]> copland-corr0238Letter from Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein, 1938/12/07: a machine-readable transcription. The Aaron Copland Collection Selected and converted. American Memory, Library of Congress.

Washington, DC, 2000.

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 Aaron Copland Music Division, Library of Congress. Used by permission of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., copyright owner. Contact: James M. Kendrick, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., 120 West 45th Street, New York, NY, 10036.

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 2000/10/06

Dec 7 [9?] [1938]

Dear Lenny --I know I'm late in answering but I've been swamped with things to do and your letter asked so many questions!

Aren't you coming down to N.Y. during Christmas holydays? And since it would be so much better to do this viva voce than by letter, could it wait till then for my grandfatherly advice?

You sound as if you were very much on the right track anyhow both as to ideas and composers' names. Dont make the mistake of thinking that just because a Gilbert used Negro material, there was therefore nothing American about it. Theres always the chance that it might have an 'American' quality despite its material. Also, don't try to prove too much. Composing in this country is still pretty young no matter how you look at it.

Good luck and lets hear if you're coming down.

Consider yourself missed.A