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Lot 179

Prince's handwritten notes on musical changes to Purple Rain

27 March 2017, 13:00 EDT
New York

US$12,000 - US$15,000

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Prince's handwritten notes on musical changes to Purple Rain

Warner Brothers, 1984. Autograph manuscript, 9 pp, 1984, n.p., blue ballpoint pen on loose-leaf graphing paper with three binder holes. Prince starred in and scored the mega-hit musical drama, Purple Rain. These are some of his detailed scoring notes with his very specific ideas about the film's many musical cues. A few examples: "Love music segues into fear music"; "40's Horn, Funk Beat / fades after 'Won' ends / on end"; "Door opens asending [sic] note then / then [sic] drops on me"; "Suspenseful chords on each alley"; etc. The first page is a handwritten list of song titles: "Let's Go Crazy," "The Beautiful Ones," "I Would Die 4U," "Baby I'm a Star," "Computer Blue," "Darlin' Nikki," "Purple Rain." Purple Rain was the last film to win an Academy Award® for Best Original Song Score.
Provenance: : From the collection of a member of Prince's inner circle, with a letter of authenticity.

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