An EARLY, IMPORTANT and SCARCE Music Composition by Major American Composer NED ROREM. From Virgil Thomson's personal music collection (he had two copies, one is now at Yale).

PRAYER AND PARAPHRASE for Virgil Thomson by NED ROREM

NED ROREM music composition written in his hand. Signed holograph music manuscript reproduced by blue print process with Circle Blue Print Co., New York City printed in the bottom margin. Piano composition, small folio, one folded sheet 11" x 14", opens to 22" x 14", 2 pages. Beneath the last measure of Prayer is the number 9-25-45, and beneath the last measure of Paraphrase is the number 10-45 and are the composition dates, September 25, 1945 and October 1945. This music holograph was made for an early performance of the piece, and is very scarce as such.

GOOD CONDITION: The sheet is toned, lightly foxed, slightly fragile, the fold is tender and starting to split but holding, tiny tears and chips to edges, otherwise the piece is bright, unmarked, completely legible, and remains upright on a music stand. Scarce, OCLC locates only one other copy archived at Yale in the Virgil Thomson Papers.

Ned Rorem (1923-2022) Iconic American Composer and Diarist. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1976 for his Air Music: Ten Etudes for Orchestra. During the 1950s Rorem refused to hide his homosexuality and was openly gay during a time when being LGBTQ+ was largely illegal and hidden, even among prominent artists.

Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) Modernist American composer and disruptively innovative critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. In 1949, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music for the score to the film Louisiana Story.

Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) American Composer and Critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. In 1949, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music for the score to the film Louisiana Story.