Lot 69
  • 69

Korngold, Erich Wolfgang

Estimate
8,000 - 10,000 GBP
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Description

  • Korngold, Erich Wolfgang
  • Autograph manuscript of "Passover Psalm" op.30, signed and inscribed at the end (“ErichWKorngold/ April 1941”)
  • PAPER
the full score for soprano solo, mixed chorus and orchestra, including piano and organ, the words in English, notated in black ink and pencil on up to twenty-six staves per page, marked for performance in red crayon, with autograph title above the music "Passover-Psalm (Lyric--based on Hebrew prayers--by Jacob Sonderling)"

48 pages, large folio (c.41.5 x 27cm), the leaves written on one side and then pasted back-to-back, with the composer's copyright notice at the foot of the first page (1941), some clefs stencilled, a few inked over, contemporary cloth boards, with title to cover, April 1941, trimmed by the binder, hinges reinforced with tape

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."

Catalogue Note

Korngold's Passover Psalm is apparently unpublished: performing materials were issued for hire, but we have traced no commercial edition. The words are taken from the Haggadah, by Jacob Sonderling, chief rabbi of the Jewish community of Los Angeles, who commissioned the work. This is Korngold's orchestration manuscript: he has written the vocal parts in ink and added the orchestral parts in pencil.  The writing is fluent and detailed, the orchestration full and richly-textured. The Passover Psalm was written during Korngold's years in Hollywood, when he composed film scores such as Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and The Sea Hawk (1940).  Both before and after this period, he had career as a composer of chamber music, lieder, works for the stage and the concert hall, and been hailed by Mahler as a "genius".  The Violin Concerto in D Major, which Korngold composed in 1945 and dedicated to Alma Mahler, is particularly successful, one of the most widely-performed concertos in the modern violinist's repertory.