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Doyle, Arthur Conan, British writer and physician (1859-1930).
Autograph postcard signed. Crowborough, [postal stamp: 1918].
Oblong 8vo. ½ page (5 lines). With autograph address. To the Bristol brewer and businessman Frederick William Bennett (d. 27 Sept. 1941): "Dear Sir / It does seem most disgraceful / Yours sincerely / A Conan Doyle [...]". - Doyle in his later life turned to spiritualism and in 1918 published his first spiritualist book "The New Revelation". - Slightly browned due to paper.
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Leblanc, Maurice, French novelist (1864-1941), creator of Arsène Lupin.
1 autograph letter signed "Maurice Leblanc", 1 autograph letter monogramed, and 1 autograph postcard signed "Maurice". N. p., 5 July 1893, 16 June 1916, and 21 June 1916.
4to and postcard format. Together 4 pp. Correspondence with his close friend, the translator Louis Tabulet, concerning a meeting and an invitation to spend some days in Leblanc's villa in Étretat. In the postcard from 5 July 1893, Leblanc asks Tabulet to visit him early in the morning, as he has an appointment with the publisher Paul Ollendorff. Ollendorff published Leblanc's first novel "Une femme" in 1893 and would be his publisher until 1904, with a total of nine publications. - The much later letters from the summer of 1916 are an invitation to spend some days in Étretat "during the great storm" of the First World War together with Leblanc, his second wife Marguerite and her son Claude. Since 1915 Leblanc rented a villa in Étretat, Normandy; he bought the place outright in 1918 and named it Le Clos Lupin in homage to his most famous character, Arsène Lupin. On 16 June 1916 Leblanc first announced his idea to Tabulet, noting that they had rented a "charming villa" and that Étretat "has the advantage of being almost deserted" during that time of the year except for English guests, hoping that this information might entice his anglophile friend - apparently with success, as Leblanc asks his friend to give him a day to find a housekeeper before joining him in Étretat (21 June 1916). In another reference to the "tragic times" of the war, Leblanc emphasizes how much he looks forward to spending time by the sea with his friend. Today, Le Clos Arsène Lupin is a museum dedicated to Maurice Leblanc and his famous character. - Traces of folds. Some browning.
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Murray, John Archibald, writer and judge (1778-1859).
Autograph letter (fragment) signed. No place or date.
Oblong 12mo. 1 page (4 lines). Mounted on backing paper. "Believe me / Dear Sir / very truly Yours / John A. Murray". - With collector's note to backing paper.
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Noailles, Princesse Anna de , poet (1876-1933).
Autograph letter signed. Place illegible, 13 March (no year).
Oblong 8vo. 2 pp. An engaging philosophical reflection on a portrait of the Marquise de Sévigné: The variety of portraits makes one aware that they cannot give precise information about a face. The Marquise was certainly beautiful and of a sublime elegance, especially thanks to her intellectual gifts. Men perhaps did not find her attractive precisely because she did not want them to. This was conceivably the reason why her radiant and powerful existence was sad and poetic: "Les portraits ne peuvent pas nous renseigner exactement sur un visage, il suffit pour s'en rendre compte de voir leur trompeuse diversité, mais ils nous permettent de deviner. Madame de Sévigné eut certes, de la beauté et, en plus, cette beauté supérieure que confère la magie des dons intellectuels. Je crois qu'elle ne plaisait pas extrêmement aux hommes parce qu'elle ne souhaitait pas leur plaire. C'est peut-être ce qui rend son étincelante et vigoureuse existence triste et poétique [...]". - The aristocratic writer Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné (1626-96), is counted among the classics of French literature because of her famous letters. She rented a city palace for the last twenty years of her life, the later "Musée Carnavalet" in the Rue de Sévigné. In another city palace, the "Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau" (today also the Musée Carnavalet), a Chambre Anna de Noailles has been preserved in which the poet received guests in utmost modesty.
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Thackeray, William Makepeace, novelist, author and illustrator (1811-1863).
Autograph notes. No place or date.
Oblong 16mo. 1 page (5 lines). Mounted on backing paper. "Hume's House of Hamilton. / Ashmole's History of the Garter. / Dalrymple's Memoirs of Gt. Britain. / Délices des Pays Bas. / Life of Eugene". - The second and third title are followed by ticks. A clipped fragment of an ink drawing is visible along the upper margin. Slightly browned and stained. According to the collector's note on the backing paper, Thackeray's handwriting of his works is known to differ from that of his letters.
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Valéry, Paul, French poet and philosopher (1871-1945).
Autograph letter signed. No place, "Lundi" [1 Feb. 1897].
8vo. 4 pp. on bifolium. With autograph envelope. Interesting and beautiful letter to Stéphane Mallarmé concerning a dinner in Mallarmé's honour that was scheduled for the following day. Valéry had organized the dinner in celebration of the publication of Mallarmé's essay-collection "Divagations" together with the so-called Mardistes, the artistic circle surrounding Mallarmé that would meet every Tuesday in the house of the poet. Despite his involvement in the organization, Valéry wrote to inform Mallarmé that the dinner would not be as intimate as planned, blaming the co-organizers: "j'ai appris hier avec un double regret que cette fête intime serait assez différente de la projetée ; et que, dans la réalité, il serait tenu peu de compte de ce qui avait été convenu entre l'initiative et moi, d’une part ; entre vous et moi, de l'autre". Therefore, he would even prefer not to attend this "random meeting", fearing that his feelings for Mallarmé might be offended by others: "Je vous avoue, mon cher maître, que je pense ne pas assister à un rendez-vous que je me trouve avoir indiqué trop vaguement. Du reste, mes sentiments pour vous, pourraient eux-mêmes se trouver froissés à droite ou à gauche par je ne sais qui". - Valéry had imagined a "dialogue between a certain group" and Mallarmé that had a "long association through reading and the Tuesdays" and could do without the "eternal restarts of the negotiations". Thus, he draws a "bitter philosophical conclusion, as is customary", wondering whether this "incoherence between advice and execution" shows how little "the ideas of unity and continuous efforts" that produce "the rare new forms of thinking and of writing" have penetrated society, "even in an elite", and alludes to Edgar Allen Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue", although misrepresenting Poe's allegorization of the Roman goddess Laverna. - Valéry's motives for backing out were more personal than he would admit in the letter: the Mardist André-Ferdinand Hérold had invited Léon Dierx and Catulle Mendès against Valery's wishes. Mendès, on the other hand, was offended because the invitation reached him only on the day before the dinner. Asking Mallarmé directly if he wished him to come, the response must not have been very encouraging, as Mendès ultimately declined. Valéry was not aware of Mendès' decision when he wrote the letter at hand. Mallarmé responded encourageingly, asking Valéry to come for his sake and underlining that he did indeed remember what has been agreed upon. The dinner took place at the famous Cabaret du Père Lathuille in Batignolles. While Mallarmé was very pleased with the event, Claude Debussy was afraid that people might have noticed how bored he was, judging from the expression of his face. - Traces of folds. Well preserved. M. Jarrety, Valéry-Mallarmé : des instananés sans légende, in: Romantisme 122 (2003), pp. 119-128.
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Bach, Johann Sebastian, German composer (1685-1750).
Autograph receipt signed. [Leipzig, June or July] 1748.
Oblong 12mo (ca. 98 x 52 mm). 1 p., with a similar receipt for another legacy with 4 additional signatures on verso. Evenly browned, a little stained, edges a little chipped. Decoratively framed and glazed with a brass plaque and an engraved portrait (light chipping to gilt frame). Signature by Johann Sebastian Bach, confirming in his own hand the receipt of 2 guilders ("acc[epi] - 2 fl.") from the Lobwasser Bequest. The sum was paid out around every 2nd of July to the cantor, deputy headmaster, and third teacher (tertius) at St. Thomas. Above and below Bach's signature, his colleagues Conrad Benedict Hülse and Abraham Kriegel sign for their 2 guilders. - One of Bach's several supplementary sources of income which together made up a substantial part of his Leipzig salary, this payment would in the mid-18th century have corresponded roughly to an organist's weekly wages. The "Legatum Lobwasserianum", a legacy of 1000 guilders, was bequeathed in 1610 by a Leipzig lawyer's pious widow, Maria Lobwasser; the 50 guilders of annual interest, paid on the Feast of the Visitation, went toward supporting St Thomas's church and school personnel. - This is one of only two known receipts from Bach receiving his Lobwasser funds. The other, from 1750, was originally written on the same sheet of paper underneath the entry for 1748, but the two records were later cut apart and separated. Curiously, the relevant entry for 1749 must have been made in another, now lost document, as a date "1749" and Hülse's stricken-out signature, apparently made here in error, appear at the bottom of the present slip of paper (formerly between the 1748 and 1750 records). The small 8vo leaf, removed from a receipt book, was complete in 1908 when it was offered at C. G. Boerner's sale of "precious autographs from a Viennese private collection" (lot 3). The buyer was probably the noted Swiss collector Karl Geigy-Hagenbach, in whose "album of manuscripts by illustrious personages", published in 1925, it was again illustrated intact. The receipt's location was subsequently unknown until, in May 1986, the present upper half of the sheet appeared at Christie's manuscripts sale (lot 271). It was likely acquired there by the Canadian chemist and physician Frederick Lewis Maitland Pattison (1923-2010) and subsequently sold by the New York dealer Kenneth W. Rendell (his description pasted on the reverse of the frame) to the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits, Paris; acquired from their sale. - In December 2014, the lower half (bearing the receipt for 1750, signed by Bach's son Johann Christian in the place of the blind and dying composer) appeared at Swann's in New York, described as having previously been in the collection of the Polish harpsichordist Wanda Landowska (1879-1959), and was bought by the Bach-Archiv in Leipzig. C. G. Boerner, auction catalogue XCII (Leipzig, 8 & 9 May 1908), lot 3. K. Geigy-Hagenbach, Album von Handschriften berühmter Persönlichkeiten vom Mittelalter bis zur Neuzeit (Basel 1925), p. 243. H.-J. Schulze, Marginalien zu einigen Bach-Dokumenten, Bach Jahrbuch (1961), pp. 79-99, here at p. 93. Bach-Dokumente, Krit. Gesamtausgabe (ed. W. Neumann & H.-J. Schulze), vol. 1 (1963), p. 207, no. 137.
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Balakirev, Mily, Russian composer (1836-1910).
Autograph letter signed. St Petersburg, 28 Oct./ 9 Nov. 1898 [Julian and Gregorian style].
8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium. In Russian. To a lady friend, concerning the publication of two of his romances with the Italian music publisher Casa Ricordi. Balakirev found it difficult formally to grant the publication rights to Ricordi, as they had previously been granted to the famous Russian publisher Fyodor Stellovsky "for all countries". However, as there was "no literary or musical agreement between Russia and Western European countries", so that "Russian publishers republish whatever they find advantageous", he assumed "that Ricordi can also publish Russian romances without asking for the rights" - also considering that he has seen "some of my romances published in Germany with Russian and German lyrics without my permission". - Balakirev made important contributions to the development of Russian classical music and the Russian romance genre, continuing the pioneering work of Mikhail Glinka. Together with César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakow, and Alexander Borodin, Balakirev formed the group of The Five in St Petersburg that collaborated to create a distinct national style of music. Although the group only existed from 1856 to 1870, it had enormous influence on the following generation of Russian composers. In Western Europe, the symbolist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy adopted their radical tonal language. - With rust-stains from a paperclip affecting the address. Traces of folds.
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Bazin, François, French composer (1816-1878).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 24. V. 1859.
8vo. 1 p. To an administrator of the "Commission du chant de la ville de Paris", declaring his resignation from the commission due to a decision not to perform his choral piece "Les soldats de Pilate" at the 2nd general reunion of the Paris Orphéon. Bazin complains that he went through the trouble of changing the piece on behalf of the commission: "Les paroles de ce chœur, vous le savez, ont été soumises avant son exécution à la Commission du chant et à l'administration dont fous faites partie. Sur votre demande, et malgré ma répugnance à allonger ma composition, j'ai ajouté un chœur final qui dans cette situation nuit beaucoup à l'effet de ce morceau. Cela m'a couté de la peine et du temps". After affirming his personal respect for the recipient, Bazin declares: "Dans les arts comme dans les administrations, certains actes ont leur conséquence ; vous ne serez donc as étonné de savoir aujourd'hui par cette lettre ma démission de membre de la Commission du chant de la ville de Paris. Ce tout petit événement qui ne touchera personne ne m'empêche pas d'être comme par le pasé votre dévoué". Despite his resignation, Bazin followed Charles Gounod as director of the Paris Orphéon in 1860, which he remained until his death. The Orphéons were amateur choirs that formed as part of a larger movement in France, Spain and Portugal. By 1863 there were approximately 900 French Orphéons uniting more than 70,000 singers. - On mourning paper with embossed monogram. Minimally stained.
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Benedict, Julius, German-British composer and pianist (1804-1885).
Autograph letter signed ("Jules Benedict"). London, no date.
12mo. 2 pp. on bifolium. To a M. Gorbaut in Paris, probably a publisher, concerning an important project that is not further specified: "Je profite du départ de notre ami Mr. Roche pour Paris pour vous adresser ces lignes et pour vous prier de vouloir bien lui faire part du dernier bulletin, mon grand projet. J'espère que la proposition dont je vous ai parlé dans ma dernière lettre et que vous a été communiquée par Mr. Mira ne vous est pas désagréable [...]". - Born in Stuttgart, Benedict learnt composition from Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Carl Maria von Weber. In 1823 Weber introduced Benedict to Ludwig van Beethoven, and he obtained his first position as Kapellmeister of the Kärtnertortheater in Vienna. Similar positions in Naples and Paris followed, while Benedict's first operatic compositions enjoyed very limited success. In 1835 Benedict went to London, following a suggestion by Maria Malibran, where he would spend the remainder of his life. Benedict briefly conducted operas at the Lyceum Theatre before he was appointed conductor of the English Opera at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1838. From 1850 to 1852, Benedict accompanied Jenny Lind's famous tour of America as her accompanist and conductor. Upon his return, he became musical director at Her Majesty's Theatre under the management of James Henry Mapleson. His best known opera, "The Lily of Killarney", was produced at Covent Garden in 1862. - Traces of folds. With collector's note in brown ink.
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Beydts, Louis, French composer, music critic, and theatre director (1895-1953).
2 autograph letters signed. Paris, 3 Nov. 1931 and 21 Nov. 1952.
8vo and oblong 12mo. Together 3 pp. The earlier letter was written to thank an admired artist: "Je pense bien fidèlement à vous, mon cher Maître et ami et je vous redis ma profonde et constante gratitude". - The second letter was to offer a box for a representation of Ambroise Thomas' Mignon at the Opéra-Comique to an unnamed woman. - Louis Beydt was among the last composers of the traditional French operetta and a prolific composer of incidental music and film music. His short directorate of the Opéra-Comique from 1952 to 1952 was marked by the 50th anniversary production of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and the first French production of The Rake's Progress. - The letter from 1931 somewhat creased, on stationery with embossed letterhead "34. Rue de Liège, VIIIe". The letter from 1952 on stationery of the Opéra-Comique.
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Blurus-Crotty, Georgina, soprano (1860-1932).
Autograph letter signed. Cardiff, 16. X. 1889.
4to. 1 page. With autograph envelope. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944): "I am very pleased to grant your request, and beg to subscribe myself / Yours faithfully Georgina Blurus-Crotty [...]". - With embossed monogram and collector's note to envelope.
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Boïeldieu, Adrien Louis, French composer (1815-1883).
Autograph letter signed. N. p., 31 Oct. (no year).
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium. Interesting letter to the playwright Louis-Émile Vanderburch, concerning a collaboration with Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and asking him for an idea for a play or a finished piece for the carneval season: "Maintenant voici ce que j'ai à vous demander : N'auriez-vous pas dans la tête ou en portefeuille, un sujet très bouffe seulement en un acte, mais une idée d'un gros comique pouvant être donné en plein carnaval comme pièce de circonstance, ce qui permettrait de se livrer à toutes sortes d'excentricités que vous traiterez si fièrement avec votre esprit. C'est ce que je cherche, [...] et j'ai communiqué mon idée à Perrin, qui m'approuve et m'encourage. Si vous aviez ce que je demande, ce serait une bonne affaire, et nous aurions une jolie petite pochade qui serait jouée longtemps [...]". The "Perrin" mentioned is likely the artist and theatre director Émile Perrin who directed the Opéra-Comique from 1848 to 1857 and later briefly the Paris Opéra. Vanderburch (1794-1862) was a successful and prolific playwright, but no collaborations between Boïeldieu and Vanderburch are recorded. Boïeldieu did indeed collaborate with Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (1799-1875) in the early 1840s. Saint-Georges is best known as the librettist of Donizetti's "La fille du régiment", Bizet's "La jolie fille de Perth", and his numerous co-authorships with Eugène Scribe. - On stationery with embossed monogram. Minor browning.
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Carré, Albert, French stage director, actor, and librettist (1852-1938).
1 autograph letter signed and 1 letter signed. Paris, 13 June 1908 and 29 May 1909.
8vo. Together 2 pp. on bifolia. Both to the conductor Walther Straram concerning his engagement as choirmaster and conductor at the Opéra-Comique. In the letter from 13 June 1908, Carré lays out the conditions of the ten-month engagement starting September. The second letter from 29 May 1909 was to remind Straram of the expiration of the contract at the end of the season. The earlier letter is written in Carré's own hand. - Carré had been a successful actor before becoming the director of the theâtre du Vaudeville in Paris in 1885. In 1898 he was appointed director of the Opéra-Comique, a position he would hold until 1914 and again from 1919 to 1925. - After conducting at the Paris Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, Walther Straram (1876-1933) founded his own Orchestre des Concerts Straram in 1925. The ensemble that emphasized contemporary music was considered to be among the best French orchestras at the time. Straram premiered Honegger's Prélude à la tempête, Ravel's Boléro, and Messiaen's Les Offrandes oubliées. In 1929 Stranvinsky conducted the orchestra for the first recording of Le Sacre du printemps. - Both on stationery with lithographed letterhead of the director of the Opéra-Comique. Traces of folds.
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Carvalho, Léon, French stage director (1825-1897).
Visiting card with autograph dedication signed. N. p. o. d.
Visiting card format. 5 lines. Thanking an unnamed recipient: "Merci cher Monsieur pour toutes vos sympathies. J'en suis profondement touché". The visiting card from Carvalho's time as director of the Opéra-Comique (1876-1887 and 1891-1897) with the lithographed inscription: "Directeur du Théâtre National de l'Opéra Comique". - Some browning. Staple holes.
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Charpentier, Gustave, French composer (1860-1956).
2 autograph (picture) postcards signed. [Cannes and Antibes , 1905 and 8 June 1910 postmark].
Postcard format. Together 1 p. and 4 lines. The earlier postcard from Cannes to the singer Marie Rueff with a short message directly underneath, apologizing for not being able to attend an audition: "Un peu loin ! pour l'audition. Excusez-moi". - The second postcard to a M. Chatelin concerns Charpentier's charitable Conservatoire Populaire Mimi Pinson. Because the famous mime Georges Wague was still advertising the pantomime class despite a "limitation of students", Charpentier underlines that "all inscriptions will only be definite after the approval of the administration and of the professor", and gives further instructions. - Charpentier had founded the Conservatoire Populaire Mimi Pinson in 1902 to provide free artistic education to working girls in Paris. The name of the conservatory refers to the emblematic working-class character from Alfred Musset's 1845 poem "Mimi Pinson, profil de grisette". The poem inspired Henry Murger to create his like-named character in "Scènes de la Vie Bohème". Charpentier's greatest success "Louise", which premiered in 1900, is the story of working-class life in Paris, the heroine being a seamstress. Unable to repeat this success as a composer, Charpentier remained active as a music critic and concert promoter as well as with charitable work. -The postcard to Rueff with a tear and pinchfolds not affecting the text; the postcard to Chatelin partly smudged.
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Cluytens, André, Belgian-French conductor (1905-1967).
Autograph music quotation signed. N. p., 1962.
130 x 90 mm. 1 p. 4 bars from the finale "Personne n'a un plus grand amour que de donner sa vie pour ceux qu’il aime" of Arthur Honegger's 1938 oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, dedicated to Eberhard Krämer. - Well preserved.
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Coates, John, tenor (1865-1941).
Autograph letter signed and cabinet photograph signed. London, 30. XII. 1901.
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium. The photograph (100 x 140 mm) on slightly larger cardboard by atelier "Hana", London, with the studio's imprint. To the pianist and composer Leopold Röckel (1838-1923), brother of Wagner's close friend and correspondent August Röckel: "It is indeed kind of you to send me the book of Wagner's letters to your brother. I shall devour it eagerly. I appreciate very much such a kind thought, it was a very great pleasure indeed to me to meet you, I wish many more such opportunities would present themselves. I would be delighted if you would accept the enclosed photograph of myself as 'Lohengrin' with all good wishes for the new year [...]". - Inscribed on the photograph: "Yours sincerely [...]". - In the year 1901 Coates had sung the role of Claudio in Charles Villiers Stanford's opera "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Leeds Festival, and in the Gürzenich Concerts and Opera at Cologne and Leipzig. - On stationery with embossed address, slight foxing. The photograph in near-perfect condition.
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Coward, Henry, conductor (1849-1944).
Autograph letter signed. Sheffield, 3. II. 1932.
8vo. 1 page. With autograph envelope. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944) with thanks for appreciation, Coward would not wish to involve the local press with further articles due to his current popularity: "Accept my thanks for your letter and paper [...]. I dare not show them to the local press because so much is being said of my doings just now. It is very gratifying to see you are taking such great interest in the services for the people. Go on and prosper [...]". - Knighted in the later 1920s, Coward afterwards served as President of the "Tonic Sol-fa College" in London. - With embossed letter head, embossed letter stamp with postal advertising stamp, and collector's note in ink to envelope.
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Delannoy, Marcel, French composer (1898-1962).
Autograph letter signed. Saint-Germain-en-Laye, [1932-1933].
8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium. Interesting letter to a journalist, concerning Delannoy's incidental music for François Poché's adaptation of Aristophanes' Peace (La Paix). Delannoy was frustrated because his role as composer had not been mentioned in the reviews of the successful production at Charles Dullin's Théâtre de l'Atelier in January 1932: "Je suis très étonné par les critiques faites sur la Paix, qui constatent le succès de l'œuvre et ne mentionnent même pas mon nom. Sans rien exagérer, il me semble que ma musique contribue dans une certaine part à ce succès". Therefore, he asks the recipient to write an article about his music: "Vous serait-il possible d'écrire un papier la-dessus : 'La musique, à l'Atelier'". Delannoy complains about music critics who "do not want to know anything but opera and comical opera" and suggests that the recipient remind his readers of similar compositions for dramatic works, such as Auric's 'Les oiseaux' and Milhaud's 'Le château des papes'. A list of the principal pieces of the composition follows. - Somewhat creased and duststained. With a rubbed spot at the address, effacing the name of the recipient.
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Delsarte, François, French singer and educator (1811-1871).
Autograph letter signed. N. p., "Vendredi soir".
8vo. 1 p. on bifolium. With autograph address and traces of seal. Interesting letter to the composer Napoléon Henri Reber, asking him to accompany Delsarte to an audition of some students of Émile-Joseph-Maurice Chevé who seem to have received lessons from Delsarte himself: "Je vais, demain soir, entendre les élèves de Chevé conformément à la promesse que je leur ai faite. Voulez-vous y venir avec moi ? Je voudrais pour beaucoup vous voir assister à cette audition car je suis persuadé que vous seriez charmé des résultats déjà obtenus. [...] J'espère que vous ne m'objecterez pas quel qu'empêchement car, je vous le répète, je tiens infiniment à vous rendre juge des efforts que nous pouvons attendre l'hiver prochain. Tout le monde, d'ailleurs, vous saura bon gré de cette dimarche". - The letter points to a connection between the two eminent singing teachers Chevé and Delsarte. Apparently, Chevé gave Delsarte the opportunity to test his experimental methods of singing and voice training with his own students. Unlike Chevé, who was co-founder of the Galin-Paris-Chevé-Method, Delsarte did not commit to writing any of his innovative teaching methods. It was through his American student, the actor Steele MacKaye, that Delsarte's methods were introduced to the U.S. Together with his student Genevieve Stebbins, MacKaye developed the extremely popular Delsarte system of expression. François Delsarte's most famous student was Sarah Bernhardt. - Traces of folds. The lower right margin bent. With tear from breaking the seal (address leaf).
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Koenig, Hermann, Komponist (1820-1870?).
Eigenh. Brief (Fragment, nur die Courtoisie) mit U. O. O. u. D.
Qu.-12mo. 1 S. (3 Zeilen). Auf Trägerpapier montiert. An einen R. Sterling: "I am Sir your obedient servant / Hermann Koenig". - Koenig spielte 1840 im Drury-Lane-Orchester, folgte in den frühen 1850er Jahren dem Dirigenten Louis Jullien nach Amerika und war in späteren Jahren hauptsächlich für den Instrumentenbau bekannt. - Mit Sammlernotiz auf dem Trägerpapier.
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Marmontel, Antoine, French pianist (1816-1898).
2 autograph letters signed. N. p. o. d.
12mo. Together 4½ pp. on bifolia. In an interesting letter to the composer Victor Massé, Marmontel congratulates his colleague at the Paris Conservatory on a cantata by his student Paul Puget: "Mes cordiales félicitations pour la belle Cantate de Puget. On reconnait dans l'ensemble et les détails de cette partition l'excellente direction du maître, et le brillant élève vous fait grand honneur. [...]". The cantata in question is very likely "Mazeppa", which won Puget the Prix de Rome in 1873. - The second letter to an unnamed administrator at the Conservatory concerns the organisation of upcoming auditions and the problem of "the sensitivity of the parents" during such events: "Voici sauf les rectifications qui vous paraitrons convenables et aussi l'intercalation [?] des trois morceaux chant, violon et chœur. Le classement des morceaux dans l'ordre me parait le plus avantageux. Les élèves de mon cher [...] débutèrent elles ? Dans ma lettre je lui laisse tout à fait le choix. Voyons à éviter les froissements d'amour propre, les susceptibilités des parents c'est là toujours l'écueil [?] des auditions, la plus part des élèves ayant la petite faiblesse de s'exagérer le mérite personnel [...]". - The letter concerning the audition with traces of former mounting and a tear affecting the text.
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Meilhac, Henri, French playwright and opera librettist (1830-1897).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 22 July [1891, postmark].
Small 8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium. With autograph envelope. Highly interesting letter to Philippe Gille, concerning the libretto for Léo Delibes' posthumous opera "Kassya", based on a novella by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, co-authored by Meilhac and Gille. Meilhac tells Gille that it would not be worth the trouble visiting him in Paris, as he is working "like a horse" and will probably lock himself up for "four days". Thus, he directly conveys "word for word the observations of Delibes", who had died a few months earlier. Most of Delibes' observations appear to ask for certain scenes to be set in verse, criticize the amount of prose, or suggest cuts, while in two instances, concrete changes are demanded: "Amener la chanson, peut-être lui faire répondre à lui quelque chose qui ramènerait un deuxième couplet" and "Supprimer je crois, 'Et quoi, pas un mot de tendresse'" (both act II, scene 4). - "Kassya" was unfinished at the time of Delibes' death on 16 January 1891. Apparently, Gille and Meilhac changed the libretto based on Delibes' last corrections before the opera was completed and orchestrated by Jules Massenet. "Kassya" premiered on 24 March 1893 at the Opéra-Comique, where it was respectfully received but ran for only twelve performances. - The recipient Philippe Gille (1831-1901) is today best known for co-authoring the librettos of Léo Delibes' most famous opera "Lakmé" together with Edmond Gondinet and Jules Massenet's "Manon" with Meilhac. - On stationery with printed letterhead. Somewhat stained and dusted.
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Membrée, Edmond, French composer (1820-1882).
3 autograph letters signed. N. p. o. d.
8vo and 12mo. Together 3 pp. on bifolia. A letter to a Plouvier (not the librettist Édouard Plouvier, 1820-76) can be dated after 1879, as Membrée mentions a performance of his opera "La Courte Échelle" that had premiered on 10 March 1879 at the Opéra-Comique: "Merci, mon cher Plouvier, pour votre affectueux souvenir auquel j'ai été très sensible. Je compte vous faire tous mes compliments la première fois que je vous verrai, en même temps que je vous dirai tous nos regrets de ne vous avoir pas vu le jour de la Courte-Échelle. Oh ! mais ... Je vais me mettre à faire des vers, moi ! Il n'est pas trop tard !". Membrée knew Édouard Plouvier, and it seems likely that he addressed a member of his family. - In a short letter, Membrée asks the secretary general of the Comédie-Française, Alexis-Jules Verteuil, for theatre tickets. - The third letter is to apologize to an unnamed recipient for being unable to decline a conflicting invitation: "J'ai fait ce que j'ai pu pour me dégager de l'invitation que j'avais acceptée pour Vendredi, cela ne m'a pas été possible". - Two letters on stationery with embossed monogram. The letter to the unnamed recipient with a small hole and duststained.
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Miolan Carvalho, Caroline, French soprano (1827-1895).
1 autograph letter signed and 1 autograph visiting card. Paris and n. p., 26 June 1891 and 12 Jan. 1888.
Oblong 12mo and visiting card format. 2 pp. and 3 lines. The letter to an unnamed recipient, possibly the writer Édouard-Auguste Spoll, asking him to authorize the composer J.-M. Mayan to use a portrait of her for his publication "Le Chant et la voix, étude complète de l'art lyrique" (Paris, 1891): "Monsieur Mayan m'écrit que vous voulez bien lui accorder l'autorisation de se servir pour sa méthode de chant d'un portrait que vous avez publié lors de ma biographie. Si vous n'éprouvez aucun inconvénient je vous serai très obligé de lui accorder cette autorisation." Spoll is the author of the only contemporary biography of the famous singer "Mme Carvalho : notes et souvenirs avec un portrait à l'eau-forte par Lalauze" (Paris, 1885). - The visiting card with lithographed name to thank an unnamed person: "avec ses remerciements et ses souhaits bien sincères". - Caroline Miolan Carvalho was considered one of the greatest sopranos of her time. As the prima donna at the Théâtre Lyrique (1856-67) she created several of Charles Gounod's most famous roles, including Marguerite in Faust (1859), Baucis in Philémon et Baucis (1860), and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (1867). - Minor browning. The visiting card with staple holes.
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Newman, Ernest (i.e., William Roberts), musicologist (1868-1959).
Typed letter signed with few autograph corrections. Tadwoth (Surrey), 14. IV. 1931.
8vo. 1 page. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944). Newman is unable to provide information on Wagner Societies in England and gives an outline of the work that preoccupied him at the time: "I am glad to hear of the formation of your Wagner Society, and wish it good luck and long life. I don't know whether there are any other Wagner Societies still in existence in England. I would suggest your asking the Musical Times [...] I have completely given up lecturing: I have about a dozen books on hand, and I have had do give up every form of activity that draws upon the time I need for these. It seems a long while now since we heard the 'Ring' in Bristol. These were great days! [...]". In 1931 Newman had published his work "Fact and Fiction about Wagner". - With embossed letterhead.
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Ouseley, Frederick, composer (1825-1889).
Autograph letter signed. Hereford, 28. VIII. 1886.
8vo. 1 page on bifolium. With autograph envelope. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944) in Bristol: "Sir / I am happy to be able to comply with Your request / I am Yours faithfully / Frederick A G Ouseley". - Envelope embossed with the Ouseley family crest and the motto "Mors lupi agnis vita", somewhat duststained.
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Puccini, Giacomo, Italian composer (1858-1924).
Six autograph letters and postcards signed ("Giacomo" and "GPuccini"). Paris, 1906.
8vo and oblong 12mo. Altogether 12 pages on 8 ff. 4 items written in violet ink, Paris, Grand Hôtel de Londres, 23 October to 12 December 1906 where dated. Stamp removed from one postcard with loss of text; two letters apparently incomplete. Five unpublished letters to Sybil Seligman, Puccini’s closest female friend and his most important advisor after Giulio Ricordi, and one to her husband David, reporting his arrival in Paris, the first rehearsal at the Opéra-Comique, and his expectation that the opera will be staged within about a month, which will leave too little time before his departure for New York, expressing his anguish at matters going from bad to worse with the soprano Marguerite Carré, for whom the title role is too demanding, admitting he is constrained from stating his position openly, for fear of ruining the forthcoming production of La Bohème, and that he is leaving it until as late as possible to give his blessing to the production, hoping his fears are not realized. He also discusses the book by Oscar Wilde (A Florentine Tragedy) that Sybil was going to send him, meetings with Maurice Vaucaire about Conchita, and his travel plans to Milan, Torre de Lago and New York, and writes to David Seligman, asking for Sybil to be allowed to attend the production in Paris ("Cara Sybil, angustie sopra angustie! Qui si va di male in peggio, passo indietro esigenze ridicole tutte a causa di Mme Carré la quale a mio parere ha un rôle troppo forte. Temo che non andremo in scena o mai o forse molto tardi. Dico mai perché m’aspetto all’ultimo momento quando si eseguirà l’opera [...] Figuratevi dunque in che stato d’animo io sia! E mia salute tanto male! [...]"). - The letters to Sybil are unpublished. Puccini clearly expresses his frustration with Marguerite Carré, who sang the title role in the French premiere of Madama Butterfly; it was staged at the Opéra-Comique on 28 December 1906 and established the opera in the definitive form in which it is usually performed today. Mme. Carré was the wife of the Director of the theatre, Albert Carré (who staged and produced the opera), but was clearly out of her depth. The letter to David Seligman is published, not quite complete, in V. Seligman, Puccini Among Friends, (1938), p. 3.
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Richepin, Tiarko, French composer (1884-1973).
Autograph letter signed and 1 autograph musical manuscript signed. N. p. o. d., "Lundi matin" and 1941-1944.
8vo and folio. 1 p. and 3¼ pp. Blue ink on 20-stave paper, 4 systems of 3 staves per page. The letter to a M. Dauret, asking him to fill out and return an attached form. - The manuscript is a copy Rynaldo's aria "Viens ! Mon seul amour, c'est toi !" (finale of the 2nd act) from Richepin's last composition, the operetta "L'Auberge qui chante". Completely forgotten today, the operetta premiered on 4 October 1941 at the Gaîté Lyrique in Paris with André Dassary as Rynaldo. As the piece was considered to represent the "new style" imposed by the Vichy regime, it was dropped entirely from the programmes in 1944. - The letter with some browning and smudges. The manuscript with some browning and occasional tears. Several staves erased and redrawn for corrections.
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Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai, Russian composer (1844-1908).
Autograph letter signed. [Brussels], 13. III. 1900.
8vo. 2 pp. on bifolium. With autograph envelope. In Russian. Insightful letter to the Russian-French journalist Michel Delines in Nice, concerning rehearsals in Brussels, obligations in St Petersburg, and the possibility of staging his operas at La Monnaie in Brussels under the forthcoming directorate of Maurice Kufferath. Rimsky-Korsakov was rehearsing "daily the programme of the concert" after which he would have to return to St Petersburg, as he was "obliged to attend the rehearsals of two symphony concerts", complaining that, "as a professor at the Conservatory", he is "always busy and obliged to be there". Concerning the staging of his operas in Brussels, Rimsky-Korsakov stresses that it is "premature to talk about it, because the theatre has not yet passed under the directorate of Kufferath". In addition, the librettos would have to be translated, "which depends on the publishers (Belaieff and Bessel)". In closing, Rimsky-Korsakov promises to "see to it that Belaieff" sends Delines "the scores of his operas that he does not know yet" but declines a visit in Paris due to his aforementioned obligations. - Rimsky-Korsakov first met Michel Delines in the summer of 1889 when he conducted two concerts on the occasion of the World Exhibition. Delines, born as Mikhael Osipovich Ashkenazi (1851-1914), had been active in revolutionary circles in Odessa and went into exile in 1878, eventually settling in Paris. There he made a name for himself as a journalist and as a promoter and translator of Russian literature, including works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. In 1888, Delines was introduced to Tchaikovsky and subsequently started to promote Russian music in his new home. He translated the libretto of "Yevgeny Onegin" and facilitated its French premiere in Nice in 1895. As this beautiful letter shows, Delines was also eager to promote Rimsky-Korsakov's music in the francophone world. The composer appreciated Delines' efforts, including a translation of his opera "Sadko". In his autobiography, Rimsky-Korsakov has warm words for the journalist: "We also made the acquaintance of Michel Delines, subsequently translator of Onyegin and of my Sadko. With the exception of Delines, all these acquaintanceships proved most superficial [...] Delines was a kind man, danced attendance upon us, aided us in many things" (My Musical Life, New York 1945, pp. 303f.). - On stationery with lithographed letterhead of the "Hotel Metropole Bruxelles". Traces of folds; minor tears to the vertical fold.
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Saint-Saëns, Camille, French composer (1835-1921).
5 autograph letters signed. Paris, Cairo, and n. p., 1892-1913.
8vo and oblong 8vo. Together 10½ pp. Interesting collection of letters spanning three decades, including a passionate plea for artistic freedom. This plea is part of an undated letter that was probably addressed to the writer and theatre director Paul Ginisty. After congratulating the recipient on a representation of Corneille's Cid, Saint-Saëns writes at length about authorship and artistic ingenuity, dismissing the possibility of "machine art" and describing a "special cerebral state" during the production of a work of art that "ends forever when the work is finished". In closing, Saint-Saëns praises Ginisty's Théâtre de l'Odéon as a "theatre of art" and pleads with the recipient to "preserve this character well", reminding him that there is only one way to achieve this: "liberty" as "art does not live in captivity". Paul Ginisty, identified as the recipient in a collector's note, was director of the Odéon from 1896 to 1906. Camille Saint-Saëns' Déjanire had its Paris premiere at the Odéon in 1898. - The earliest letter in the collection was written to thank an unnamed friend and collaborator for his devotion: "Vous êtes toujours le plus dévoué et le plus délicieux des amis. Merci à tous mes interprètes et bien des amitiés à mes vieux copains [...]" (Paris, 16 August 1892). - On 16 February 1903 Saint-Saëns wrote from Cairo to an unnamed impresario in Aix, reporting that the mezzosoprano Charlotte Wyns enjoyed a "truly extraordinary success in Alexandria in Proserpine" and suggesting that she and the tenor Edmond Clément should sing in Proserpine in Aix, where he would join the rehearsals. - In a charming letter from 28 June 1913, the maestro thanks a young singer for her letter and for remembering him, asserting that he has not forgotten anything "of the charming woman, the artist" with whom he would have "wanted so much to entrust the role of Phryné". Since she "does not scorn the company of an old bearded man" like him, Saint-Saëns promises that he will contact her once he has more time. - Finally, an undated letter was to inform the recipient, probably a young singer, that Saint-Saëns did not approve of the plan of a "Marquise whom all of Paris knows" to have her play in a comedy in his style: "Une marquise que tout Paris connaît m'écrit qu'elle vous a parlé de vous faire jouer dans son salon une comédie de ma façon ; l'a-t-elle fait ou a -t-elle en seulement l'intention de la faire, je ne sais, mais je tiens à ce que vous sachiez que je ne suis pas bien dans une telle démarche". - The letter from Cairo on mourning paper. The letter from 1913 with embossed letterhead "Rue de Courcelles, 83bis". Occasional browning and minimally stained; the letter from Cairo with deep tears to the folds, partly affecting the text. The letter dated 16 August 1982 with two holes partly affecting the text and traces of former mounting.
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Satie, Erik, French composer (1866-1925).
Autograph lettercard signed (address field) and monogrammed "ES". Arcueil, 16. VI. 1924.
12mo. 1 p. With autograph address. In French. Beautiful pneumatic letter to the conductor Roger Désormière written two days after the scandalous premiere of the ballet Mercure with instructions for the third performance. Satie asks Désormière to return to the original version of the premiere "without the repetitions of the music while waiting for the sets", as he is "the one who pays the price for this waiting time" because "many people believe" that Satie's "music is the cause of these false intermissions - & and they 'fulminate', the very good people". He even concedes to his vocal critics: "Yes... They are right, in fact". In a charming postscriptum, Satie thanks Désormière and congratulates him on the last night's performance: "Thank you for your dedication. You are a 'chic guy' ... Very successful last night!" (transl.). - With Satie's music, stage and costume design by Pablo Picasso, and a choreography by Léonide Massine who would also dance the principal role, Mercure was supposed to be the much-needed hit for Étienne de Beaumont's ballet company Soirées de Paris. However, the premiere provoked a theatrical scandal, as different cultural factions of the Parisian avantgarde clashed in the audience. Most notoriously, the Surrealists led by André Breton and Louis Aragon tried to win over Picasso and took aim at Satie for having criticized Breton's attempt to overthrow Tzara as leader of the Dadaists. The ballet had scarcely begun when the Surrealists started chanting "Bravo Picasso! Down with Satie!" from the back of the theatre. Darius Milhaud began to argue with the Breton group, Satie fans voiced their support, and a handful of people approached Picasso's box, hurling insults at him. Police were called to restore order before the performance could continue. While the following five performances of Mercure passed without incident, the reception of the ballet and particularly of Satie's music was cold and would have a lasting negative effect on his posthumous reputation. Mercure is the least known of Satie's three ballets and little performed, even if the music has been revaluated since the scandalous premiere. - Roger Désormière (1898-1963) joined the Ballets Russes as principal conductor in 1925. He kept Satie's ballet music in his repertoire. - Traces of folds and somewhat creased. Correspondance presque complète, no. 1114.
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Smart, George Thomas, musician, the Queen's organist (1776-1867).
Autograph postcard (fragment) signed. No place or date.
Oblong 12mo. 1 page (4 lines). With autograph address. Mounted on backing paper. To his niece, the musician Miss Harriet Anne Smart in Knightsbridge. - Smart was appointed organist at the Chapel Royal in 1822; he was personally acquainted with Beethoven. During a visit to Smart's house in 1826 his close friend Carl Maria von Weber died there in his sleep. - With traces of old mounting and collector's note to backing paper.
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Stockhausen, Julius, Sänger und Dirigent (1826-1906).
1 eigenh. Brief mit U. "Ton Giulio vecchio" und 1 eigenh. Briefkarte mit Monogramm. Frankfurt a. M., 21. X. 1886 u. 18. XII. 1900.
Zusammen 5 SS. 8vo und qu.-12mo (115:90 mm). Im Brief vom 21. Oktober 1886 kündigt Stockhausen einem engen Freund namens François, wohl aus Stockhausens Zeit an der komischen Oper in Paris, die Zuschrift seiner Publikation "Julius Stockhausen's Gesangstechnik und Stimmbildung" (Leipzig: Peters, 1886) an und bittet um Anmerkungen für die in wenigen Wochen erscheinende Neuauflage: "Dans peu de semaines il doit paraître une nouvelle édition dans la même forme, de sorte qu'on pourra ajouter ou retrancher ce qui est superflu et ce qui manque. Peux tu nous aider un peu?" Er berichtet vom Erfolg seiner 1880 gegründeten Gesangsschule in Frankfurt ("L'école marche à souhaits. J'ai tant d'élèves que je puis faire un choix") und von Proben mit dem Frankfurter Cäcilienchor für eine Aufführung von Beethovens Missa solemnis. Die letzten Zeilen sind Nachrichten von Freunden und Familie gewidmet. - Die Briefkarte vom 18. Dezember 1900 ist an eine Cousine Stockhausens gerichtet, deren Name, wohl Anna, durch ein spielerisches Noten-Kryptogramm angedeutet wird. Stockhausen erkundigt sich über einen Freund und entrichtet Weihnachtsgrüße: "Ich danke dir sehr für deinen ausführlichen Brief. Meiner muss kurz seyn. Schicke mir bitte ein Wort über Nahm. Ist er in Carlsruhe oder in Freiburg wo er sich niederlassen wollte? Für dich einen herzlichen Weihnachtsgruss von deinem alten Vetter". - Die Briefkarte mit lithogr. Briefkopf. Wohlerhalten.
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Sullivan, Sir Arthur S., composer (1842-1900).
Autograph letter signed. [London] "Albert Mansions", no date.
8vo. 1 page. Mounted on backing paper. To the composer and conductor Alfred Cellier, requesting a meeting: "Can you manage to call upon me anytime tomorrow after 5 p.m. I want to speak to you. If you like, you will find dinner at 6.30 [...]". - Cellier had written some of the overtures to the famous operas created by Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert; he conducted and directed many of these original productions. - With collector's note to backing paper and slight staining due to seeped glue.
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Thalberg, Sigismond, Austrian pianist and composer (1812-1871).
Autograph letter signed. St. Louis, 17. III. 1858.
12mo (90 x 110 mm). 4 pp. To Lucietto, a son or son-in-law of Sigismond Thalberg's late father-in-law Luigi Lablache, thanking him dearly for what he did, probably with respect to Luigi's estate, introducing a young woman, and sending greetings to two families: "Toujours j'ai cru fermement à votre amitié, mais cependant je ne me doutais pas jusqu'où pouvait aller votre dévouement pour nous ; aussi croyez-moi bien que tout ce que vous avez fait pour ce pauvre père et pour ma femme restera éternellement gravé dans mon cœur. Vous avez agi en fils et en frère et rien ne pourra jamais altérer l'amitié et la reconnaissance que je vous porte. Dieu vous bénira car vous êtes bon ! [...]". - Sigismond Thalberg was on a very successful tour of the U.S. when his father-in-law, the famous bass Luigi Lablache (1794-1858), died. In June 1858 his wife Francesca joined Sigismond, and together they returned to Europe, retiring, except for a final tour in 1862/63, to Naples. - With collector's mark in red ink.
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Tosti, Francesco Paolo, Italian composer and educator (1846-1916).
2 autograph letters signed. London, 9 Feb. 1908 and n. d.
8vo. Together 7 pp. on bifolia. With 1 autograph envelope. The charming dated letter to an unnamed friend was to congratulate him on his wife and to introduce a singer named Violet Clarke: "D'abord toutes mes chaleureuses félicitations pour la belle et aimable femme, que j'espère avoir le plaisir d'entendre un de ces jours. Voici une charmante amie à moir, Miss Violet Clarke. Elle chante bien et a une jolie voix. Met toi à ses ordres. Tâche de lui être utile, et ton vieux copain te sera reconnaisant [!]". - The second letter to a Miss Edwards, according to the envelope, is a curious mix of French and Italian. Tosti apologizes for having to move an appointment due to rehearsals for a concert with the famous soprano Emma Nevada, her daughter Mignon Nevada, and other artists, complaining of his bad luck: "Absolumment je n'ai pas de chance ! L'uomo propone e la donna dispone ; dice il proverbio ! Io invece accomodo a mio modo il il proverbio, in questo caso, e dico : Un povero Maestro si propone di passare un agréable après-midi, e le stelle artiste dispongono il contrario. reve. Devo domani nell'après-midi fare una ripetizione (per un Concerto da Lady Scott di Martedi sera) con l'Albani [Emma Albani] con Nevada con De Loria [?] e con Nevada [...]". If the rehearsals were to take place in his house, he would have invited her to assist, but as they were not, Tosti asks the recipient to visit him some other day, also sending greetings to a Miss Nox. - Largely forgotten today, Tosti was the most popular composer of songs in England around the turn of the century and a highly respected musician. Having already gained a good reputation at the court in Rome, Tosti migrated to London in 1875 and was appointed singing master to the Royal family in 1880. By 1885 his songs were extremely popular in Victorian England and he received staggering fees from his publishers. Tosti was appointed professor at the Royal Academy of Music in 1894 and was knighted by his friend King Edward VII in 1908. - On stationery with embossed letterhead "2. Mandeville Place W." Traces of folds. The letter to Miss Edwards with traces of former mounting.
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Vaughan Williams, Ralph, composer (1872-1958).
Autograph letter signed. Dorking, 27 Sept. [1937].
4to. 1 page. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944) with thanks for an invitation, but politely having to decline it: "Thank you very much for Your kind invitation. But I fear it is doubtful if I can come to Bristol even for the performance [...] November is a very busy month for me I am so sorry [...]". - From the 1930s until the early 1950s Vaughan Williams lived in Dorking and was an initiator of the "Dorking and District Refugee Committee", providing music for the Abinger Pageant to raise funds for Abinger church. He facilitated the entire community, rich or poor, to access the highest quality music. - With embossed letterhead.
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Weill, Kurt, composer (1900-1950).
Autograph letter signed. Berlin, 25. XII. 1924.
Small 4to. 3 pages on bifolium. To the French musicologist Henry Prunières. Weill is happy to hear that his first quartet was performed at the concerts of the Revue Musicale: "Je suis heureux, Monsieur, de pouvoir vous exprimer la joie profonde que m'avait causé cet hommage rendu à mon œuvre. Mon éditeur, l'Universal- Edition, m'a fait part de votre intention de faire jouer mes sept mélodies Frauentanz. Je suis flatté de l'intérêt que vous portez à mon ouvrage [...]".
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Barret, Wilson, manager, actor, and playwright (1846-1904).
Autograph letter signed. [Postmarked: London], 30. VI. 1886.
Oblong 8vo. 1 page (4 lines). With autograph envelope. To the musician Frederick Allan Wilshire (1868-1944) in Bristol with a quotation: "'Would I were young forever' / 'Claudian' [...]". - In 1881, Wilson Barrett took over the recently refurbished Princess's Theatre, where his melodramatic productions enjoyed great success. He stayed there until 1886, when he made a visit to America. The quoted stage play "Claudian", written by Henry Herman and W. G. Wills, was Barret Wilsons first Roman costume play. - On stationery with embossed letterhead of the "Royal Princess's Theatre". Signature slightly waterstained.
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Cisserant, Hippolyte, French actor (1809-1877).
6 autograph letters signed. Paris, 1854-1865.
8vo and 12mo. Together 7½ pp. Three shorter letters in the collection are of a practical nature, asking for or granting theatre tickets. In a letter from 4 May 1858 to the "Association des artistes dramatiques", Cisserant announces his resignation from the committee of the association because of an accident and lack of time. - On 14 July 1862, Cisserant informed a friend that the Odéon cannot hire a Mademoiselle Blainville even though he was impressed by her: "J'ai vue et entendue Mlle Blainville. Je lui trouve des qualités ; elle a du naturel, elle est jolie femme, enfin, j'ai d'elle une bonne opinion!... mais... il n'y a pas de place!". - Finally, Cisserant wrote a charming letter to the famous comic actor and close friend Jean-Marie Joseph Geoffroy, known as Geoffroy. The letter is remarkable, as Geoffroy famously avoided socializing with his colleagues and was decried a misanthrope. However, Cisserant addressed Geoffroy as "Mon Bon Jojo" and writes with great humour about his leg injury that prevented him from meeting Geoffroy. The letter can be dated with respect to the death of Geoffroy's wife Louisa Kersent in 1864, as Cisserant sends greetings her. - Hippolyte Cisserant was a comic actor at the Théâtre du Gymnase and at the Odéon. - The letter from 14 July 1862 on stationery with lithographed letterhead of the Odéon theatre. A letter from 14 September 1854 with embossed monogram. The letter to the "Association des artistes dramatiques" with recipient's note and traces of a collection label. Well preserved.
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David, A., French actor (fl. 1st half of the 19th century).
2 autograph letters signed. N. p. o. d.
8vo. Together 1¾ pp. on bifolia. With autograph addresses. A letter to a M. Laurent suggests that David played at the Comédie-Française for some time, as it is written on stationery of the theatre. In the letter, he asks Laurent to visit him the following day. - The second letter is addressed to the important director Anténor Joly (1799-1852) at the Théâtre Ventadour. David reminds Joly of his promise to "occupy himself with my return to the theatre" and remarks bitterly that "with a bit of kindness and goodwill and, above all, the oblivion of an old grudge" Joly could already have placed him in several performances: "Je crois qu'il est nécessaire que je rappelle a Monsieur Anténor que je suis encore de ce monde et qu'il m'a fait une promesse, celle de s'occuper de ma rentrée au théâtre. Avec un peu de bienveillance et de bon vouloir et surtou l'oublie d'une vielle rancune il aurait certes déjà pu me placer dans une des nombreuses pièces en répétition [...]". - Traces of folds and seal. The letter to Joly with embossed monogram, several tears and stronger browning to the address leaf.
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Ernest, Paul, French actor (fl. 1855).
2 autograph letters signed. Paris and n. p., 23 Nov. and 23 Feb. 1855.
8vo. Together 2½ pp. on bifolia. One letter with autograph address and traces of seal. The letter from 23 February 1855 is addressed to a M. Désir at the Théâtre des Variétés, asking him for two tickets. - In the second letter, dated 23 November with no year, Paul Ernest asks a recipient named Eugène to contact a third person who had offered a job at the theatre to Ernest's cousin: "Je vous serais bien reconnaissant de vous informer auprès de Mr Lannau si la petite place de son contrôle est touours libre et si dans ce cas, il serait toujours possible disposé `la donner a Mr Weber un cousin à moi et un brave graçon qui a déjà été dans le théâtre comme inspecteur [...]". - Paul Ernest is only known in connection with the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, which he directed sometime between 1842 and 1851. - The letter from 23 November on stationery with stamped letterhead "Cercle de Paris". Both letters with bent corners; some browning.
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Lemoine, Adolphe, known as Lemoine-Montigny, French playwright and comedian (1812-1880).
3 autograph letters signed. With a signed note by Alfred Nettement. Paris, 1851-1853.
8vo. Together 3 pp. on bifolia. The note by Alfred Nettement: 1 p. The most curious item in the collection is a letter from 12 July 1851 to the author and journalist Alfred Nettement, who forwarded it to a friend with a signed note of his own. Lemoine politely criticizes a dramatic proverb that Nettement had sent him on behalf of a friend, arguing that it was well written but "would lack effect" on stage. He encourages the author to pusue different subjects for plays and to seek success in the theatre, as he possesses rare qualities: "Je crois cependant qu l'auteur de ce petit ouvrage doit chercher le succès de théâtre. Il a plusieurs qualités qu'on ne rencontre pas toujours, même chez ceux qui réussissent. Il devra réussir, le jour où il sera plus heureux dans le choix du sujet, ainsi que plus sévère et plus complex dans l'étude et la disposition de son plan [...]". Nettement sent the letter to the unidentified author with a similarly encouraging note: "Voici la lettre que je reçois de Lemoine et je la trouve fondée. Je sais que vous deviez travailler pour le théâtre. S'il le dit, c'est qu'il le pense, vous deviez faire très sérieusement une pièce [...]". - On 24 July, Lemoine wrote to a fellow playwright, addressed as "Mon Cher Chef", asking him whether they could change the title of a comedy that was to be performed at the Gymnase two days later from "Chiffons de Madame" to "Toilette de chat". - In a letter dated "Samedi 22" (no year), Lemoine seeks to change tickets for a new play by Émile Augier that had been promised to him by the playwright from one day to another: "Augier me fait dire, en son nom et au votre, que deux fauteuils de Galerie sont à ma disposition pour ce soir, outre son place d'orchestre. Si vous pouvez sans vous gêner, en garderant les deux Galerie pour votre service d'aujourdhui, me donner pour lundi une petite loge, Mme Montigny remettra à la seconde représentation le plaisir d'applaudir le nouvel ouvrage de notre ami Augier [...]". The recipient who is addressed as "mon confrère" was probably the director of the theatre. - Lemoine-Montigny is best known today as a theatre director, having directed the Théâtre de la Gaîté from 1838 to 1844 and the Gymnase from 1844 to his death. - All letters on stationery with embossed or lithographed letterhead of the Théâtre du Gymnase. Traces of folds. Some foxing and browning overall. Occasional minor tears.
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Montalant, Denis-Stanislas, known as Talbot, French actor (1824-1904).
7 autograph letters signed. N. p. o. d.
8vo. Together 6 pp. Correspondence with Alfred de Beauchesne (1804-74), secretary at the Paris Conservatory. The collection includes two letters of introduction for young applicants for the declamation classes at the conservatory, a request for two tickets for a performance, and a letter wherein Talbot asks Beauchesne to pass on two letters, an unspecified response with the remark that "it is, however necessary to see" the actors Jules Boucher, Suzanne Reichenberg, and an unidentified third person. In the longest letter of the collection, Talbot asks Beauchesne to give him the names and addresses of those candidates who did not pass the entrance examination. Apparently, he offered preparatory acting classes. Two letters are dated to 1861 by a collector's hand. This would indicate that Talbot was very active as a teacher well before he left the Comédie-Française in 1873 to start an acting school at the théâtre de la Tour d'Auvergne. - Traces of folds and some browning overall. A letter starting "Je vous serai bien obligé de faire inscrire le petit note ci-contre" somewhat faded.
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Perlet, Adrien, French actor (1795-1850).
3 autograph letters signed. N. p. , 1828-1838.
8vo. 3½ pp. on bifolia. Two letters with autograph addresses. The earliest letter in the collection, dated 16 Mai 1828, was probably written in London to a Frederic le George. Perlet wishes the recipient a swift recovery from an ailment, reports that his son has a fever following a "change of season", and announces that he mailed theatre tickets to him, complaining that he could not send his French servant who still does not remember the way to the theatre although he showed it to him "twenty times". - On 14 November 1834, Perlet announced to a Parisian lawyer named Garot a payment of 4,000 francs for the following day. - The third letter from 8 November 1838 was written to an unnamed mayor in support of "the candidacy" a friend named Colson. A failed enterprise in Nantes is mentioned, although the relation to Colson and the recipient remains unclear. - The comic actor Adrien Perlet performed at the Comédie-Française, the Gymnase, and in London. - Traces of folds and seal. The letter from 1828 with a trimmed corner to the address leaf. Minimal foxing to the letter from 1838.
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[Oceanography. - Guilcher, André].
Collection of correspondence, briefings, photographs and maps for the exploration of the seas. Paris, Brussels, Leicester, Rennes, Wormley (Surrey), Brest, Nancy, 1951-1961.
40 letters (of which 26 autographs signed; 2 MS. letters; 8 MS. letters signed; 3 MS. letters with autograph corrections or autograph additions and 1 MS. telegram) and 3 MS. documents (of which 1 with MS. inscription and autograph corrections and autograph notes). 4to. and (qu.-)8vo. altogether ca. 65 pp. on 55 ff. Enclosed 2 maps in folio (route map, ca. 430 x 530 mm; and geological map, ca. 385 x 510 mm) and 14 black-and-white photographs of in formats (94 x 119 to 138 x 180 mm). Mostly in French, occasionally English. With supplemental material (see description). The central element of the collection is the organisation, research and scientific interest devoted to the expeditions of the "Calpyso" of the ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-97) to the Red Sea and Madagascar, and to the expeditions of the "Président Théodore Tissier" under Captain Roger Brenot (1916-98) to the Porcupine Bank in the Celtic Sea. The letters are addressed predominantly to the geographer André Guilcher (1913-93) and give evidence of the scholarly exchange within the contemporary French research community, including the geophysicist Jean Coulomb (1904-99), the underwater pioneer Philippe Talliez (1905-2002), the marine biologist Louis Fage (1883-1964), the geologist Jean Furnestin (1905-90), the geographer André Cailleux (1907-86), the volcanologist Tazieff Haroun (1914-98), and some British scientists (A. Robinson, J. N. Carruthers). - The collection includes two letters from Jacques-Yves Cousteau and six letters from his father Daniel P. Cousteau, who replied to Guilcher in his son's absence in the early 1950s. Jean Coulomb mentions a rumour about difficulties in financing Cousteau's expedition (25 Aug. 1951) and writes about problems obtaining measuring equipment. - In the twelve letters of a certain Berthier to Guilcher, the preparations for the Porcupine expedition of 1957 are discussed, with detailed remarks by Berthier on a theory of the formation of submarine rock deposits. In the letters of Captain Roger Brenot concerning the same voyage, he first welcomes Guilcher to join the expedition (11 Feb.), later withdrawing the invitation (22 Feb.), as only those called upon by the "Ministère de la Marine Marchande" are allowed on board. In another letter, Brenot comments on photographs sent to him, which might not be as useful scientifically as they are for remembrance (21 March). - The enclosed photographs show coral reefs in seven underwater shots, one shot with swirls of the sea surface above La Chapelle Bank (Celtic Sea), according to the enclosed note from 1958, four shots of a barren landscape with mountains and flocks of sheep, and another shot with a pair of sunglasses on a rock formation. A map shows the route of the "N. O. President Th. Tissier", the other map details submarine rock sites. Both of these are spirit duplicated and concern the Celtic Sea. - Six letters with printed letterhead of the "Institut de Physique du Globe", University of Paris, three letters from the "Campagnes océanographiques françaises", four from the "Institut scientifique et technique des peches maritimes", one letter with letterhead of the "National Institute of Oceanography" (Wormley, Surrey), another from the "Department of Geography, University College" (Leicester), one letter from the "Expédition polaires Francaises" and the stamp "Expédition Arctique", twelve letters with the printed letterhead of the "École Nationale d'Agriculture de Rennes", one of which also has the stamp "Laboratoire de Lithologie-Pédologie-Hydrogéologie", and one letter from the "Institut océanographique" (Paris). - Also enclosed is the illustrated book "Calypso Cousteau / Sivirine" (Édition Robert Laffont, [1978] 1998) with numerous photographs and colour illustrations, as well as a large folding plate on the conversions, equipment and expeditions of the "Calypso" and a postcard and a form for the library correspondence of Guilcher. Occasional light foxing and brown stains, with traces of rust from old paper clips, occasional minor marginal tears, one letter J.-Y. Cousteau with stronger marginal tears. Listing on request.
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[Thost, Ernst, Meteorologe und Astronom (1899-1980)].
Splitternachlass mit 174 Briefen, Karten u. a. von verschiedenen Verfassern sowie einem Brief Albert Einsteins. Verschiedene Orte, 1923-1980.
Zusammen 225 SS. auf 166 Bll. Verschiedene Formate. Mit zahlreichen Beilagen (Eintrittskarten, Prospekte, Zeitungsausschnitte u. dgl.). Ernst Thost, der Sohn des Malers Rudolf Thost und Vater des Schauspielers Bruno Thost, studierte u. a. bei Erich Wunderlich an der TH Hannover und promovierte 1928 über "Das Klima des nördlichen Württemberg" (Stuttgart, Fleischhauer & Spohn, 1930). Sein ganzes Berufsleben verbrachte Thost als Mitarbeiter der Schwäbischen Sternwarte in Stuttgart, die am 8. Januar 1922 nach einjähriger Bauzeit eingeweiht worden war, und trat 1964 in den Ruhestand. Der vorliegende Splitternachlass enthält überwiegend Korrespondenzen mit verschiedenen Naturwissenschaftlern, darunter als prominentestem Albert Einstein, den Thost im Herbst 1922 wohl in Fragen der Lehrplangestaltung angeschrieben hatte und der ihm unterm 25. V. 1923 antwortete: "Ich bin der Meinung, dass unsere Schulpläne schon all zu sehr materiell überlastet sind, man sollte den Pflichtstoff so viel als möglich verringern, und den [!] Lehrer darüber volle Freiheit lassen, was er ausserdem mit den Schülern betreiben will. Hat so der Lehrer genügend Muse [!], so kann er, wenn es seiner Meinung entspricht, wohl auch den Grundgedanken der Relativitäts-Theorie behandeln natürlich nur in so weit als es ohne Vermehrung des mathematischen Apparates möglich ist". Viele Jahre später hielt Thost noch in einem Gedächtnisprotokoll fest, was ihm bei einem Besuch Einsteins im November 1925 erinnerlich war (1½ SS., um 1950). - Zu den anderen Wissenschaftlern, mit denen Thost korrespondierte und die hier teils mehrfach vertreten sind, zählen u. a. Rudolf Benkendorff, Manfred Bräuhäuser, Heinrich von Ficker, Hugh Ivan Gramatzki, Georg Grimm, Theodor Haering, Sven Hedin, August Kopff, Joseph Plassmann, Adolf Sauer, Karl Schneider-Carius, Albert Schweitzer, Diederich Wattenberg, Kurt Wegener, Max Wolf, Erich Wunderlich, Carl und Hermann Wurster sowie Gustav von Zahn. Weitere Schriftstücke stammen von Malern, Musikern, Schauspielern und Schriftstellern wie Ludwig Anschütz, Peter Bamm, Theodor Esser, Otto Flath, Kai Möller, Asta Nielsen, Willy Reichert, Andrés Segovia und Paul Wegener sowie von zwei Bundespräsidenten, nämlich Theodor Heuss und Heinrich Lübke. - Sehr umfangreich ist die Korrespondenz mit "Elisabeth Wegener V.", wie Wegeners fünfte Gattin und auch Witwe, die Schauspielerin Elisabeth Wegener (geb. Rohwer, 1903-89), gern unterzeichnet: Von ihr finden sich hier 36 Briefe und Karten aus den Jahren 1948 bis 1976, in denen sie so manches über das Leben ihres verstorbenen Gatten Paul, das Theater der Nachkriegsjahre und die Beschwerlichkeiten eines Lebens ohne Pensionsanspruch zu berichten weiß. - Der Brief Einsteins in recht desolatem Zustand (mehrfach mit Klebestreifen auf Trägerpapier montiert), die übrigen Schriftstücke in überwiegend gutem, wenn auch häufig montiertem und arrangiertem Zustand mit zahlreichen Randglossen aus der Hand Thosts.
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Dufy, Jean, painter (1888-1964).
Autograph letter signed. Limoges, no date.
4to. 1 p. To the actor Léon Mathot with thanks for his swift response. Dufy will be picked up by Madame Dufy and her friends by car and return to Paris. He has some difficulties with insisting on the prices set for his work, but he remains unperturbed because his exhibition had enjoyed such success. The time away from painting has done him good, and he will return to it with renewed vigour: "Merci mille fois d'avoir été si prompt à m'envoyer ta réponse. Je rentrerai Jeudi avec Madame Dufy qui vient avec des amis en auto de Paris. Pour mon exposition, J'ai en beaucoup de peine à imposer les prix mais je tiens bon car cela a plu beaucoup; je pense n'avoir pas perdu mon temps. Et puis ce là me fait beaucoup de bien de ne pas toucher aux pinceaux; je vais m'y remettre en rentrant avec beaucoup d'ardeur [...]". - With printed letterhead of the "Grand Café Riche". Left margin reinforced with paper; slight ink offsetting.
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