Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus.

asking to be forgiven for taking the liberty recently of removing the quartets of Haydn, noting humorously that he believes that he, rude fellow that he is, should always be treated as a special case, requesting him to lend him until tomorrow his six quartets [i.e. the quartets dedicated to Haydn, K.387 in G, K.421 in D minor, K.428 in E flat, K.458 in B flat, K.464 in A, K.465 in C major], the quintet in G minor [i.e. the String Quintet K.516] and the new one in C minor [i.e. probably the string quintet arrangement, K.406, of the C-minor Serenade for Winds K.388], stating that he will return them all the day after tomorrow, and ending by wishing him good night



Ich bitte um Verzeihung dass ich lezthin so frey war die Haydn'schen Quartetten weg-zunehmen - aber ich glaube immer, ich Flegel hätte eine Ausnahme. - ich bitte Sie recht schön mir auf Morgen zu lehnen, meine 6 quartetti - das Quintett ex g minor und das Neue ex C minor. - werde es Übermorgen alles mit Dank zurückstellen. - gute Nacht. Mozart



1 page, cut down from a larger leaf, c.11.3 x 19.2cm, with an autograph correction ("Übermorgen" written over a smudged-out "Morgen" ["tomorrow"]), elaborately folded, presumably by Mozart, modern card frame, the letter sealed inside two thin sheets of plastic, no place or date [probably Vienna, 1788, or later], a number of tiny holes along folds, affecting text in one place, a few small tears repaired on verso, light browning 

Private collection (USA); Antiquariat J.A. Stargardt (Catalogue 572, 13 May 1965, lot 581)

Not in Anderson; Briefe, iv (1963) 1016, p.3, and vi (1971), p.324 (commentary); regarding the dating of the letter, see John Arthur, 'Some Chronological Problems in Mozart: the Contribution of Ink-Studies', Wolfgang Amadè Mozart: Essays on his Life and his Music, ed. Stanley Sadie (Oxford, 1996), p.44.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A rare surviving letter from Mozart's maturest period (c.1788) about some of his greatest works, including his 'Haydn' Quartets and the incomparable G-minor String Quintet.

We have not traced a letter of Mozart's from 1788-1791 at auction during the last twelve years. Only a relatively small proportion of Mozart's letters date from his last years - only five, for example, are known for sure to have been written in 1788 (and of these, only three survive in autograph): this manuscript represents a rare, miraculous survival.

This short note, to an unnamed recipient, possibly a musical patron with whom Mozart was on friendly terms, was for many years considered of dubious authenticity, until the autograph surfaced at auction in 1965 (lot 581 in the Stargardt sale of 13 May). Prior to that, the only source for the letter was its publication in the "Kleine Musikzeitung" in 1849, from a source 'belonging to a Prague lady'. In this publication, the letter is dated to Vienna, 6 February 1787 (a similar dating is suggested in the German collected edition of Mozart's letters, Briefe: Vienna, beginning of 1787). The reference to the new quintet in C minor - undoubtedly Mozart's own magnificent string quintet arrangement (K.406) of the 1782 C-minor Wind Serenade K.388, however, places the note in the probable year of the arrangement, 1788, or possibly a little later.  

The other works referred to by Mozart here are among his very greatest: the six string quartets dedicated to Haydn, of 1782-1785, and the String Quintet in G minor, K.516, entered by Mozart in his thematic catalogue of works under the date of 16 May 1787, the matchless Adagio slow movement of which contains probably the most profoundly despairing music in all Mozart. Which quartets by Haydn Mozart is referring to at the beginning of the letter is uncertain.