One to four pages each, signed in full, as Ira, or initialed, a few with signatures clipped off. Complete listing of the letters by date available. An extraordinary archive of letters from lyricist Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), offering rare insights into the mind and method of his brother and collaborator, composer George Gershwin, and the production of George’s masterpiece Porgy and Bess. On May 26th, 1961, in perhaps the most significant letter in the collection, discussing Porgy and Bess and George Gershwin’s perception of the production, Ira writes: “As for ‘opera’ or even ‘grand opera; - of course. ‘Folk opera’ was a compromise arrived at so as to not scare the general public – or, rather – the average theatre-goer, away. I’m sure that somewhere I’ve written or told that the Met was eager to produce the work and that Otto Kahn offered George a bonus of $5,000 if the Met could have it. (George was flattered but realizing that at best the work could get a guarantee of 4, possibly 6, performances he turned it down for Broadway)…” The letters are written to Edward Jablonski, beginning when the latter was still in high school – Jablonski was to become an important historiographer of musicians, publishing numerous works including a major biography of George Gershwin, who died of a brain tumor in 1937. Jablonksi also founded Walden Records in 1952, releasing many rare compositions by Gershwin and other musicians of the day. The correspondence not only provides a remarkable record of Ira and George Gershwin and the younger Jablonski, but also gives a vivid picture of the world of music and show business in the 1940s and 1950s, the period when nearly 90% of the letters were written. Gershwin writes much on his brother and his legacy (a good deal of his time was spent in managing the estate), his own ongoing projects in Hollywood and New York, his opinions of actors, actresses and singers, criticism of composers and lyricists, reviews of movies and dramatic productions, and his thoughts on new records being released, through Jablonski’s Walden as well as Columbia and other major players. The archive comprises a rare assemblage of UNPUBLISHED correspondence crucial to understanding the music and entertainment industry in the mid-20th century.

In an undated cover letter to the collection that Jablonski wrote prior to his death in 2004 at age 81, he tells how the correspondence came about: “Late in 1940, while in high school, I began a correspondence, and as it turned out, a friendship with Ira Gershwin. Some months before I had become captivated by the music of George Gershwin and during the course of my research at the local library came across Ira’s address in a current Who’s Who. I had to tell him how I felt about his brother’s music and their songs. My first letter went to his home in Beverly Hills and was forwarded to Boston where he was with the first major work since his brother’s death, Lady in the Dark. To my delight, and I might add, surprise, Ira answered my letter and encouraged further writing – a bit of a mistake, for I became a letter writing pest. But he was patient, understanding, never patronizing and, as I learned years later, saved my letters…” The initial letter Jablonski wrote to Ira Gershwin is present with the collection, a rambling, six-page missive written from Bay City, Michigan, on New Year’s Eve, 1940: “…It all began, once upon a time, when I was listening to Raymond Paiges’ ‘Musical Americana,’ the announcer announced that Mr. Paige would play ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’ To a young fellow (I am 18) unschooled in music, this didn’t mean much. Then ‘Rhapsody’ began. You know – the clarinet. My ears pricked up. ‘why’ I said ‘there’s the music I like…’” After much rambling about his devotion to the music of George Gershwin, Jablonski concludes “Please, just don’t disregard this letter. An answer would mean so much to me and I would be ever so grateful.” Answer Ira did, as he would many times over the next four decades. The first reply was on Jan 9, 1941: “Dear Ed Jablonski [it wasn’t until 1949, after writing some fifty letters, that it became simply ‘Ed’], I understand perfectly. I feel that way about him too. And there are many like us. I still get letters about him from places as far as New Zealand…” * June 18, 1941: “…Now as to those questions. ‘Short Story’ was a piece that might have been included in the ‘Preludes’. George wrote this at a very early age. Samuel Duskin heard it and asked if he couldn’t arrange it for the violin. George agreed to it… There is an actual 4th prelude, however – unpublished. Since it is in 32 bar song form I’m going to put a lyric to it some day…” * September 22, 1941, on the lookout for copyright infringement: “Never heard of the Haynes-Griffin Co. and their album of excepts from ‘P. & B’ and ‘American in Paris’ etc. I imagine what they are offering are records of broadcasts like the one at the Hollywood Bowl of which I sent you a program. If it’s something else, I’d appreciate your letting me know. And thanks for the tip on records issued by the Commodore Music Shop. I’ll write them…” * April 6, 1942: “…Regarding ‘135th Street’ I feel that George wouldn’t have cared particularly about recording it because it was written in such a hurry and because ‘Porgy and Bess’ said in a much more mature way anything ‘135th Street’ had to say.” * Sept. 1, 1943, about the upcoming film biography of his brother: “I went over to the Warner lot the other day and saw a couple of sequences from ‘Rhapsody in Blue’. I though they weren’t bad at all and that the unknown playing my brother captures a good deal of the spirit. It is of course too early to know how it’s all going to turn out but it is obvious that both Mr. Lasky the producer and Mr. Rapper, the director, were trying hard to make a worthy film…” * Oct. 30, 1943, “Sorry you missed ‘Girl Crazy’… I haven’t seen it either… I hear the story isn’t too original but that all the numbers are well done and it’s really a tribute to the vitality of George’s music that no interpolations have been made in the score and as for the lyrics I had to change only a couple of lines…” * Jablonksi had of course gone into the service, and on August 10, 1944: “…I don’t know whether you’re still in New Guinea or not – I rather imagine you’d rather not if your still there. From what I read long before the war the only spot it was better than was some of those spots in Abyssinia. Well cheer up. There are worse even than those. For instance 13 days in the Essex House in N.Y that I spent during the hottest spell they’d known when I used to work until 4 or 5 in the morning and then try to sleep in a half-filled bathtub for a few hours, then go back to the grind again to find a new rhyme…” * July 5, 1945: “…I was a groom once but never had been a best man. Vincente Minnelli asked me to be his b.m. when he married Judy Garland so it was I who handed over the ring and now nobody can say I’ve never been a best man. Saw ‘Junior Miss’ and ‘The Lost Week-End’ in projection rooms. Both excellent movies – Don’t miss them when they get around…” * September 17th 1945, protective of his brother’s musical legacy: “I didn’t see that article in ‘Metronome’ but I did see a digest of it in ‘Newsweek’ a couple of weeks ago. I found what I read a malicious outpouring rather than an analytical criticism and therefore too special to be much concerned about. Generally, any unfavorable notice of my brother’s music doesn’t bother me too much. So someone doesn’t like ‘Rhapsody’ or ‘American in Paris’ or whatever it is. So someone is entitled to his opinion. So all right. What does bother me is when I see phrases like ‘naïve orchestration’ or ‘structural ignorance’ as though my brother were just a terribly talented fellow (which they grant) who somehow stumbled into the concert hall, was impudent enough to take advantage of it, put on a high pressure sales talk – and got away with it. With these critics there is an utter disregard of the facts that George from the age of 13 or 14 never let up in his studies of so-called classical foundations …” * On March 11, 1948, Ira runs afoul of the red-baiters: “As for being investigated by the Thomas Committee should you go to an institution Thomas doesn’t approve of – you ought to feel you don’t belong if you aren’t subpoenaed. As you may or may not know I was recently summoned by the Tenney Committee (our local Un-American seekers) because a meeting of the Committee for the First Amendment was held at my home. It turned out to be nothing, but it’s pretty bad that these committees have the power to drag you to them just because someone’s uncle said he thought you were wearing what seemed to him a red tie at a football game last fall…” * September 28, 1951, after congratulating Jablonski on his marriage: “Glad you agree that Columbia did a remarkable job with ‘Porgy and Bess.’ Those who questioned he recitatives will now, if they’re at all musical, understand and appreciate that it wasn’t composer’s indulgence but powerful and authentic musical setting in the plot lines…” * May 18, 1954: “Saw rough cut of ‘Star is Born’ last night. Fine acting and singing beautiful production. Has to be cut considerably though as it ran three hours and eleven minutes and a musical specialty of five to seven popular songs has yet to be added (‘Melancholy Baby’ ‘Peanut Vendor’ ‘I’ll Get By’ ‘Swanee’ and one or two others) which will take, I imagine, twelve to fifteen minutes. This is the spot that’s to close the first half of the picture and it was decided that any one new number wouldn’t be socky enough…”Gershwin adds, in reference to the tenuous finances of Jablonski’s record company, “Best to you and yours and hope that hole of red ink Walden is swimming in turns into a nice, clean pool of black.” There is much more fabulous content, a tremendous archive of major importance.