- 224
Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
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Description
- Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
- Autograph letter signed ("F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy"), to Friedrich Richter, unpublished
- paper and ink
asking him if would sing the beautiful bass duet from Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto in the next subscription concert, expressing his feeling that he would be doing the cause and everyone involved a great favour, and asking for a one-line reply from him ("...Sie thäten der Sache und uns allen einen wesentlichen Gefallen...")
1 page, cut down from a larger sheet (20.7 x 12cm), watermarked "J Whatman", integral autograph address panel, traces of seal, Leipzig, 19 February 1838, light browning and creasing, small tear with loss to one corner of integral; together with: an autograph note, in French, signed, by Mary Shaw to Richter, passing on Mendelssohn's request for him to sing in a performance of the quartet from Beethoven's Fidelio, 1 page, no date; a printed theatre bill for a performance in Klagenfurt on 8 December 1832 of Der Maurer und der Schlosser (listing Richter in the role of Paolo); and a manuscript copy, in an unidentified hand, of an anecdote from Das Buch für Alle (1898, Heft 7), concerning Richter in the role of Tsar in Zar und Zimmerman
1 page, cut down from a larger sheet (20.7 x 12cm), watermarked "J Whatman", integral autograph address panel, traces of seal, Leipzig, 19 February 1838, light browning and creasing, small tear with loss to one corner of integral; together with: an autograph note, in French, signed, by Mary Shaw to Richter, passing on Mendelssohn's request for him to sing in a performance of the quartet from Beethoven's Fidelio, 1 page, no date; a printed theatre bill for a performance in Klagenfurt on 8 December 1832 of Der Maurer und der Schlosser (listing Richter in the role of Paolo); and a manuscript copy, in an unidentified hand, of an anecdote from Das Buch für Alle (1898, Heft 7), concerning Richter in the role of Tsar in Zar und Zimmerman
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.
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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
A hitherto unpublished letter, and one never before offered at auction, to the bass-baritone Friedrich Richter, who had created the role of the Tsar in Lortzing's Zar und Zimmermann at the Stadttheater, Leipzig, on 22 December 1837. Mendelssohn, then Kapellmeister at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, did not request, however, that Richter sing a number from that opera; rather, he deemed for one of his so-called historical subscription concerts a number from Domenico Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto (first performed in Vienna, 7 February 1792) more appropriate.