MUSETTE PUBLISHERS, Inc.

STEINWAY HALL
113 WEST 57TH STREET
NEW YORK 19, N. Y.

Mr. Langston Hughes
634 St. Nicholas Avenue
New York 30, N. Y.

MUSETTE PUBLISHERS, INC.

ARTHUR ZINKIN, PRESIDENT

STEINWAY BUILDING
113 WEST 57TH STREET, N. Y.
CIRCLE 6-2492

July 13, 1945

Dear Langston:

After a careful reading of your poem, "Give Us Our Peace",
I wish to make the following comments:

I cannot regard it as a poem, but rather as a prayer. Now,
there is a great distinction between the two forms of lit-
erary expressions. We pray when our ardent wishes are not
backed by strength of will or because our wishes overflow
our capacities. Hence the notion of miracle which is
supposed to be an occasional answer to our prayer in an
extreme emergency when the human capacity is at the end of
its tether and the gods intervene to save the situation.

The poet's role is altogether different. He asks for
nothing, for no special blessings to which the people of
his day are not equal. The god he worships and believes
in is the human soul when it becomes conscious of itself
and enters into reciprocal relationship with the environ-
ments which affect it and in turn modifies them. He sees
logic and necessity in human events. He bridges the chasm
between knowledge and performance, demanding that we do
what we know, that technology keep pace with social pur-
pose. He hears the inarticulate, rebellious murmurings
of a people oppressed and envisages the judgment day of
their oppressors. He hears the rejoicings of a people
liberated and exalted when peace and security descend
upon them. His utterances are always equal to the poten-
tial capacities of his people whose hopes and aspirations
he voices and he reveals to them their power to realize
such hopes and aspirations. This, in my opinion, has
been the place the poet has occupied in the history of
mankind.

MUSETTE PUBLISHERS, INC.

AZ:lh

December 4, 1945

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers, Inc.
Steinway Hall
113 West 57th Street
New York 19, New York

Dear Zinkin:

This Is My Land looks swell, but I think it would be nicer
if the cover came out blue instead of black --- which makes
it look like mourning. Here are the names of various teachers
or persons connected with singing groups to whom I would ap-
predate your sending one copy each, either as a publicity copy
or else billing to me:

Miss Anna R. Lynch
553 East 28th Street
Brooklyn, New York

Miss Helen Driscoll
1972 84th Street
Brooklyn, New York

Mrs. Amy S. Bookwalter
Lynn Wood
R. D. 6
Springfield, Ohio

Miss Vivienne Anderson
1609 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia 22, Penna.

Music Director
The Grammar School
Northern Michigan
College
Marquette, Michigan

Miss Ruth Fouche
Hotel Grand
5044 South Parkway
Chicago, Illinois

Mr. A. E. Holland
Box 121
Wichita Falls, Texas

Miss Mabel C. Knight
Friendship House
34 West 135th Street
New York 30, New York

Mr. S. D. Kane
1801 Nebraska Street
San Antonio, Texas

Miss Mattie G. Williams
Inter-racial Association
40 Kenwood Avenue
Binghamton, New York

Miss Elizabeth Johnson
520 Douglas Avenue
Kalamazoo, Michigan

President W. R. Davies
State Teachers College
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
(For Music Department)

Miss Pet Harris
1152 E. 98th Street
Cleveland, Ohio

Miss Madeline Houston
6 North 12th Street
Phoenix, Arizona

Mr. Arthur Zinkin

December 4, 1945

Miss Jessie Hathcock
Dunbar High School
Dayton, Ohio

Dean Joseph B. Shane
George School
George School, Penna.

Mr. Hobart L. LaGrone
P. O. Box 212
NAACP
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mr. A.C. Shropshire
Bartlett School
St. Joseph, Missouri

Mr. Harvey C. Jackson
296 E. Philadelphia
Detroit 2, Michigan

Mrs. Beulah Whitby
358 Josephine
Detroit 2, Michigan

Mr. Burton D. Fowler
Germantown Friends School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mrs. Faustina N. Johnson
1457 East 99th Street
Los Angeles, California

Mr. W. Barton Beatty, Jr.
Moorland Branch YWCA
Dallas, Texas

Mrs. W. A. Zuber
443 North Spring Street
Tupelo, Mississippi

Miss Blanche Rinehart
Northeastern High School
4830 Grandy Avenue
Detroit 7, Michigan

Miss Claire McKinnon
YWCA, 6 Chatham Street
Worcester, Massachusetts

All of these are excellent names of people at places where I have lectured and who are interested in using my work for inter-racial and inter-cultural purposes. Most of them will no doubt use this song and have others buy it.

Sincerely yours,

December 31, 1945

Dear Zinkin:

If you have Freedom's Plow in stock now, kindly send fifty copies immediately to me addressed in care of

Mrs. Dorothy Johnson
697 East Vernon Avenue
Los Angeles, California.

To each of the enclosed send ten copies of Freedom's Plow marked "Please Hold Pending Arrival".

I understand from Mrs. Harper and Hall Johnson, who looked over the published copies of This Is My Land, that there is some discrepancy in the published copies and the manuscript of the song as originally written. It seems that somewhere in the song there is a range of far over an octave which, I am told, is not good for singing, particularly by children, and which the composer tells me had been adjusted in the manuscript. Would you be so kind as to call Mrs. Harper at Edgcombe 4-6909 and talk to her about it? I suppose she really should have seen proofs of the music of the song before it was published.

I am off today for the West Coast and will be gone for eight weeks, covering the lecture itinerary enclosed. Meanwhile, if you should need to reach me, you may use any one of the dates listed, air mailing me at least five days ahead.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers
Steinway Hall
113 West 57th
New York City

Enclosure

634 St. Nicholas Avenue,
New York, 30, New York,
January 6, 1944.

Mr. Arthur Zinkin,
Musette Publishers,
New York City.

Dear Zinkin,

I am flying out to Okla. tomorrow next week for the second anniversary of the Douglass USO Club serving Fort Sill there. Would you kindly post to me there now, so they will arrive in time, the following order, billing to me:

100 FREEDOM'S PLOW
10 FREEDOM ROAD
5 NEW WIND A-BLOWIN'

and please include in the latter package an orchestration of
FREEDOM ROAD which I will give to the band there, and a few
professional copies of the song.

March 16, 1946

Dear Zinkin:

Kindly send me immediately, marked "Special
Delivery", fifty copies of FREEDOM'S PLOW to
Langston Hughes
Hotel Grand
5044 South Parkway
Chicago, Illinois.

Also, ten copies addressed to me at each of the
following addresses:

Mrs. Hallie D. Wright Mr. J. M. Burgette
823 Clifton Drive YMCA
Dayton 8, Ohio 669 Indiana Avenue
Toledo, Ohio.

These also to go immediately. Then, to reach
me the following week, fifty copies of FREEDOM'S
PLow addressed to me at the following addresses:

Miss Jane Morin Mr. S. A. Harmon
Assistant Director YMCA
Outlines Gallery 2621 Centre Avenue
222 Craft Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa.
Pittsburgh 13, Pa.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers
113 West 45 Street
New York 19, New York

PS - I am enclosing a current address list for you
to send notices of our publications and records.

March 28, 1946

Dear Zinkin:

Although the copies of FREEDOM'S PLOW, which I ordered on March 16 to be sent to me in Chicago arrived on time, those ordered sent to Dayton and Toledo did not arrive. I trust that the orders for 50 copies each to the Outlines Gallery and the Centre Avenue YMCA in Pittsburgh have been sent sufficiently well in advance to be there when I speak in Pittsburgh this week-end.

The printer certainly did a bad job on the covers of this edition, as many of them are quite crooked.

All my good wishes to you.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers
113 West 57 Street
New York 19, New York

May 30, 1946

Dear Zinkin:

Mr. Wildemar Hille, 724 Vistabula Street,
Lakeland, Florida, the director of music at
Florida Southern College (white), and formerly
in charge of a large chorus in the Middle West,
has composed a cantata setting of our FREEDOM'S
PLOW for mixed chorus, soli, with piano or or-
chestra, performance time 13 minutes. He says
he has sent it to Robert Shaw, Eugene Goosens
and others. Perhaps it might be something that
you could make some use of. If so, you might
write to him. It is so far unpublished.

February 18, 1947

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers
113 West 57th Street
New York 19, New York

Dear Mr. Zinkin:

I am way down here in Atlanta with the Columbians and
the Klans but I am enjoying my Creative Writing classes at
Atlanta University.

Please send me one hundred (100) copies of FREEDOM'S
PLOW, and two orchestrations of FREEDOM ROAD. I am enclos-
ing my check for $19.08 to cover this order and also invoice
#4134, which should put me in the clear.

The last order of FREEDOM PLOW arrived with one end of
the package broken completely open, and the other end loose,
so I suggest that the package be tied with cord as well as
the paper gummed tape - since it does not hold well for
large packages.

With all good wishes to you,

March 6, 1947

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers, Inc.
113 W. 57th Street
New York, New York

Dear Zinkin:

We have here at the University quite a use for
recordings in the English Department. I noticed
that there is an excellent catalog called "A
Catalogue of Selected Educational Recordings"
from the Recordings Division, New York University
Film Library, Washington Square, New York 3.

I have heard nothing about our recordings of
"Freedom's Plow" which Frederick March made
last year. However, it occurs to me that
New York University's Recordings Division might
be interested in the records and help to
distribute them to their educational clientele
which uses this catalog. I suggest that you
write to Emile L. Haley, Executive Secretary,
Recordings Division, New York University, Film
Library, Washington Square, New York 3 and also
inquire about the possibility of their using our
records.

With all good wishes to you.

LH:wmb

May 22, 1947

Mr. Arthur Zinkin
Musette Publishers, Inc.
113 W. 57th Street
New York 19, New York

Dear Zinkin:

In answer to your letter of May 16 concerning
your last royalty payments to me, I find in my
files a letter from you dated April 16, 1946
with which you enclosed a royalty check for
"Freedom's Plow" in the amount of $13.92.

I also have a letter dated June 10, 1946 in
which you enclosed two checks of $1.69 each,
one to Emerson Harper and one to myself for
royalties on our song, "Freedom Road."

Kindly send one copy of each of our songs,
"This is My Land," "Freedom Road," and "New
Wind A'Blowing," together with one copy of
"Freedom's Plow" to:

Mr. Morris Salz
Educational Director
Camp Wo-Chi-Ca
80 Fifth Avenue
New York 11, New York

I will be here at Atlanta University until
June 2, after which time kindly address all
communications to my home address in New York:
654 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York 30.

LH: wmb

November 25, 1949

Musette Publishers Inc.
113 West 57th Street
New York, New York

Gentlemen:

Kindly send me fifty (50) copies of my poem,
FREEDOM'S PLOW, billing to me at the usual author's
discount.

Thank you in advance.

February 20, 1950

Musette Publishers, Inc.
Steinway Hall
New York, New York

Gentlemen:

Kindly send to me at the above address, billing to me at the usual author's discount, six (6) copies of my song, NEW WIND A-BLOWING (with music by Elie Seigmeister).

Thank you in advance.

LH/nvw

MUSETTE PUBLISHERS, Inc.

STEINWAY HALL
113 WEST 57TH STREET
NEW YORK 19, N. Y.
CIRCLE 6-2492

November 15, 1960.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 20, N. Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

We are in receipt of your order for 50 copies of FREEDOM'S PLOW and regret to inform you that this poem is out of print and we are, therefore, unable to fill your order.

EMG:s

September 6, 1951

Musette Publishers, Inc.
113 West 57th Street
New York, New York

Gentlemen:

Kindly send to me at the above address twelve (12) copies
of my song, THIS IS MY LAND.

Also please send one (1) copy of the song to:

Mrs. Hattie R. Debow
Miles High School
Union City, Tenn.

Please bill me for all thirteen copies at the usual author's
discount. And thanks in advance.

LH/nvw

Memo
to
Musette Publishers
from
Langston Hughes

Please send one copy of NEW WIND A-BLOWIN'
to each of the following persons, billing to
Langston Hughes:

Mrs. Hortense Higginbothem
25 Monson Avenue
Springfield, Mass.

Mrs. Mary McLean --- Also a copy of
620 Union Street THIS IS MY LAND
Springfield, Mass.

Miss Vivia F. Hawkins,
1110 Ewing Street,
Toledo 7, Ohio.

Noland School of Music,
545 East Canfield Avenue,
Detroit 1, Michigan.

Mrs. Lucille Goodloe, --- Also copy of
653 Palmwood Avenue, THIS IS MY
Toledo 2, Ohio. LAND

Please send 6 copies of THIS IS MY LAND

to: Mrs. Toy Harper, c/o Smith,
1239 East 43rd Street,
Los Angeles, California.

Memo
to
Chappie Willet
from
Langston Hughes

Please send one copy of LET MY PEOPLE GO NOW to each of the following persons, billing to Langston Hughes:

Mrs. Hortense Higginbothem,
25 Monson Avenue,
Springfield, Mass.

Nolan School of Music,
545 East Canfield Avenue,
Detroit 1, Michigan.

Mrs. Lucille Goodloe,
653 Palmwood Avenue,
Toledo 2, Ohio.