Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix.

comprising a central quatrain composed by Karl Klingemann, written in pencil by Mendelssohn and traced over in ink by Emily Moscheles ("Heil dem Manne, der nach oben / Heitren Sinnes weiter schreitet, Den nicht Tadeln oder Loben, Den das eigne Schaffen leitet"), within a border by Mendelssohn of eleven musical quotations and drawings, providing a visual catalogue of works by Moscheles, the drawings also provided with autograph captions ("Ein Grenadiermarsch...Last Rose...Daemonen...Publicum / 1829...Alla scozese / 1830...The Fall of Paris...Plume, Lune, Chandelle...Wie ein junger Berliner sich uebt...ES B CES / reingestimmt...Malinconico...Blaue Teufel") and also containing three other autograph drawings, an elucidatory autograph superscription (", Die Schrift ist verfertigt von Emily Moscheles, d. 29^{sten Mai 1832. Das Gedicht ist von Carl Klingemann 37 Bury Street St James. Die Arabesken sind erfunden und die Klekse ausgeführt von Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy dermal in London"), and the possibly autograph central inscription "Glückwunsch zum 30sten Mai 32.", all entries in black ink, 1 page, oblong 4to (21 x 34cm), on a sheet of pink paper mounted on another similar sheet, [London, 29 May, 1832], a few small marks, vertical folds, left edge restored, a few splits and tears repaired, traces of mount to lower sheet} 

The Musical Times, 1 December 1897, p.803; Felix Moscheles, trans. and ed., Letters of Felix Mendelssohn to Ignaz and Charlotte Moscheles (London, no date), pp. 21-22

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 object, formerly from the collection of Charlotte Moscheles, and never before offered on the open market.

The remarkable background to this document is described as follows by Charlotte Moscheles in an entry by her in Ignaz's diary:

...Mendelssohn dined with us. Unknown to Moscheles, I had invited the Haizingers, Schröder-Devrient, Hauser, and Klingemann to come in the evening and celebrate to-morrow's birthday. Mendelssohn had composed a Canon which was to be sung by those German friends, and, as to-morrow's performance of 'Fidelio' prevented their coming on the right day, we had to anticipate the celebration. Klingemann had written the words for the Canon; Mendelssohn wrote them out in pencil and Emily traced them in ink. Then, genius as he is, Mendelssohn drew arabesques, framing the lines and illustrating Moscheles's works; 'The fall of Paris,' for instance, he depicts literally, showing the falling city, etc. The drawing was brought in as a parcel just arrived, and when he (Moscheles) had had time to enjoy the surprise, Mrs Haizinger recited a prologue written by Klingemann, and explaining why the birthday was kept on that evening. Directly afterwards followed the beautiful Canon, in which the theme of Moscheles's first Concerto in C major persistently comes to the front. The rest of the evening was spent in the most delightful manner...

In addition to Moscheles's 'Fall of Paris', other works of his cited musically or alluded to pictorially include the first of three 'Allegri di Bravura', Op.51, which Mendelssohn is himself depicted as practising in Berlin, the G-minor piano concerto, Op.60 (accompanied by a legion of 'Blaue Teufel [Blue Devils]', standing for melancholy), the 'Conflict of Demons', No.23 of the Studies for piano, Op.70 (illustrated by demons fighting with pitchforks), and the Scherzo alla Scozzese from the C-minor piano trio, Op.84, dedicated to Cherubini. Other drawings, for example, express the wish that Moscheles might live to 1900 (see the 'arabesque' to the left of the central text) and depict a performance of Moscheles's Symphony in C, first performed on 8 May 1829, during Mendelssohn's first visit to London; . The autograph of the canon Mendelssohn wrote for Moscheles's party on 29 May 1832 (MWV X 3) is to be found in an album formerly belonging to Moscheles, the whereabouts of which are currently unknown. The title (or possibly the beginning of the text) of this canon is given in MWV as 'Wohl ihm': whether the text of this canon is one and the same with the text on the present leaf cannot at present be decided. Some confusion, too, has surrounded the actual date of Moscheles's birth: although to judge from his writings Moscheles seems to have believed that he was born on 30 May 1794, modern scholarship considers that he was in fact born on 23 May.  Emily Moscheles (1827-1869) was the eldest daughter of Ignaz and Charlotte Moscheles. A one-time pupil of Chopin, she later married the language teacher Antonin Roche (1813-1899). See lot 000.