July 30, 1965

Dear David: [Amram]

Rabbi Brickner's office reports that they approve highly of the cantata texts sent them in draft form last week, and particularly like the REQUIEM. No theological errors. The Hebrew word for *love* is AHAVAH. And for *Jehovah*, ADONAY. And they tell me the preferred spelling for AHAD (the *One God*) is ECHOD. These words provoke mood images, so might well be used in our text. If so, use spellings above, please.

Hope all goes well. I am at your disposal whenever you may wish.

461 Sixth Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10011

March 14, 1966

Dear Langston,

I know you must think I'm insane, but I have been out
in the country for the past few weeks starting on some new
pieces. I think the opera text and the poem "Journey into
Space" are both wonderful. It is just that I would have to
figure out a way of getting them performed before I could
undertake working on them for fun. It would be fun, no matter
how we did it, because I enjoyed setting "Let Us Remember" more
than you could imagine. I hope that you can hear that from the
music. I meant to call you about 50 times, but I figured my
brain waves weren't enough, so I would write a letter and then
call so we could get together and figure out our next master-
piece. The country is really beartiful and you'll have to come
out sometime. But this is not like Fire Island with the panic
of people barging in, because it is way off in the woods. Right
now I'm finishing orchestrating the first act of "Twelth Night",
my often nearly produced opera based on the Shakespeare play and
writing a brass quintet for Bennington College. (150 wigged-
out chicks in motorcycle jackets and overalls, whose mothers
spend $3000 a year so they can learn to be humble daughters of
the soil, what an audience that will be!) I am also working
on a piece for unaccompanied violin, which is quite a change
after working with the mammoth chorus and orchestra we had for
"Let Us Remember".

Just to show that I haven't been loafing completely' I
have someone typing for me now and I sent recordings of "Let
Us Remember" to 240 different conductors, so we'll hope at least
one of them does it in the near future. I really have hopes that
in time it will become an often played work. Everyone, who has
heard it, considers it not only one of my best pieces, but also,
without exception, admire the text. Even some mean writers that
I have met and of course the not so mean ones too. Probably I
keep the same crazy hours as you do and often work all night,
so that by the time my brain is cleared to call you, it is
three or four in the morning and I'm always afraid that you might
be asleep. But now I won't be so timid and I promise to call you
soon and come by and show you my Land Rover, which along with my
place in the country give me enough payments to make me feel
truly like an American.

My best to you, as always, and I wish Raoul luck with his
singing. Telestarical - cosmic air, I send you, cheers......

461 Sixth Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10011
Oct. 14, 1966

Dear Langston,

Thank you for your card. I know I am a bad correspondent, and the times I was going to jump in my jeep and come up and visit you, you were away. But we really have to get together soon, just for fun. I haven't had a chance to do anything with the scripts that you gave me, because now that I'm composer in residence with the New York Philharmonic I've suddenly been swamped with work to do in addition to what I have to do there. So usually when I get home, when I'm not writing music I go to the nearest bar in the Village and hang out, which I really enjoy more than going to any socialite-arty kind of party. I know that you know what I mean, because everything in your writing is human and comes from the joy of humanity, and that's why you're great. I saw Maurice and gave him a copy of our record, "Let Us Remember", and I think we finally have a performance coming up this spring in Atlanta, I'll let you know when I find out definitely. And I'm going to try to get Leonard Bernstein, William Shumann, and a whole lot of other people to listen to it this year, and use my opportunity being with the Philharmonic to get everyone interested in our work. So at least one person should play in in New York, and you can get a chance to hear it live, with a really good orchestra and chorus, and I think it will knock you out. In fact I think it will even knock me out. The National Symphony is performing two works of mine on the same program Dec. 6th &7th, and I'll try to see if we could get it performed there, if possible.

I'll try to come be and visit, or if you're ever coming down to the Village late, call me and I'll take you for a tour and you can meet some of your fans that you don't even know about. Mostly just for fun. Take care and I hope to see you soon.

Best cheers, joys, and blessings,