Strauss, Richard

the full score for voices and orchestra, with autograph title and list of the instrumentation, the title naming four songs in all, including two not present here

"4 Gesänge mit Orchester / von / Richard Strauss



I.) Das Rosenband
II.) Liebeshymnus
III.) Morgen
IV.) Cäcilie ..."



notated in dark brown ink on up to twenty-eight staves per page, with discreet corrections in pencil and crayon, marked up by Strauss for performance in red and blue crayon, the opus number assigned by composer to 'Liebeshymnus' ("op.32 No.1", later changed in pencil to "No.III").  



11 pages in all, folio, 28-stave paper by Lard Esnault of Paris, the songs stitched separately, trace of binding at hinge, Munich, 25 & 27 September 1897, well thumbed (presumably by the composer)

Alfred Schlee (1901-1999); and by descent. This manuscript has never been the subject of sale before today's auction.  

Trenner 186/I and 174/III ("unbekannt"); RSQV q00403 and q00358 ("unbekannt") 

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."

THIS AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT OF STRAUSS'S TWO SONGS FOR SOPRANO AND ORCHESTRA IS UNRECORDED. The two songs were originally published for piano and voice, in two separate collections: Fünf Lieder op.32 no.3 ('Liebeshymnus') and Vier Lieder op.36 no.1 ('Das Rosenband'). Strauss created these orchestral versions for his wife, Pauline de Ahna, to sing in a concert in Brussels on 21 November 1897, the composer conducting.  They were not published until 1911 and the autograph manuscripts have remained hitherto unknown. 

The provenance of this manuscript is related to that of the other two songs listed on the title page, ‘Morgen’ and ‘Cäcilie’, both also performed by Pauline de Ahna at the Brussels concert in 1897. The four orchestrations originally formed a set, albeit later published under different opus numbers. The songs were divided after World War II between the two directors of Universal-Edition who had revitalized the company after the war, Alfred Kalmus and Alfred Schlee: 'Das Rosenband' and 'Liebeshymnus' going to Schlee.  Schlee had heroically subverted the German take-over of Universal after 1938. Together with Gottfried von Einem and others, he had set about preserving the company’s autographs by removing those of Jewish and so-called entartete ("degenerate") composers to safe havens, ostensibly so that they could be protected from bombing, but actually to save them from the Nazis.  Autographs of Mahler, Schoenberg and Weill were hidden behind organs in country churches and private homes, including those of von Einem’s mother and Schlee's own house in Semmering, where they were preserved until the end of the war. Of the two songs given to Kalmus, 'Morgen' is in the Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, but 'Cäcilie' is as yet untraced.

Strauss has written a note retaining sole rights of performance on the title page ("Die Partituren sind Manuscript und Eigenthum des Componisten. Aufführungsrecht vom Componisten vorbehalten"). 'Der Rosenband' is well-known from the recordings by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. There are no printer's markings on either of these manuscripts.  For an illustration of 'Liebeshymnus', please see page 4.