Jacqueline Kennedy commissioned Leonard Bernstein’s MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers to inaugurate The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the work premiered on September 8, 1971. Meant to honor John F. Kennedy as the first Catholic president of the United States, MASS is based on the traditional Tridentine Mass and much of the libretto, of which our copy is a first edition, is written in Latin. However, Bernstein composed a loosely structured and eclectic theatrical essay typical of the times, mixing jazz, world music and marching bands with classical forms; and he drew on such diverse talents as Stephen Schwartz, Paul Simon, and Alvin Ailey to help him. While critics were initially cool to the work, MASS has stood the test of time to become a much-loved part of the standard repertoire. In September of this year, The Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary season will culminate in a grand and imaginatively re-interpreted production of this seminal work of Bernstein’s which opened the Center in 1971. Condition: A fine copy. Dimensions: 7.5 x 10".