Medtner, Nikolai

the Stichvorlage, notated in black and blue ink over pencil, on two six-stave systems per page, signed by the composer in Russian and English over the music in blue ink, comprising three movements paginated separately and with separate title-pages, a working manuscript with alterations and corrections, including a passage deleted before inking over the final Coda, and the addition of Biblical texts in Russian to the violin part in two places, marked up by the publisher in pencil and red crayon, the last bar of the second movement, deleted in crayon and marked ("Attacca Finale"), with remarks to the publisher by Anna Medtner in pencil ("Hier endet die Seite 42 der Korrectur. Also muss ich diese Blatt wieder haben. A.M."); together with Anna Medtner's autograph correction leaf for the proof at the end 

76 pages in all, including titles and the correction list, with blanks, folio (35.7 x 26cm), 16-stave paper, the movements paginated (20, 9 & 43 pages), and later by the publisher (1-76), the title (and blanks) preceding the 2nd & 3rd movements added on 14-stave paper [c.1949]; staining and some paper-loss to corners; together with a German copyist manuscript of the playing parts (c.1955), with annotations and corrections by Anna in blue ink (occasionally also over pencil)

In this manuscript most of the composer’s original pencil draft can be seen under Anna’s “finalizing” of the manuscript in ink. The British Library catalogue explains the nature of most Medtner manuscripts in its collection: "Medtner's method of working was to write in pencil and then give the score to his wife Anna who would write over his pencil score with ink, sometimes apparently rubbing out the pencil as she went. Many of the scores in this collection display this method of working" (BL MS Mus 1748/1/1). This is also holds true with Lot 93. Occasionally the composer's original is retained without being written over by Anna, as can be seen on page 38 of the Finale (the second illustration for Lot 93). This passage is in Nikolai Medtner’s handwriting. In Sotheby’s opinion, the rest of the manuscript was originally drafted in pencil by the composer and has been “inked over” by Anna, as in the BL manuscripts. The composer has also added in pencil some markings which have not been overwritten in ink, including dynamics (“Dimin”), fingerings, a few passages in Russian, and title pages to each movement. Anna Medtner’s musical handwriting is very similar to Nikolai’s, even in detail—not surprisingly, since she spent her entire adult life replicating it. Nevertheless, Anna’s script can be distinguished from the composer’s, as it is far more calligraphic and regular. Her note-heads are most often horizontal or diagonal dashes, whereas Nikolai’s are invariably small round points. The endings of systems and pages have been discreetly marked in pencil throughout. It is possible that these are markings by a copyist, rather than an engraver, and there is no publisher’s number to suggest that this manuscript has actually been used as a "Stichvorlage", nor any of the usual inky fingerprints of the engraver.
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This is a working manuscript, written first in pencil by Medtner and copied over calligraphically in ink, largely by his wife Anna and with notes and other material for the publisher also by Anna.  The Medtners' working method can best be studied just before the final Coda (lower half of page 38); instead of inking over the incomplete pencil draft, the passage is deleted and rewritten on the next page, apparently almost immediately and before completing the original.  Medtner uses the bifolios sequentially rather than in gatherings, as would be more likely were this merely a copy or transcript of the original.  Medtner regarded the Piano Quintet as his final testament as a man and a composer.  He worked on it for over forty-five years, the early sketches dating back to 1903 and completed only in 1949.  The Quintet was published posthumously in 1955.

Some text in Russian has been added to the chorale-like melody of the violin part in two places: 1) on page 15: "Blazhenny alchushchiye nyne, ibo nasytites'. Blazhenny plachushchiye nyne, ibo vossmeyetes" ("Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for you will laugh"; St Luke 6:21,  2) at the start of the second movement, partly in another hand: "Radi imeni Tvoyego, Gospodi, prosti sogresheniye moye, ibo veliko ono...Prizri na menya i pomiluy menya, ibo ya odinok i ugneten" ("For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my sin, for it is great...Look down upon me and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted", Ps 25:11 & 16). Among the alterations indicated here, and found in the editions, are the hemi-demi-semiquaver dotted rhythms on page 9 (five to eight bars before Letter E), with Anna Medtner's annotation "Sie haben Recht besser 16^tel").  The quintet was first published after the composer's death by Zimmermann of Frankfurt in 1955, and then in Moscow (in the complete edition) in 1963.

There is a full condition report for this lot.