L11406

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Lot 88
  • 88

Bartók, Béla, Aleksandr Grechaninov and William Walton.

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
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Description

  • Correction lists for three world premieres
  • paper and ink
Bartók, Béla. Two photo-reproduced correction lists for the first performance of the Concerto for Orchestra, the correction entries on the larger leaf cancelled separately by an unidentified hand in red crayon, some entries in a lighter red crayon and two correction entries cancelled in an unidentified hand in ink, 2 pages, large folio (c.43 x 28cm) and a smaller strip cut down from a larger leaf (c.12.5 x 28cm), no place or date [c.1944]; Grechaninov, Aleksandr. Two autograph correction lists almost certainly for the first performance of his Missa Oecumenica, Op. 142, one comprising a  music leaf with five short passages from the solo alto part in the Credo and the solo bass part in the 'Agnus Dei', the other a 4-page list of alterations, in Russian, written in pencil and ink, with a number of musical examples on hand-drawn staves, 5 pages, oblong 4to, cut down from a larger leaf (c.22 x 27cm) and large 8vo (20.5 x 12.7cm), annotated in pencil by the recipient, no place or date [c.1944], light browning, a few small marks; Walton, William. Correction leaf, and an autograph letter signed ("William Walton"), concerning the first performance of his Cello Concerto: the correction leaf written in an unidentified hand, containing two corrections for the score and parts in the third movement, with one bar in music notation; the letter requesting him to make the enclosed emendations to the parts of the concerto, noting that he is sending Munch pages 29 and 30 of the already altered score, which can without much trouble be stuck into his score, adding that the corrections are very small and shouldn't involve too much bother, 2 pages, 4to and 8vo, the correction leaf annotated by the recipient, one autograph envelope, signed and inscribed on the verso, the letter dated 27 November 1956; together with two autograph letters by the conductor Karl Muck, about scores and cigarettes, 3 pages, 4to and 8vo, one letter dated 27 September 1917 (8)

Condition

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.
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Catalogue Note

Correction lists for three famous twentieth-century world premieres by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The most celebrated of these first performances was undoubtedly that of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, composed in 1943 and premiered on 1 December 1944 in Boston Symphony Hall, Serge Koussevitzky conducting. Another notable wartime premiere, again under Koussevitzky's direction, was that of Grechaninov's Missa Oecumenica, Op.142 on 25 February of the same year. Walton's Cello Concerto received its first performance under the baton of Charles Munch on 25 January 1957.