, who taught him about the relationship between words and meter and between words and music in songs. The photograph was given to Everett Ballou Wilson, of Newton, Massachusetts, a classmate of Porter's who also graduated in 1909. Housed in the original folder. A wonderful, early photograph of Cole Porter before he became "Cole Porter." Estimated Value $800 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,265
Lot 446		Rodgers, Richard (1902-79) Composer; collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart, then Oscar Hammerstein II, to create musicals such as The Lady Is A Tramp (with Hart) and Oklahoma (with Hammerstein). Typed Letter Signed ("R. Rodgers") on personal letterhead, New York, June 29, 1962, 1 pg., small quarto. To novelist Edna Ferber: "The only reason, Ferb dear, that Franz Liszt becomes the collector's item is because he played the piano as well as you do the typewriter. I don't think he ever looked as pretty as you did last night and I know I couldn't have been as happy to see him so this is a note of gratitude and a promise of undying affection." Ferber was 77 years old at the time. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $322
Lot 447		Rodgers, Richard. Typed Letter Signed ("Dick") on personal letterhead, New York, March 1, 1967, 1 pg., small quarto. To novelist Edna Ferber: "I've reread 'Nobody's In Town' and I still love it. A good deal of exploring has to be done in the direction of finding a book writer with experience in the musical theater and a certain amount of love for it. That won't be easy because…you can count gifted book writers on the nail of one finger of one hand. If I have any luck I'll let you know and if you have any ideas please let me have them." Rodgers refers to a book published by Ferber in 1938. A couple of word are lightly circled in pen, else Fine. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $288