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This copy is a survivor of the Brooklyn fire in 1970 in which Hall Johnson died. The orange boards are warped and water-stained and have dark brown discolored strip along the bottom 1" of the front and rear boards. The interior of the book is good plus and the 16 colorful illustrations by Charles Sebree throughout the text are very bright and charming, as are the illustrations on the front and rear endpapers and paste-downsns. This copy is inscribed by Countee Cullen and Christopher Cat to musician and composer Hall Johnson:"Countee Cullen/ His Copy. (Underlined) of The Lost Zoo. Admiringly surrenderd to Hall Johnson with the best wishes of Christopher Cat also! (underlined) New York Dec. 1940. (Underlined) In addition to the inscription there is an autographed letter signed (ALS) by Countee Cullen with its original envelope: Mr. Hall Johnson/ Hotel Theresa on the front: "940 St. Nicholas Ave./ New York, N.Y. December 21, 1940Dear Hall, It was nice seeing you for a moment last night. As I promised, here is a copy of my book the only copy I had on hand which accounts for the peculiar type of inscription. I hope it pleases you, and that you may find in it the type of fantasy to recommend to some of the Hollywood bigwigs Walt Disney preferred. Every good wish to you. Countee Cullen (underlined)." Note: Johnson worked with Walt Disney; and the Hall Johnson Choir was featured in the soundtracks on Snow White, Dumbo, and Song of the South. Hall Johnson was a highly regarded African American choral director, composer, arranger, and violinist who dedicated his career to preserving the integrity of the Black spiritual as it had been performed during the era of slavery. His Hall Johnson Choir, the first professional group of its kind, enjoyed a successful concert and recording career for more than three decades in the United States and abroad. During his professional life Johnson coached hundreds of distinguished musicians, including the famous opera singer Marian Anderson. Virtually every Black singer of note has performed Johnson s solo compositions and arrangements. Born on March 12, 1888, in Athens, Georgia, Hall Johnson was the son of William Decker Johnson, a minister, and Alice Virginia Sansom, a former slave. Johnson was given his first at age 14, with which he taught himself to play. Athens was home to a large, prosperous African American middle class, with excellent schools, and Johnson did well. He graduated from the preparatory school in 1903 and then moved on to Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, where his father had recently been named president. In 1908, Johnson switched his studies to the University of Pennsylvania. After receiving his college degree in 1912, Johnson returned to Athens. Johnson gained a reputation as an excellent music teacher, and played violin in the orchestras of several Broadway productions, performing behind great entertainers such as Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, and Josephine Baker. He found additional work in more than one dance band, including a stint touring the United States with a group known as the Southern Syncopated Orchestra. In 1923, he took the seat of the violinist in a chamber music group he helped form called the Negro String Quartet. The group performed pieces across a wide spectrum from the standard classical canon to contemporary pieces by African Americans. Johnson produced his own Broadway musical in 1933, Run Little Chillun, a production he called a folk opera. Johnson worked with Walt Disney; and the Hall Johnson Choir was featured in the soundtracks on Snow White, Dumbo, and Song of the South. Over his lifetime, Johnson was a consummate breaker of barriers, and not just between White and Black or between the world of churches and the world of mass entertainment. On April 30, 1970, Johnson died when a fire broke out in his New York apartment building. This volume is from Hall Johnson s library, much of which was salvaged from the Brooklyn fire. First Edition. Hardcover.
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