- Page Title
- Hector Berlioz | Three autograph letters signed, to E. Plouvier, H. Schlesinger, and H. Ferrand, 1857-1864 | Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern | 2025 | Sotheby's
- Brand
- sothebys.com
- Type
- Other
- First Seen
- 6/25/2025
- Last Seen
- 6/26/2025
- Domain
- sothebys.com
- URL
- https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/books-manuscripts-and-music-from-medieval-to-modern-l25404/hector-berlioz-three-autograph-letters-signed-to-e
- Description
- <p><strong>Hector Berlioz.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Three autograph letters signed ("H. Berlioz"; "Hector Berlioz")</p><p><br></p><p><strong>i)</strong> to Édouard Plouvier, concerning Henry Litolff and the music of <em>La Gageure de Satan,</em> APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED, informing him that he has finally seen Bénazet, explaining that he was worried he might have entered into some agreement with Maillard, and stating that he [Bénazet] has asked him to reply to [Plouvier] that he has chosen Litolff to write the music for <em>La Gageure de Satan</em></p><p><br></p><p>...il m'a chargé de vous répondre <em>qu'il acceptait ce dernier</em> [Litolff] pour écrire la musique de <em>La Gageure de Satan</em>...</p><p><br></p><p>1 page, 8vo (20.8 x 13.4cm), integral blank, with a modern typed translation, no place, Wednesday morning, 11 December 1861, <em>two tiny pinholes in upper margin of first leaf</em></p><p><br></p><p><strong>ii) </strong>to the publisher Heinrich Schlesinger in Berlin, APPARENTLY UNRECORDED AND UNPUBLISHED, requesting that he send as quickly as possible through Brandus a vocal score of Gluck's <em>Iphigénie en Tauride</em> with German words, asking him to procure a copy of the chorus of the shades from the third act of Gluck's <em>Alceste</em>, explaining that he needs it to compare it with the version in the French score, stressing that he ask the copyist to check whether the trombones in the score match those of the separate orchestral parts, and writing out by way of footnote the words of the chorus</p><p> </p><p>...En outre, pardonnez moi de vous donner cette peine, veuillez aller au bureau de copie de <em>l'opéra</em> faire copier en <em>grande partition</em> le choeur des ombres du 3<sup>me</sup> acte de l'Alceste de Gluck. Ce morceau est chanté par les Basses et toujours sur la même note...</p><p><br></p><p>3 pages, 8vo (20.8 x 13.5cm), annotated by the recipient, with a signed postscript by Gemmy Brandus added at the foot of p.3 of the letter, Paris, 4 rue de Calais, 19 May 1857, <em>some splitting to hinge</em>; together with an unrelated autograph envelope addressed to Schlesinger, postmarked 13 February 1850</p><p><br></p><p><strong>iii) </strong>to an unnamed friend [Humbert Ferrand], informing him that his words are perfect, and that he has just spoken with Brandus, who has agreed voluntarily to engrave the hymn, explaining that his copyist will transpose the piece into F and he will add the words tomorrow, noting that Brandus will be able to provide publicity through his <em>Gazette musicale</em>, mentioning the '<em>Trojans</em> business' at the Conservatoire, about which Gasperini has written two columns in <em>La Nation</em>, referring also to Gluck, Beethoven ("...even more insulted than Gluck...[trans.]"), Weber and Spontini, lamenting that only people like Flotow, whose dull opera <em>Martha</em> is sung in all languages and all theatres, have panegyrists, stating that he heard that ravishing little Patti singing in it the other day, describing his feeling of being covered in fleas as he left the theatre, admitting that she sang the Irish air 'The Last Rose of Summer' with such poetic simplicity that its gentle perfume almost succeeded in disinfecting the rest of the score, closing by noting that he will send [his son] Louis his congratulations, adding that he [Louis] has read his letters and considers him [Berlioz] to be fortunate in having such a friend </p><p><br></p><p>...Je suis allé l'autre jour entendre la ravissante petite Patti qui jouait Martha; en sortant de là il me semblait être couvert de puces comme quand on sort d'un pigeonnier...</p><p><br></p><p>3 pages, 8vo (20.5 x 13.3cm), partly erased annotation in red crayon to first page, Paris, 23 December 1864</p><p><br></p><p>Three splendid letters by Berlioz, the second written during work on his masterpiece, the opera <em>Les Troyens</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>LITERATURE: </p><p><em>Correspondance générale</em>, vi, p.263 (no.2586: summary only): <strong>i)</strong>; ibid., vii, p.180 (no.2953): <strong>iii)</strong></p>
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