Jacques Offenbach. Collection of sketchleaves, including sketches for

OFFENBACH, JACQUES

Collection of autograph manuscript sketchleaves, unsigned, some with texts and annotations in German

notated mostly in brown ink, some in red crayon and pencil, on up to eleven staves per page, including an extended eight-page draft of a duet (possibly for 2 basses in B flat major), written on Cologne paper, only a few notes of the orchestral accompaniment indicated, together with a quantity of unidentified and apparently disparate sketches, with some markings: "Andante E dur ("h"..."fis" etc); "G mol"; "a moll" and others 

"...Ruft uns der Ball kommt zu dir Freuden

Hörst du des Walzers

Fern von dem Walzer fern von dem Ball

Mischen sich Tränen Trüb’ in den Schall"

20 pages, various sizes, 12-, 16- and 24-stave papers ("Cöln, bei M. Schloss."), and one 9-stave leaf-fragment, no place or date, attestations of authenticity by Pierre Cornuau, 1960s dealer's folder (Librairie Andrieux, Paris), some possibly Cologne, mid nineteenth century, some browning

Born Jacob Offenbach in Cologne in 1819, the composer went to Paris in 1833, but returned briefly in 1843 and 1848. Alexander Faris notes several non-operatic works by Offenbach that were published by Schloss in Cologne: Das Vaterland (1848), Bleib bei mir! (c.1850), Lied des deutschen Knaben (1850s), Lieder und Gesänge (1853) and others. Offenbach also composed operas for Vienna, including Die Rheinnixen in 1864.