Godowsky, Leopold

1) Partly autograph manuscript of Godowsky’s Studien über die Etüden von Chopin (Berlin: Schlesinger, 1902-1909), the Stichvorlage (42 numbers), without the title, comprising a) Godowsky's autograph manuscripts, together with b) printed and manuscript copies of thirty further numbers (c.1902), extensively revised by Godowsky and marked up by the editor (see below), largely complete, lacking nos.5, 20, 30, 36, 39 & 41, some tears and staining:

a) THIRTEEN AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPTS of Godowsky’s arrangements of Chopin’s Études, opp.10 and 25, mainly for the left hand, written in violet or black ink, c.70 pages, numbered by Lienau for the new edition (“zu No. 1” etc), folio, mainly 8-stave paper (unmarked) and 10-stave paper (B & H Nr.18C), Berlin (September 1902) and Alt Aussee (19 June 1908-7 August 1908), namely:



["zu No. 1"] ‘Additional exercises’ for the left-hand arrangement of op.10 no.1, in C major, 2 pages, 8-stave paper--[“No.2”], Godowsky’s second arrangement of op.10 no.1, for left hand in D-flat major, 1908 --[“zu no.3”] The exercises (‘Übungen’) prefacing the left–hand arrangement of op.10 no.2, with annotations in English, 2 pages, 8-stave paper--[No.6] Godowsky’s arrangement of op.10 no.3, for left hand in D-flat major, in violet ink, 4 pages, Alt Aussee, 22-25 June 1908--[“No.7”] The left-hand arrangement of op.10 no.4, 4 pages, 1908--[“No. 12”] Godowsky’s fifth arrangement of op.10 no.5 (“Umkehrung [Inversion], for the left hand”), 6 pages, 25 July 1908--[“No.12 A”] Godowsky’s sixth arrangement of op.10 no.5 (“Umkehrung [Inversion] for the right hand”), 6 pages, 8-stave paper 1-3 August 1908--[“No.12 B”] Godowsky’s seventh arrangement of op.10 no. 5, for the left hand alone, 9 July 1908--[“No.13”] Godowsky’s arrangement of op.10 no.6, 6 pages, 26-28 June 1908--[“18”] Godowsky’s second arrangement of op.10 no.9, for the left hand, (“Nachahmung [in imitation of] der Etude op. 25 No.2”), signed and inscribed at the end (“Berlin, d. 27 August 1902, Leopold Godowsky”, 5 pages, Berlin 1902--[“No. 18 A”] Godowsky’s third arrangement of op.10 no.9 for the left hand alone in F-sharp minor, 8 pages, 1908--[“No. 22”] Godowsky’s arrangement of op.10 no.12 (“the Revolutionary”), for left hand, in C-sharp minor, 6 pages, 1908--[“No.28”]--Godowsky’s arrangement of op.25 no.2 (third version), 11 pages, including autograph title page, 8-stave paper, Berlin, 10 September 1902--Autograph manuscript of Godowsky’s exercise “Fingering for double chromatic minor thirds” for the arrangement of op.25 no.6, for left hand, 2 pages--[“No.43”] Godowsky’s arrangement of the Étude op.25 no.12, in C-sharp minor, 3 pages, 1908



 b) Some thirty printed copies of Chopin Études, EXTENSIVELY REVISED BY GODOWSKY, from the edition Selected Studies for Pianoforte, arranged for the Left Hand by Leopold Godowsky (New York: Schirmer, 1899), marked up by Godowsky and Robert Lienau for Schlesinger's edition, plate no. S.9236 (Berlin, c.1902-1914), also including several copyist manuscripts (dated 1900), some with autograph title-pages and dedications to Josef Hofmann, Busoni and others, Godowsky's autograph revised passages and explanatory notes inserted on slips of paper, including four additional numbers: No.45 (Chopin op. posth no.2), No.46 (op posth. no.3), No.47 'Badinage' ("op.10 no.5 and op.25 no.9 combined in one study") and No.48 (op. 25, no.3)



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2) Autograph manuscript of Godowsky’s cadenzas for Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto op.58, for the first and third movements, written in black ink on four 2-stave systems per page, pages 8 & 9 containing extensive revisions to the first-movement cadenza on 10-stave paper, the Stichvorlage marked up by the editor ("copyright 1909 by Schlesinger'sche Buch & Musikhandlung (Rob. Lienau), Berlin S.9487"), 13 pages, 12-stave paper marked "B.C No.2", Schierke, 3-4 September 1905



3) Scribal manuscript with important autograph additions of Godowsky’s Piano Sonata in E minor [1911], the complete work in five movements, INCLUDING AN AUTOGRAPH DRAFT (7 PAGES) OF THE FINAL MOVEMENT and other additional passages inserted by the composer, 55 & 15 pages, 10- & 12-stave paper by Eberle, the autograph draft on 12-stave paper marked “B.C. no.2”, cloth-backed boards, the binding broken, some staining 



4) Three autograph manuscripts signed of Godowsky's arrangements of works by C.M. von Weber, all with autograph title-pages, including "Momento capriccioso" op.12, 8 pages, Berlin, 14 [October] 1902; "Perpetuum mobile (Rondo aus der Sonate op.24)", 12 pages, Berlin, 8 August 1902; and the partly autograph manuscript of Godowsky's contrapuntal arrangement for piano two hands of Weber's "Aufforderung zum Tanz (op.65)", 27 pages, 8-stave paper, no place or date



5) Seventeen autograph manuscripts [from Godowsky’s Walzermasken], comprising mainly original compositions, including ‘Karneval’, ‘Pastel’ (after Schubert), ‘Skizze’ (after Brahms), ‘Profil’ (after Chopin), ‘Silhouette’ (after Liszt), ‘Legende’, ‘Karikatur’, ‘Momento capriccioso’, ‘Französisch’, ‘Elegie’, ‘Perpetuum mobile’, ‘Schuhplattler’, ‘Valse macabre’, ‘Orientale’, ‘Wienerische’, ‘Eine Sage’, and ‘Portrait’ (after Johann Strauss II), 74 pages, folio, 10-stave paper, [probably 1912]



6) Twelve manuscripts, mainly autograph, [from Godowsky’s Renaissance], comprising arrangements of pieces by Scarlatti (Concert Allegro in A [K.113]), Rameau (6), Schobert, Corelli, Lully, Dandrieu and John Loeillet, on 12-stave papers marked "B.C. (Nos. 1, 2 and 5)", Schierke and Heringsdorf, 1905-1906

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Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938) was one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the late  Romantic tradition, whom Busoni rated as the most important since Liszt. He became best known as a composer for his arrangements of Chopin's Études for the left hand.  One of the most remarkable pieces here is no.47, the 'Badinage', where Chopin's op.10 no.5 appears in the right hand simultaneously with op.25 no.9 in the left.