Schumann, Robert.

1) "Des Abends": the earliest manuscript of the complete piece, dated twice and signed and inscribed ("Am 4ten Juli 37 Abends...Herrn Streben [a pseudonym for Ernst Sperling] aus Stralsund zu freundlichem Andenken an Robert Schumann L[ei]pz[ig]. 29 Juli 1837"), written on the recto and continuing on the last system of the verso, with autograph title and numbering ("1. Des Abends") at the head of the work, a composing manuscript, notated in dark brown ink on up to five two-stave systems per page, with autograph tempo marking ("Recht innig zu spielen") replacing original deleted marking, some autograph pedal markings and autograph instructions concerning the reading of the score ("...dann Schluss...siehe hüben Vom Zeichen ohne Wiederholung und dann Schluss. (s. andere Seite.[)]"), as well as a number of other minor cancellations, additions, revisions and corrections, a number of (autograph?) entries in red crayon, consisting of 52 bars (without repeats or deletions) in all 



2) "Lied ohne Ende": a working manuscript notated in dark brown ink on three two-stave systems, with autograph title ("Altes Lied"), containing some deletions, including to the original tempo marking ("Adagio quasi"), some autograph instructions for the realization of a repeated passage ("hier kommt a - b und dann...), the whole draft deleted, and 'VI' inserted before the title, in red crayon, consisting of 14 bars in all 



2 pages, oblong 4to, (25.6 x 32.7cm), 10-stave paper, Leipzig, July 1837, browning, horizontal and vertical folds; with a 2-page letter by the founder of the Robert-Schumann-Museum in Zwickau, Martin Kreisig, concerning "Des Abends", Zwickau, 7 July 1924 

Alfred Wiede Collection; Antiquariat D. Salomon, Berlin-Halensee, 1924; Henrici Catalogue 88, 14 May 1924; Ernst Sperling, Stralsund

Georg Eismann, 'Nachweis der internationalen Standorte von Notenautographen Robert Schumanns, Sammelbände der Robert-Schumann-Gesellschaft II/1966 (Leipzig, 1966), p.10; Margit L. McCorkle, Robert Schumann. Thematisch-Bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis (Munich, 2003), pp.49 and 528; John Daverio, 'Robert Schumann' article in TNG ; R. Schumann, Fantasiestücke Op.12, edited by H-C Müller, (Vienna, Wiener Utext Edition, 1975).

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 is a stunning working manuscript containing the first drafts of works from two of Schumann's most popular collections for piano.

The Fantasiestücke Op.12 occupy, by general consent, a key position in Schumann's oeuvre: it is the first of his cycles to derive its inspiration from E.T.A. Hoffmann, the title stemming from the poet's Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier, a collection of stories and sketches on music and musicians, and it inaugurates an important shift in emphasis from larger to smaller forms. The dedicatee of the work was the talented British pianist Anna Robena Laidlaw (1819-1901) who had performed at a Gewandhaus concert in Leipzig on 2 July 1837, making Schumann's acquaintance soon afterwards.

The other autograph sources for the Fantasiestücke Op.12 are a variant autograph of "Des Abends" (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York) and the incipit of no.7 (a sketch contained in the so-called 'Studienbuch II', Universitätsbibliothek, Bonn). The present autograph is notable in its divergences from both the New York version (which Schumann presented to his friend Ernst Adolf Becker on 18 August 1837) and the first edition, published by Breitkopf in February 1838. To list only one unique feature, it contains several performance instructions lacking in the New York copy (e.g. the 'legatissimo' instruction in bb.2-3). There is also a major structural alteration comprising the deletion of the last three bars of the first section and the original second-time bar [bars 13a-d] and the insertion of the revision of these bars [bb.14-16] at the foot of the first page.

No less remarkable is the 14-bar draft for "Lied ohne Ende", here entitled "Altes Lied", from Albumblätter Op.124, a collection written mostly between 1832 and 1839, but published only in December 1853. This draft, which diverges considerably from the final version, would appear, like the draft for "Des Abends", to be unpublished. An autograph fair copy of "Lied ohne Ende" is recorded in the Schumann Werkverzeichnis as being in the collection of Count Radicati, Passerano (Italy).