Chabrier, Emmanuel.

comprising seven separate sketch-leaves, notated for piano, mainly in pencil, occasionally over-written by the composer in brown ink, on up to fourteen staves per page, mainly on two-stave systems, without titles, but with autograph markings ("vivace", "sotto voce", "a tempo" etc.); the manuscripts all annotated by a later hand in blue crayon, with sections numbered, and with descriptions, cancellations, observations and, on one leaf, the date ("réveur & inquiet scherzo"; "bon"; "1862"), 10 pages, folio and oblong folio



together with ten autograph letters signed, to Enoch & Co., his mother Madame Chabrier, Catulle Mendès, Anne Delaire and others, about Gwendoline,  Le Roi malgré lui, an ouverture, his publishers and the conductor Raymond, with characteristic underlinings,  Paris, La Membrolle, 4 April 1886-29 August 1892, where dated, some autograph envelopes, one on a printed card with a coloured illustration,  



 

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."

The autograph music by Chabrier comprises the following separate leaves:

1) one leaf, 1 page, folio, notated in pencil, on 14 staves, annotated by P. Cornuau,
2) one leaf, 1 page, oblong folio, notated in  pencil on seven two-stave systems, marked by the composer "vivace", "sotto voce", annotated in blue pencil 6 7 8
3) one leaf, 2 pages, oblong folio, notated in pencil on five two-stave systems, annotated in blue crayon "réveur & inquiet scherzo", numbered 5, a few tears to margins
4) one leaf, one page, oblong folio, notated in pencil on five staves, numbered in blue I^o II^o IIIo
5) one leaf, 1 page, oblong folio, one line numbered in blue "marche altère & âpre", brown ink, then in 11 lines in pencil  rather faint, torn and repaired
6) one leaf, 2 pages, oblong 4to, notated for piano duet or two pianos on four four-stave systems,   marked in blue crayon "bon"
7) one leaf, 2 pages, oblong folio, notated on ten staves in all, in pencil, marked by the composer "a tempo", the page later deleted in blue and orange crayon, and dated "1862",

The date of 1862 annotated on one of the leaves, if correct, would suggest a relation to some of Chabrier's earliest known works, the year of the Souvenirs de Brunehaut, nine songs, and his own transcription of the entire score of Tannhäuser, written out whilst working as a civil servant in the Ministry of the Interior.  These manuscripts derive from the collection of Mme Chabrier.