- 13
Brahms, Johannes
Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
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Description
- Brahms, Johannes
- Late autograph letter, signed ("J.B."), to the publisher Fritz Simrock,
- paper
apologizing for not having received a copy of a cello concerto, since he was too lethargic to go and enquire for it at the right place, requesting him to purchase a history of the 1870-71 war, and mentioning other business
1 page, oblong 8vo, on a correspondence card (9 x 13.8cm), autograph address panel, annotated by the recipient, no place or date (postmarked Vienna, 4 March 1897)
1 page, oblong 8vo, on a correspondence card (9 x 13.8cm), autograph address panel, annotated by the recipient, no place or date (postmarked Vienna, 4 March 1897)
Literature
Peter Latham, Brahms (London, 1975), p. 77
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
ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVING LETTERS BY THE COMPOSER, WRITTEN ONLY A MONTH BEFORE HIS DEATH AT THE AGE OF 63.
The cello concerto mentioned by Brahms is unspecified, but the composer may have been referring to Dvorak's recently composed work, which Simrock had published the preceding year. Only a few weeks earlier, the violoncellist of the Joachim Quartet, Hausmann, had played through the score with him. Brahms was deeply impressed by the music, as he was by much of Dvorak's work. As Peter Latham observed: "Brahms was enraptured. 'Had I known that such a cello concerto as that could have been written I would have tried to compose one myself'. 'Would have!' He knew that the time for such things was over."