[Gluck, Christoph Willibald]

written to M. Picard, the director of the Paris Opéra, lamenting the alterations made for a performance in 1809, including the deletion of the entire final scene, which has always been sung to great acclaim ("...Ce choeur...que Gluck avoit composé pour donner le tems a Orphée de pénétrer dans les champs Elisées.  Ce morceau est du plus sublime éffet..."); he urges M. Picard to reinstate the scene and thereby give the compositions of Gluck the treatment they deserve ("...de conserver les compositions de Gluck comme un monument de sa gloire...") and transcribes the entire text on an inserted leaf (secured with a seal), comprising twenty-seven lines, including sixteen lines of the libretto, which contain significant differences from the published version 

Choeur
qui termine L'opera d'Orphée
Orphée seul
L'amour triomphe, et tout ce qui respire
Sert l'Empire
de la Beauté!
Sa chaine agréable
toujours durable
est la supréme félicité! 
Tout Le Choeur répéte...



4 pages, 8vo (c.18.5 x 11.5cm), with an autograph address-panel: "M. Picard, Directeur de l'académie (Impériale de Musique) a Paris", [Paris], 15 October 1809, remains of seal obscuring a few words on the first page,

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."

Pierre-Louis Moline (1740-1821) wrote the libretto for Gluck's revised version of Orfeo ed Euridice (originally Vienna: 1762), for the Paris Opéra in 1774, where it was staged as Orphée et Eurydice on 2 August.  This transformation of the work into a French grand opera was very successful: there were nearly 300 performances up until 1848.  Among the alterations to the text that Moline makes in this letter (for a post-revolutionary performance), is the substitution of "est la supréme félicité" for the original line: "Est préférable à la liberté".   In his letter, Moline also informs Picard that he has translated the libretto for Ferdinando Paër's opera Numa Pompilio, which he also invites him to have staged.