Shirley Perle

I can’t think about Elliott without thinking about Helen. They were so allied and yet each was so distinct a personality. George and I had memorable visits with them… on 12th St, in Waccabuc and Southbury, and at our homes on Central Park West and Richmond when they came to Tanglewood. Elliott’s geniality, culture and intelligence coupled with the acerbic wit and smartness of Helen made the times we spent together the very best of times. We shared a great love of literature, and of course interest in our world of composers and performers, so that the conversations would veer between the high and the low… Henry James and gossip! The loss of Helen was a great loss for her friends… and the loss of Elliott for his friends and the music world. Others can speak more cogently than I about the extraordinary impact of Elliot’s music on our time…. For myself, I never could get over the dramatic rightness and wit of his endings!