- 220
Balakirev, Mily
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Balakirev, Mily
- Autograph musical quotation of the opening eight bars of Islamey, signed and inscribed in Russian ("Islamey...M. Balakirev, Gatchina, 15 July 1895”)
- ink on card
notated in black ink for piano, the two hands on a single hand-drawn stave, and continued onto a second stave, in B-flat minor, with dynamic and articulation markings
1 page, oblong 8vo (c.10.5 x 16cm), on card, Gatchina (near St Petersburg), 15 July 1895, careful repair to small tear
1 page, oblong 8vo (c.10.5 x 16cm), on card, Gatchina (near St Petersburg), 15 July 1895, careful repair to small tear
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
RARE. Autograph music by Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) is of the greatest rarity. His "oriental fantasy" Islamey is celebrated as one of the most difficult and virtuosic works in the piano repertory. It is also an influential work, inspiring Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Maurice Ravel, who sought to create a piano work just as demanding in his Gaspard de la nuit (1908). Balakirev composed it in September 1869, inspired by the music he had heard during a visit to the Caucasus. Regarding the theme in the present manuscript, Balakirev recalled "I made the acquaintance of a Circassian prince, who frequently came to me and played folk tunes on his instrument, that was something like a violin. One of them, called Islamey, a dance-tune, pleased me extraordinarily and with a view to the work I had in mind on Tamara I began to arrange it for the piano" (letter to Eduard Reiss, 1892).