Author: Iturbi, Jose (1895-1980). Virtuoso pianist recognized for his prowess in playing classical music as well as boogie-woogie.
Title: An Original Holiday Greeting Card Signed by the Virtuoso Pianist Jose Iturbi with His Endearing Nickname "Pepin", Together with a Calling Card and a Memorial Card Plus Retained Copies of His Friend Jean Dalrymple's Letters.
Description: 1975. 1975. - A 3-3/4 inch high by 5-1/8 inch wide holiday greeting card embossed in red on creamy white stock with red ruled edges. The sentiments "Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season Jose Iturbi" are embossed in red at the center. The pianist has boldly penned "Besos / Pepin / 1975" in blue ink diagonally across the card. "Besos", being Spanish for "kisses" and "Pepin" being the nickname by which his close friend Jean Dalrymple would sometimes address him. Accompanying the card is Iturbi's 2 inch high by 2-7/8 inch wide embossed calling card with his name crossed out and the words "Besos" and "Pepin" typed above and below with the date ""Oct. 20, 1967" al;ong the bottom right. Another card, this one 2-7/8 inches high by 3-7/8 inches wide, commemorates Iturbi's passing with a quote from "Psalm 27:1", "The Lord is my light and my Salvation" above Jose Iturbi's name and his birth and death dates "November 28, 1895" and "June 28, 1980".

The cards are accompanied by retained carbon copies of 2 of Jean Dalrymple's letters to her friend. The first, addressed to "Darling Pepin.." dives in with "What I was trying to tell you on the telephone the other night is that I am drinking Kefir, which is cultured milk, made from a culture I brought back from Russia, and which comes from the Balkans where they say people live to 150 because they drink Kefir.." She goes on to later write "Speaking of piano playing, I went to a recital by an old friend of mine who hadn't appeared in public for thirty years.. and while it was far from 'good' it was a programme that kept stirring memories! The etude in F Minor was the first one you had me study and the Waltz in C# Minor gave Madge (who was with me) a fit of giggles, since she remembered your version of how I played it!" In her second letter, dated November 21, 1977, Dalrymple addresses Iturbi as "Darling Jose". She worries about his health "I have been thinking about all the medicines.. right ones and wrong ones .. you are being given, and I wonder if your doctors might let you give them ALL up and give your own nature and strong body a chance to recover.. on its own, helped only by by [sic] a cleansing nutritional diet of fruits and vegetables, plenty of pure water and herbal teas.." Closing with "I love you". Both letters are creased and folded in half.

A moving tribute to a close friendship.

Now often overlooked, Jose Iturbi was one of the best known pianists of the 1930's and 40's. A virtuoso, he was as comfortable playing classical music as he was playing the boogie-woogie. A composer and conductor as well as a musician, he often conducted from the piano. A dashing figure, he became a film star in the 1940's playing music for and appearing in MGM musicals, including Anchors Aweigh. An amateur boxer, motorcyclist and pilot, Iturbi best summed up his philosophy of life with this statement: "Life is a meal, and music is the roast beef. But who can live on only roast beef? You must have your brandy and dessert and cigar. And so I must have my boxing and my airplane and my motorcycle."

Iturbi's close friend for many years, and his occasional publicist, the recipient, Jean Dalrymple (1902-1998) was the dynamic producer and director of theater and light-opera at Manhattan's City Center. Dalrymple began her career in Vaudeville, appearing with James Cagney and Carey Grant in the early 1930s. She was a founding member of the American Theatre Wing, the theatre service organization. She worked over the years as a personal manager for the likes of Leopold Stokowski, Mary Martin, Jos Iturbi, Andr Kostalanetz, Nathan Milstein, and Lily Pons. She began her work at City Center with its founding in 1943, serving as a board member and publicist. Her productions there from the 1940s through the 1960s were a revitalizing influence on the whole New York theatre scene. In 1951, Jean Dalrymple married Major-General Philip deWitt Ginder, commander of the Thunderbirds in Korea. She was a friend to Presidents and entertainment personalities throughout the world. .

Keywords: MUSIC; CLASSICAL; BOOGIE WOOGIE; PIANIST; JOSE ITURBI; AUTOGRAPH; SIGNATURE; SIGNED; BESOS; PEPIN; SIGNED GREETING CARD; HOLIDAY GREETING CARD; TWENTIETH CENTURY; 20TH CENTURY; CARBON COPIES; RETAINED COPIES TYPED LETTERS; JEAN DALRYMPLE; FRIENDSHIP; MGM

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