Composer Roy Harris lay, right leg from hip to toe in plaster, in a Pittsburgh hospital after an automobile accident, but his spirit was with Conductor Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra as they rehearsed for their first performance of his Seventh Symphony. On the podium Ormandy read Harris' letter explaining how to play the music. Excerpts:
¶"I found that most symphonic brasses seem to be ashamed to play a real vibrato in the American style." ("We're not even ashamed to rent out our clothing trunks," gibed one symphonic brass.)
¶"I put mezzo forte for the double reeds instead of piano...
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