In the mid-twentieth century renowned musicologist, conductor, and lexicographer Nicolas Slonimsky traveled to cities throughout the world to play and conduct music of the American avant-garde.
From trips to Paris, Berlin, Havana, New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Moscow, Slonimsky wrote letters to his wife, the art critic Dorothy Adlow, vividly and humorously
describing his adventures. Dear Dorothy: Letters from Nicolas Slonimsky to Dorothy Adlow is a collection of these missives. Though personal, they chronicle Slonimsky’s work as an ambassador of
modern music who introduced twentieth-century composers, particularly American composers, to audiences worldwide. Full of his admired wit and energy, the letters recount his performances,
rehearsals, lectures, day-to-day activities in foreign cities and concert halls, and the anxieties of stretching limited funds to cover an ever-expanding itinerary. They also reveal a side of
Slonimsky not seen from his other published writings: a man with deep devotion to his wife and family. Annotated and with an introduction by Slonimsky’s daughter, Electra Slonimsky Yourke, this
collection documents the meeting of historic musical cultures-Old World Europe, the Soviet Union, and the vibrant countries of Latin America-with the modernist music of the United States.
Written in a lively, humorous style, these letters will be of interest to scholars and students of American music and social historians as well as musicians, music lovers, and concertgoers.
Electra Slonimsky Yourke is the daughter of Nicolas Slonimsky and Dorothy Adlow, and editor of several collections of her father’s work, including The Listener’s Companion and the four-volume
Writings on Music. Nicolas Slonimsky (1894-1995) was a Renaissance man in the modern-music world of the mid-twentieth century. Composer, conductor, critic, and lexicographer, he authored many
books including Lexicon of Musical Invective: Critical Assaults on Composers since Beethoven’s Time and a memoir, Perfect Pitch.
