Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix.

outlining in a preamble the current state of music and aspects of musical teaching, observing how the greatest talents are typically those without means, commenting on the suitability of Leipzig for a music conservatory, given the presence of the university and a concert life and church music tradition which only a few German cities possess, requesting that his Majesty use the sum of money intended by the late H[err]...B[lümner] for an institute of the arts or sciences for the creation and maintenance of a music conservatory in which talented young people may receive instruction in all disciplines of instrumental...and theoretical music at very low prices (foreigners paying somewhat more), mentioning in support of his petition the particular attention given by Herr Blümner to music and to musical conditions in Leipzig; following the draft petition Mendelssohn provides in a 4-page appendix an outline of the main constituting features of the proposed conservatory ("Grundlinien einer von dem Blümnerschen Legate in Leipzig zu errichtende Musikschule"), comprising eleven numbered paragraphs, concerning: 1) the function of the conservatory; 2) its direction and management; 3) its primary tasks; 4) its financial basis, i.e. the interest from the legacy of the late Herr Blümner and from student fees; 5) the teaching staff, to be built up gradually, but to consist initially of instructors in theory, counterpoint and fugue, of singing, piano, violin, violoncello, organ, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn; 6) the eligibility of students for particular courses; 7) the provision of weekly choral instruction (in addition to the normal singing lessons), to be available not just to students but also the musical public, on payment of a fee; 8) the location of the conservatory; 9) the financing of the permanent staff; 10) their salaries; and 11) the various types of student, which Mendelssohn divides in to three groups; paragraphs 4-6 of the "Grundlinien" written on the reverse of leaf whose recto contains autograph drafts of programmes for Mendelssohn's Leipzig concerts between in February and March 1840, paragraphs 7-9 written on the verso of a leaf containing, in another hand, a complete list of concert dates for the winter season 1839-1840; paragraphs 10 and 11 written on a leaf containing, on the other side, autograph numbers and initials ("F. H. I. M..."); one page of the draft petition also containing an unpublished autograph draft for the letter of 11 March 1840 to Rosa, Elisa and Angelika von Woringen, Niny von Nyrenheim and Ferdinand von Woringen and Arnold Mendelssohn, signed ("FMB"), in which Mendelssohn discusses the four-part songs Op.48 nos.1-3 and the composition of another four-part song, "Der wandernde Musikant" MWV F 19; the draft petition containing extensive cancellations, re-draftings, corrections and revisions, 13 autograph pages in all, and one page in an other hand, mostly folio, [Leipzig, before 9 April 1840]



 



 

R. Larry Todd, Mendelssohn. A Life in Music (Oxford, 2003). The text of Mendelssohn's letter to Falkenstein is published on the basis of a further draft (dated 8 April 1840) in Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Carl Mendelssohn Bartholdy (eds.), Briefe aus den Jahren 1830 bis 1847 von Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, fourth edition (Leipzig, 1878), pp.150-154.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

."..E Majestät wollen die Summe, welche der verstorbene Hr...B[lümner] für ein der Kunst oder Wissenschaft gewidmetes Instit[ut] ausgesetzt...hat, zur Errichtung u. Erhaltung einer gründlichen Musikschule in Leipzig bestimmen...Grundlinien einer von dem Blümnerschen Legate in Leipzig zu errichtende Musikschule
1. die Musikschule ist ein selbstständiges Institut, in welchem vornehmlich die dazu befähigten Schüler des Inlandes...theoretischen u. praktischen Unterricht in der Musik erhalten...3. die Aufgaben der Musikschule bestehen fürs erste 1) in Anschaffung der nöthigsten Mobilien, musikal. Instrumente, Bücher &c 2) in Besoldung u. Remuneration der Lehrer u. die anzustellende Dienerschaft...4.Hierzu werden die Zinsen der vom verstorbenen H[errn]...B ausgesetzten Summe, und die Honorare welche von den Schülern zu zahlen wären, benutzt. 5. da die Zinsen von 20,000 [Thaler]...zur Besoldung eines vollständigen Lehrerpersonals nicht voll ausreichen, andrerseits aber die Honorare der Schüler durchaus nicht hoch sein dürfen...so wäre bei der ersten Einrichtung auf möglichste Beschränkung zu sehen, u. die Musikschule erst im Falle eines glücklichen Fortganges mehr und mehr zu erweitern..." 

The most important Mendelssohn letter to be offered at auction in recent times: an unpublished draft for Mendelssohn's famous letter of 9 April 1840, the latter addressed to the king's minister Baron Johann Paul von Falkenstein (1801-1882), proposing the founding of a music conservatory at Leipzig. The text of the draft differs considerably from that of the finished letter.

In February 1839 the Leipzig Oberhofgerichtsrat and  Gewandhaus director Dr. Heinrich Blümner died, bequeathing 20,000 thalers to the Saxon king Friedrich August II for the creation of an institute for the arts or sciences. In this remarkable and wide-ranging draft letter Mendelssohn put forward the case for a new music conservatory at Leipzig, royal permission being granted two years later following a personal meeting with the king on 13 November 1842. The newly formed Konservatorium der Musik, as it was called, opened on 3 April 1843 with a staff of 6 teachers and 22 students. As well as Mendelssohn (solo singing, instrumental playing and composition), the instructors included the Thomascantor Moritz Hauptmann (harmony and composition), Schumann (piano and score reading), David (violin) and C. F. Becker (organ and music history). The management of the conservatory was entrusted to a five-strong directorate, including the Saxon minister von Falkenstein and the Leipzig mayor. The conservatory, the first such educational institute for music in Germany, quickly acquired an international reputation, attracting an impressive array of later famous students, including the organist Theodor Kirchner and Wilhelm von Wasielewski, Schumann's first biographer. Mendelssohn's great contribution to music education still flourishes today, now fittingly called the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. We grafefully acknowledge the kind assistance provided to us by Dr. Ralf Wehner in our cataloguing of this lot.