There is a dearth of modern written histories of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), so I’ve had to go to some lengths to find anything on the subject. While it’s true that a treasure of source material is held in the BSO Archives and likely in the Boston Public Library, hunting it down would take quite a bit of time and effort. There is at least one older history from 1914 written on the BSO, and there are a few books on Symphony Hall that are currently available for sale at the gift shop in Symphony Hall. Finally, I found two other books on the BSO with limited online information: In Concert: On Stage and Offstage with the Boston Symphony Orchestra by Carl Vigeland and Evening at the Symphony by Janet Baker-Carr. I decided to buy both of the latter books used for a few dollars each, and I recently received Baker-Carr’s book in the mail. I paid $4 for this book, so its condition was expectedly well worn. However, upon opening the book, I saw a handwritten dedication that was signed:
Seiji 1977.
It took me a second to put it together, but I think this could be a personally signed copy of this book from Seiji Ozawa, who served as the music director of the BSO from 1973-2002. The dedication was quite personal in nature, not reproduced here to respect his privacy. Again, I am not sure it is authentic, but I do plan on writing to Maestro Ozawa and the BSO to see if it is and whether he or they would like the book for their collection.
