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Songs my Mother Never Taught Me. Book o

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:450.00 USD Estimated At:900.00 - 1,200.00 USD
Songs my Mother Never Taught Me. Book o
Songs my Mother Never Taught Me. Book of about fifty songs by John Jacob Niles, American folk singer, and Douglas Moore, composer (opera "Devil and Daniel Webster" one of his works) and music professor at Columbia University, represented by archive of about 136 items. This substantial resource contains letters from Niles: three T.Ls.S., one A.L.S., nine T.Ls. signed with his huge initial "J." Also, one T.L.S. of Mrs. Niles, three telegrams, one royalty statement, six ads for the book, and about 76 copies of letters sent to Niles from his publishers. Moore's correspondence includes 7 T.Ls.S., 11 copies of letters from publisher to him, and 2 telegrams. This archive also contains 11 legal documents, of which 3 contain signatures of both Niles and Moore. In addition, Niles was sent letters from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the music publisher Carl Fischer about some of his songs. The assemblage spans years from the 1930s to 1950s. Printed ephemera includes two flyers (one for Niles' concert in New York's Town Hall, with photo), list of compositions and arrangements by Niles, sample of a music page and dust jacket for the book, slanted for servicemen audience. Letters are replete with copyright problems, legal restrictions and emotion. Niles' letters to his publishers mention the difficulties with Decca Records, RKO Radio Pictures, G. Schirmer music publishers, and Macmillan. "This business of making up a book by pasting up a dummy from the existing books might as well stop here as anywhere else...." In use of one of his songs, "Venezuela," for a movie, he stipulates, "It (will) be used only in one film...that I be given credit for the song...that I may use it afterwards...." To a publisher, "You have failed to keep the book in print and for sale...therefore we demand that you... reprint it." To an association, "No one has any right to license the composition...except myself." To a publisher, "Of all the letters I have ever received from New York business people, I think your letter of May 18 is the most naive...I need not offer you anything...There are quite a few angles to this matter which might make an interesting legal investigation...Personally, I would not invest a plugged nickel in the procedure you propose in your letter...." With legal document assigning copyrights, 3 pp., with Copyright Office signed form, 1942, containing embossed seal. Many of the problems discussed in this archive pertain to copyrights. Letters have dampstaining at top blank margin, causing rust on the corner staple, text not affected. Good to fine. Niles material, like much other popular music material of the first half of the twentieth century, is extremely scarce. This is certainly the largest group relating to him to appear on the market in a very long time.