F. Delius. Autograph sketch for the first movement of the Violin Sonata no.3, c.1918

Frederick Delius

Autograph sketch for the first movement of the Violin Sonata no.3, APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED AND UNRECORDED

a working manuscript, DIVERGING CONSIDERABLY FROM THE PRINTED SCORE, notated in pencil on four three-stave systems per page, with numerous erasures and corrections

4 pages, folio (35 x 26.7cm); together with a further leaf containing 31 cancelled bars of music in the hand of Eric Fenby and some notation in that of Jelka Delius

A Delius discovery, NOT RECORDED IN THRELFALL OR DCW.

Delius's third violin sonata has a complicated composition history, completed in 1930, with substantial help from Jelka Delius and the composer's amanuensis Eric Fenby, but begun at least a decade earlier.

Hitherto known manuscript material for the sonata comprise a final draft manuscript and a Stichvorlage (both) in the hand of Eric Fenby, as well as various sketch and draft material in the hands of Delius, Jelka and Fenby, all of which sources are preserved in the British Library (MS Mus. 1745/1/34, MS Mus. 1745/3/17 and MS Mus. 1745/2/5, respectively). According to Threlfall, some of this sketch material may date from the 1920s; we understand, however, that the handwriting of the present manuscript may indicate a dating of c.1918.

We are pleased to acknowledge the kind assistance of Professor Daniel Grimley in our cataloguing of this lot.

LITERATURE:

Threlfall VIII/10; DCW 51