ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING BALLET ADAPTATION OF HEMINGWAY STORY. 31 Typed Letters Signed (“George Antheil” and “George”), 59 pp, 4to, Hollywood, January 4, 1950 to October 15, 1953, to A.E. Hotchner, regarding a collaborative project, pages creased and toned, some leaves with wear and chipping at edges. With Typed Manuscript, 8 pp, 4to, n.p., n.d., being a carbon of “Death in the Night / a ballet / from Ernest Hemingway’s / The Capital of the World,” stapled at left margin, some cuts and wear at margins. Born in New Jersey, Antheil exploded on the musical scene in 1927 with his Ballet mecanique, a stunning composition for percussion instruments that includes player pianos and airplane propellers. The Ballet was celebrated during its initial performance in Paris as the pinnacle of surrealist musical composition, but panned at its New York premiere and not performed in its original form again for another 60 years. Antheil enjoyed a successful career from the 1930s to the 1950s as a composer in Hollywood, writing scores for westerns and thrillers. The correspondence in this lot begins in 1950 when Antheil hears through a third party that Hotchner, a novelist and friend of Ernest Hemingway’s, has secured the rights to create a ballet based on Hemingway’s short story, “The Capital of the World.” Antheil is intrigued by the subject matter: two Spanish waiters, a young man and an old man, react differently to the appearance of a matador at their café. In the earliest letters, before Antheil has written a note, he writes that he has secured the interest of Sergei Denham of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo to produce the piece on the stage. From there the correspondence follows the development of Hotchner’s script, Antheil’s early compositions, and the initially positive reaction of the producer. Soon, however, Denham falls into financial straights, and delays the performance of the piece until the next season. Meanwhile, Antheil strikes up a friendship with Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer, who, having seen the success of The Red Shoes and Tales of Hoffman, is interested in making a ballet/opera film himself. Antheil reports that Kramer is wowed by his score, but wants changes in the script. Hotchner sends Antheil a completed screenplay, but in the interim other producers have announced films with bullfighting themes, and Kramer drops the project. Next, Antheil and Hotchner try to sell the ballet in its original half-hour form to the television show Omnibus, but the show is cancelled almost immediately after the initial deal is struck. The correspondence ends with Antheil hoping they can go back to their original plan of creating an original ballet for the stage, but it doesn’t appear that the piece was ever completed or performed.
ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING BALLET ADAPTATION OF HEMINGWAY STORY. 31 Typed Letters Signed (“George Antheil” and “George”), 59 pp, 4to, Hollywood, January 4, 1950 to October 15, 1953, to A.E. Hotchner, regarding a collaborative project, pages creased and toned, some leaves with wear and chipping at edges. With Typed Manuscript, 8 pp, 4to, n.p., n.d., being a carbon of “Death in the Night / a ballet / from Ernest Hemingway’s / The Capital of the World,” stapled at left margin, some cuts and wear at margins. Born in New Jersey, Antheil exploded on the musical scene in 1927 with his Ballet mecanique, a stunning composition for percussion instruments that includes player pianos and airplane propellers. The Ballet was celebrated during its initial performance in Paris as the pinnacle of surrealist musical composition, but panned at its New York premiere and not performed in its original form again for another 60 years. Antheil enjoyed a successful career from the 1930s to the 1950s as a composer in Hollywood, writing scores for westerns and thrillers. The correspondence in this lot begins in 1950 when Antheil hears through a third party that Hotchner, a novelist and friend of Ernest Hemingway’s, has secured the rights to create a ballet based on Hemingway’s short story, “The Capital of the World.” Antheil is intrigued by the subject matter: two Spanish waiters, a young man and an old man, react differently to the appearance of a matador at their café. In the earliest letters, before Antheil has written a note, he writes that he has secured the interest of Sergei Denham of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo to produce the piece on the stage. From there the correspondence follows the development of Hotchner’s script, Antheil’s early compositions, and the initially positive reaction of the producer. Soon, however, Denham falls into financial straights, and delays the performance of the piece until the next season. Meanwhile, Antheil strikes up a friendship with Hollywood producer Stanley Kramer, who, having seen the success of The Red Shoes and Tales of Hoffman, is interested in making a ballet/opera film himself. Antheil reports that Kramer is wowed by his score, but wants changes in the script. Hotchner sends Antheil a completed screenplay, but in the interim other producers have announced films with bullfighting themes, and Kramer drops the project. Next, Antheil and Hotchner try to sell the ballet in its original half-hour form to the television show Omnibus, but the show is cancelled almost immediately after the initial deal is struck. The correspondence ends with Antheil hoping they can go back to their original plan of creating an original ballet for the stage, but it doesn’t appear that the piece was ever completed or performed.
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Create an alert![ANTHEIL, GEORGE. 1900-1959, and [HOTCHNER, A.E. BORN 1920.]](https://images2.bonhams.com/image?src=Images/live/2006-01/20/7188881-18-2.JPG "Source: Bonhams London")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
