Music for the Man Who Enjoys Hamlet [Signed, Association Copy, Ben Raeburn Provenance with Signed Ephemera]

Haggin, B. H. (Bernard Hyman) (1900?1987)

Edité par Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1944

A propos de cet article

An engaging mid-century guide to listening to classical music, written for the cultivated general reader rather than the specialist, by the influential American music critic B. H. Haggin.? Designed to be read alongside listening, the book integrates musical examples directly into the text, encouraging active engagement with recorded performances and live works. KEY FEATURES +++ Visuals: Numerous musical score excerpts printed throughout the text, integrated with commentary. +++ Binding: Publisher?s cloth boards, top edge stained yellow; clean and solid. +++ Content: An accessible exploration of how to listen to and understand classical music, using Shakespeare?s Hamlet as a metaphor for attentive, interpretive listening. +++ Signature:?Signed by B. H. Haggin on the front free endpaper. +++ Provenance: From the estate of Horizon Books publisher Ben Raeburn, with a laid-in signed postcard addressed to Raeburn and bearing his handwritten pencil notes. +++ Laid-in Ephemera: Original signed postcard from B. H. Haggin to Ben Raeburn, postmarked 14 September 1980, discussing sales reports and travel logistics. The card bears Haggin?s Santa Barbara address and includes period pencil annotations in Raeburn?s hand, including a phone number and travel-related notes, providing direct documentary evidence of their professional correspondence. +++ Contemporary Critical Response: Four-page typed letter dated 23 March 1945, addressed to the editor of The Saturday Review of Literature, responding to Roger Sessions? review of Music for the Man Who Enjoys Hamlet. Written from ?Somewhere in Germany? during World War II service and concluding with the typed name of Charles B. Farrell. Likely retained copy supplied to Ben Raeburn, providing period critical context and direct engagement with the reception of Haggin?s work. CONDITION: Very Good/Good -- The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. Minimal shelf handling wear; top edge stained yellow. Dust jacket is toned, price intact at $2.75, with modest edge wear, tape reinforcement to the spine, and a small piece of clear tape on the front cover. +++ Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf, Borzoi Books; First Edition, 1944. +++ Specs: 8.5 inches tall; 3?128, [Index] pages. Transcription Available. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -? B. H. Haggin was one of the most prominent American music critics of the mid-20th century, writing for The Nation and shaping public understanding of classical music through criticism that emphasized clarity, structure, and emotional honesty. His books sought to democratize serious listening without diluting intellectual rigor. This copy carries particular association value through Ben Raeburn, founder of Horizon Press in New York, a pivotal mid-century publisher known for issuing important literary and architectural works and for his close editorial relationships with leading writers and critics. Association copies linking figures in American cultural publishing and criticism offer insight into the professional networks that shaped postwar literary and intellectual life. PROVENANCE NOTE From the estate of Horizon Books publisher Ben Raeburn (1914?1997) that passed to his longtime partner Patricia (?Pat?) Percey following the death of his wife Pearl Raeburn. Raeburn, founder of Horizon Press in New York, was a central figure in mid-century American publishing, issuing important works by Ezra Pound, Marianne Moore, Allen Ginsberg, Denise Levertov, and Frank Lloyd Wright. SUBJECTS: Music Appreciation, Classical Music, Music Criticism, American Music Writers, Association Copies, Alfred A. Knopf. Overview of Contents of Four-Page Review Laid into the volume is a four-page, typed critical response addressed to the editor of The Saturday Review of Literature, dated 23 March 1945 and written ?Somewhere in Germany? during active military service. The letter responds in detail to a January 1945 review by Roger Sessions of B. H. Haggin?s Music for the Man Who Enjoys Ha.

N° de réf. du vendeur 21529

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Music for the Man Who Enjoys Hamlet [Signed, Association Copy, Ben Raeburn Provenance with Signed Ephemera]
• Éditeur: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
• Date de parution: 1944
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Édition: First Edition, First Printing.
• État de l'article: Very Good
• État de la jaquette: Good
• Poids: 3 livres
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • LITERATURE [Many Sub-Catagories]
  • MUSIC: History