KABALEVSKY DMITRY - [ROLLAND ROMAIN]: (1904-1987) Russian Composer. Signed letter `D. Kabalevsky´, in Cyrillic, at ...

KABALEVSKY DMITRY - [ROLLAND ROMAIN]: (1904-1987) Russian Composer. Signed letter `D. Kabalevsky´, in Cyrillic, at the base of a typed letter sent by Romain Rolland to Kabalevsky, one page, folio, Villeneuve, 27th November 1937, in French. In a letter of very interesting content, Rolland states in part `I safely received the musical score of your ''Maitre de Clamecy'' and I read it several times with great pleasure. I do think that you can expect a great success, because the work is neat, full of life and movement. The use of popular songs is a hit. No need to say that my French hearing did not have difficulty to identify them… In general, your work is one of the best that I know of the new Russian music written for scene´ Rolland further asks Kabalevsky to forward to him the Overture and Preludes missing so he can have a proper and complete knowledge of the full work, and adds `Regarding the poem…. there are anachronisms, not only in the situation, but also with the characters. But that is the right of the poet as well as the one of the Soviet musician who write for a different audience than the one of Bourgogne´ before concluding and to a post-scriptum, Romain disagrees with the choice of French names, stating and advising `Why have you renamed Martine (the daughter of Colas) and Céline (Belette)? In French, the two names sound musical and rhyme like bells ring. I miss them. Germaine and Marcelle are not names of this time and country´ G to VG Romain Rolland (1866-1944) French Dramatist & Novelist, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1915.