Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts.

BERNSTEIN, Leonard. [Jack Gottlieb].

Item Number: 135288

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970.

First printing of the revised and expanded edition of Bernstein’s classic work on the meaning of music, dedicated to young people. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with drawings by Isadore Seltzer. From the collection of Bernstein’s personal assistant and editor Jack Gottlieb with his revisions and correction’s throughout including his editorial inscription to the front free endpaper, “pp. 113, 166! / p. 93 re L V B # 5 [i.e., Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony] / NB: There are small LB emendations in this copy. JG. / This is an interim copy w/mostly my markings as editor. / JG 11/04/09.” Jack Gottlieb, was not only Bernstein’s personal assistant, but a trained composer and musician who played an instrumental role in the shaping and publication of Bernstein’s first three books. In his memoir “Working with Bernstein”, Gottlieb relayed, “Close to my heart were the editing jobs I did on three of Bernstein’s popular books. First was ‘The Joy of Music,’ on which I had the pleasure of working with the genial Henry Simon of Simon and Schuster. The next two books, also S&S publications, were co-edited with gentlemen who have since become distinguished men of letters: Michael Korda on ‘Young People’s Concerts for Reading and Listening’ and Robert Gottlieb (no relation) on ‘The Infinite Variety of Music’ (pp. 22-23). In addition to single-handedly managing negotiations with Bernstein’s publishers, Gottlieb managed Bernstein’s over-booked professional schedule and shared the unique experience of navigating the 20th century American landscape of conducting and composition as a relative minority of Jewish faith and ancestry. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Ken Braren. An exceptional example, from the collection of the man who not only facilitated this volume’s publication, but Bernstein’s success and recognition as an American composer.

Bernstein's television teaching took a quantum leap when, as the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, he put the orchestra's traditional Saturday afternoon Young People's Concerts on the CBS Television Network. Millions of viewers of all ages and around the world enthusiastically embraced Bernstein and his engaging presentations about classical music. Bernstein often presented talented young performers on the broadcasts. Many of them became celebrated in their own right, including conductors Claudio Abbado and Seiji Ozawa; flutist Paula Robison; and pianist André Watts. From 1958 until 1972, the fifty-three Young People's Concerts comprised the most influential series of music education programs ever produced on television. They were highly acclaimed by critics and won numerous Emmy Awards.