Benedict, Sir Julius.

including autograph letters signed  by Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 pages, Berlin, 2 March 1853, declining an invitation, made by Benedict on behalf of the directors of the Philharmonic Society, to bring before the public an unperformed work of Mendelssohn, and discussing other matters, including her health, children and the 'hard  trials' which she endures only with difficulty), together with letters by Marschner (2 pages, 12 July 1857), Simon Sechter (1 page, Vienna, 30 March 1846, sending him his pupil, Herr Seebold), Staudigl, Vincent Wallace, Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient (2 pages, Dresden, 23 February 1846, about Vieuxtemps), Antonio Joly, Randegger, J.F. Castelli, Earl of Westmorland (4 pages, 12 December 1844, about Meyerbeer), Ernst, Romberg, Silcher; with an unsigned draft of a letter by Moritz Hauptmann and a letter signed by Berlioz and other members of the committee of the Grande Société Philharmonique de Paris (1 page, 2 February 1850, offering Benedict honorary membership) and a 4-page copy of extracts from Mendelssohn's letter to Carl Klingemann of 26 December 1830/ 2 January 1831 in the hand of Sophie Klingemann, c.40 items in all, various sizes, loose in the album, a collection of nineteenth-century newspaper cuttings concerning Benedict, and two photographic portraits of Jan Kubelík and Wagner, gilt initials to upper cover ("J.B."), green roan gilt, Berlin, Vienna, Dresden and elsewhere, mostly 1830s-1860s 

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 fine album belonging to Sir Julius Benedict (1804-1885), pupil of Weber and one of the leading lights of English musical life in the nineteenth century. We are pleased to acknowledge the kind assistance of Dr Ralf Wehner and Mr. Peter Ward Jones in our cataloguing of the Mendelssohn-related items in this album.