So here's today's fresh hell: In 1983, when it was announced that Skitch Henderson was beginning the New York Pops, I thought, Hmmm, maybe I can get a job as a staff arranger. So, I called Skitch, and he invited me to their first rehearsal. I was young and very naive then, and I took an orchestration to show him: "Waltzes from Anyone Can Whistle by Stephen Sondheim" that I had orchestrated for a conductor friend with Steve's blessing. I showed the score to Skitch and he asked if he could borrow it and look it over. I never heard a word from him again, even after sending him a registered letter and several phone calls asking for the return of the score. He never returned it.
In the 1990s, when Paul McKibbins was working for Sondheim with Warner Chappell, he called me and asked me, "Why am I holding a photocopy of your orchestration for the Waltzes?" I explained the NY Pops situation and it seems that Skitch had taken the score to the Sondheim office to see if they would pay the copy costs. Paul kindly made me a copy of my score.
After Skitch died and there was a search for a new musical director, Rob Fisher had done some guest shots, and he confirmed that there was a score ("I thought that was your hand!") and a set of parts. The piece had been programmed, and I was never paid for the work, invited to a rehearsal or concert. I was pissed, so, I called the Pops, spoke to the librarian, and got the materials sent to the MTI Concert Library. I just got off the phone with a friend at MTI who had emailed me today wondering what was the story of these Waltzes. Hopefully, they will go into the MTI Concert Library catalog.
And for the record, Skitch Henderson is one dishonest sonofabitch.
