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SONDHEIM, STEPHEN. Small archive of 7 Typed Letters Signed, "Steve" or "Stephen Sondheim" or "S," to press agent Daniel Langen or OCEE

SONDHEIM, STEPHEN. Small archive of 7 Typed Letters Signed, "Steve" or "Stephen Sondheim" or "S," to press agent Daniel Langen or OCEE Records, sending payment for or requesting music recordings, quibbling about the accuracy or difficulty of a musical quiz, suggesting that he conduct an interview with Sondheim in lieu of Sondheim submitting an article, and requesting that his phone number be kept private because his "last number proved to be second in popularity only to 911." Each 1 page, 8vo, personal stationery; moderate staining to 27 April 1979 letter, folds. Most with the original envelope. [New York], 1967-79

28 May 1974: ". . . [K]indly send me the Charles DeForest record and 'Hard Job Being God'. Also, as a collector of trivia, would you send me the answers to your first musical quiz? I only got 35 points (and that only through consultation with Jonathan Tunick)."
12 November 1974: ". . . [A]m slightly stunned by the new quiz. I'd like to suggest that if any of the answers vary from the information in Zadan's book [Sondheim & Co. (1974)], you check with me. For example, I wrote more than two songs 'not written for production' and there may be a few freaks who know about them. . . .
"As for the results of the first quiz, I have one quibble: as I remember it, question 9B asked for the name of the first announced lyricist for 'West Side Story'--I believe you'll find the answer is Adolph Green and Betty Comden. At any rate, they were certainly the first intended lyricists--Lenny only came in as a lyricist when I joined the show (he didn't trust an unknown to carry the ball alone, and he wanted to be known as a poet). . . ."
With-- Small group of printed ephemera, unsigned, including postcard advertisements for Into the Woods (1987), Sweeney Todd (2004), or Follies (1985) concert recording; and programs for Follies (1998) or a screening of the film Reds (1981); and related newspaper clippings. 1970s-2000s

  • Provenance:

    28 May 1974: ". . . [K]indly send me the Charles DeForest record and 'Hard Job Being God'. Also, as a collector of trivia, would you send me the answers to your first musical quiz? I only got 35 points (and that only through consultation with Jonathan Tunick)."
    12 November 1974: ". . . [A]m slightly stunned by the new quiz. I'd like to suggest that if any of the answers vary from the information in Zadan's book [Sondheim & Co. (1974)], you check with me. For example, I wrote more than two songs 'not written for production' and there may be a few freaks who know about them. . . .
    "As for the results of the first quiz, I have one quibble: as I remember it, question 9B asked for the name of the first announced lyricist for 'West Side Story'--I believe you'll find the answer is Adolph Green and Betty Comden. At any rate, they were certainly the first intended lyricists--Lenny only came in as a lyricist when I joined the show (he didn't trust an unknown to carry the ball alone, and he wanted to be known as a poet). . . ."
    With-- Small group of printed ephemera, unsigned, including postcard advertisements for Into the Woods (1987), Sweeney Todd (2004), or Follies (1985) concert recording; and programs for Follies (1998) or a screening of the film Reds (1981); and related newspaper clippings. 1970s-2000s
  • Condition:
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