- 43
Martinu, Bohuslav
Description
- Martinu, Bohuslav
- Important series of twenty autograph letters signed ("B. Martinu"), and one autograph letter, to his friend and supporter Pavel Deutsch
- paper
Kaprálová, Vitezslava. Seven autograph letters in Czech to Pavel Deutsch signed ("Vita Kaprálová"; "Vitka-listicka" etc.), written just before her untimely death on 16 June 1940, ABOUT MARTINU, admitting that she would like to escape to Africa since two men have suddenly asked her to marry them, describing Mucha as her main suitor, discussing Martinu's sadness at her wedding , referring to her compositions, noting that she would like to compose some small orchestral pieces inspired by the landscape near Policka, and touching on other matters, 22 pages, various sizes, with three autograph envelopes, one stamped "3. V 1940", and another "31.I 1940") Paris, 1 November 1939 to 11 May 1940, where indicated; with a letter signed by Kaprálová's husband Jirí Mucha, [to Deutsch], about Kaprálová in hospital, 7 June 1940; an autograph letter signed by Charlotte Martinu to Deutsch, describing Martinu's unhappiness in America (1942), drafts of letters by Deutsch to Tomás Hejzlar (1975), to Kaprálová, 4 pages, and carbon copies of others to Stokowski (1940), and letters to Deutsch from Universal edition in Vienna and Otto Kraus in Paris (1940),
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Martinu's correspondent, the Jewish-Czech entrepreneur Pavel Deutsch, played an important role in Martinu's life in the late '30s and early '40s, providing financial support, as well as lobbying influential people and authorities, including the legation in Washington, in support of Martinu. Originally a textile industrialist, Deutsch first heard Martinu's music in 1933 or 1934, and met the composer for the first time at the International Festival at Prague, where he heard The Miracles of Mary. Deutsch, like Martinu, also managed to save himself in the United States, where he later changed his name - to Paul Dayton. While the name of Deutsch/Dayton is not to be found in the well-known studies of the composer by Milos Safranek and Brain Large, the present letters lay bare the huge debt Martinu owed to his friend.
Also included with this lot are seven autograph letters to Pavel Deutsch by the Czech composer Vítezslava Kaprálová, whose tragically early death at 25 from tuberculosis, on 16 June 1940, robbed Czech music of one of its most promising rising talents. Martinu had met Kaprálová in Prague in 1937 and had encouraged her to come to Paris where he was living; there they pursued an intense affair. Only two months before her death, however, Kaprálová married the writer Jirí Mucha, a letter by whom, about Kaprálová in hospital shortly before her death, is also contained with this lot.