Op. 66. Boltun'ia: stikhi A. Barto dlia golosa s f-p [The Chatterbox: verse by Agniia Barto for voice and piano] by Prokof'ev, Sergei and Agniia Barto - 1937

1937. Moscow: Muzgiz, 1937. Quarto (30.5 × 23 cm). Original decorative wrappers; 13 pp. Very good; very small stamp "Printed in Soviet Union" to lower front wrapper. First edition. A collaboration between Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and Agniia Barto (1906-1981), one of the most famous Soviet children's poets, generations of Soviet children grew up listening and performing this work. Barto wrote the humorous poem about a young girl supposedly too preoccupied with extracurricular activities to "chatter" in 1934. In 1936, Natalya Sats', the director of the Central Children's Theater persuaded Prokofiev to compose the music to Barto's lyrics after the tremendous success of his children's opera "Petia i Volk" (Peter and the Wolf) earlier that year. Due to the success of his children's work, he was rumored to receive many letters form children, some of which he responded to publically in the Soviet children's publication "Pioner". Because of the economic crisis in Europe and North America in the 1930s, Prokofiev was receiving fewer European commissions, and more and more commissions in the Soviet Union. In 1936 he permanently returned to the USSR with his family after living in Europe and the US for nearly two decades. In his reminiscences, Prokofiev writes that there was an especially great demand for children's music in this period. In 1935 he composed twelve pieces for children, later released as "Muzyka dlia detei Op. 65" (Music For Children Op. 65). After re-settling in Moscow, he composed several more works for children, including this piece. Subsequently this work was published in conjunction with two other children's songs "Sweet song" and "The piglets" as "Tri detskie pesni dlia golosa Op. 68" (Thee shildren's songs for the vocals Op. 68) starting in 1946. This item appears to be the first and only freestanding edition of this piece. See Shlifstein S. and Rose Prokofieva (trans.), Sergei Prokofiev: Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences (2000). One of 5000 copies. KVK, OCLC only show the copy at Library of Congress.