Verdi, Giuseppe.

[to Giulio Ricordi], an apparently complete note, hastily written and without salutation, sending him a last-minute addition to the score, comprising six bars for the tenor Cassio, in the drinking scene in Act One, notated within the letter on a single stave, with the words "del calice gl'orli", ("Se siete in tempo aggiungete due note a Cassio quando è ubriaco pagina 75..."), and arranging for Ricordi's agent Garegnani to visit him, but warning him that he only has half an hour to spare that morning ("...Se Gar[e]g[n]ani viene questa mattina non ho che mezz'ora di tempo dalle undici alle 11 ½. Se questo non basta venga domani,,,"), 1 page, 8vo (c.21 x 13.5cms), [St Agata, September to December 1886], small repairs to corners (remains of mount)

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."

Important and apparently unpublished: Verdi's letter contains a working correction to the score of Otello, arguably his greatest tragic opera. Verdi had only recently completed and consigned his score to Ricordi.  This letter is not included by Hans Busch in Verdi's 'Otello' and 'Simon Boccanegra' (revised version) in Letters and Documents, 2 volumes (Oxford, 1988).  The six-bar quotation contains the corrected version of Cassio's phrase, near the end of the drinking song with Iago, found (as Verdi indicates) on page 75 of Ricordi's contemporary vocal score.  Garegnani was in fact Ricordi's chief copyist, who visited Verdi several times between early September and mid December 1886 in order to take possession of the autograph manuscript of the opera, and later ferrying back and forth costume designs, proofs and the corrected full score (cf. Busch, I, 238, 254-255, 270-280).