Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai

comprising the opening four bars notated in piano score in dark brown ink on four staves, inscribed  ("Allegro non troppo alla polacca...Polski from 'The Night before Christmas' ") to the young composer and critic Evgeny Ottovich Gunst   

1 page, oblong 8vo, framed and glazed with a portrait of the composer (overall size: c.43 x 32.5cm), 11 August 1895, some browning, probably from the mount

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."

Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve was premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg on 10 November 1895.  The plot centres on Vakula the Smith, who can only marry his beloved Oksana, she says, if he brings her the slippers of the tsaritsa (ie Catherine the Great).  In Tableau 7 (Act 3), Vakula arrives at Catherine's court and finds a group of cossacks singing her praises in this 'Polacca'.   Rimsky included this movement in his Orchestral Suite derived from the opera, as number 3.  The eighteen-year-old dedicatee, Evgeny Gunst (1877-1950), later wrote a book about Rimsky-Korsakov and Wagner; his own musical legacy as a composer was only discovered in 2009.