- 6
Berlioz, Hector
Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Berlioz, Hector
- Autograph letter signed ("H. Berlioz"), to the librettist Eugene Scribe ("Mon cher Collaborateur"), ABOUT THE UNFINISHED OPERA LA NONNE SANGLANTE, 23 June [1841]
- ink on paper
enclosing a manuscript of the first act (not included) which Scribe may keep, as it has been copied; informing him that he would have sent the second act next month had he received the libretto; discussing special effects in the score, which he insists should be saved for the more telling scenes ("...Je serais sur ainsi de ne pas aborder trop tôt certains effets qui doivent être tenus en reserve...")
2 pages, 8vo (21.2 x 13.5cm), integral blank, two later pencil annotations, no place, 23 June [1841], two old repairs to folds, some light spotting and browning
2 pages, 8vo (21.2 x 13.5cm), integral blank, two later pencil annotations, no place, 23 June [1841], two old repairs to folds, some light spotting and browning
Condition
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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
UNPUBLISHED: Not in Correspondance générale, ii or iii, Suppléments (2003) or Suppléments 2 (2016)
In this letter to the leading librettist of French opera, Eugène Scribe (1791-1861), Berlioz provides a glimpse of his thoughts during the composition of a large scale work. Scribe was slow to provide the second act of the opera, La nonne sanglante, loosely based on an episode from Matthew Lewis’s Gothic novel The Monk. Berlioz was frustrated by the slow progress of his librettist and did not receive the text of the next act until October 1841. He abandoned work in early 1842, though he considered a completion for London in 1847. The libretto was eventually set by Charles Gounod between 1852-1854.