E. Wellesz. Archive of autograph manuscripts of his compositions, 1917-1971

Egon Wellesz

Archive of autograph manuscripts of his compositions, UNPUBLISHED,

including:

Idyllen, Op.21, the Stichvorlage, marked up by and for the printer, unbound, 24 pages, February-March 1917, later inscribed "For Elizabeth on 25th July 1947 with all my warmest congratulations Egon"

Alkestis, Op.35, sketches for the return of Alkestis from Hades, inscribed and signed by Wellesz ("28. May 1948 To Elizabeth! E."), together with some sketches for the fourth string quartet, Op.28, 4 pages, the former sketches dated 7 February 1919

The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, Op.61, autograph score and draft score, signed and inscribed by Wellesz, 20 and 7 pages, 1944; with an autograph note by Wellesz to [Elizabeth Mackenzie] ("I am talking so much about the two poems. So, I think it best to give you the facts of what I am trying to do...And keep these sketches as a sign of my friendship E.")

The faithful shepherdess, for 3 unaccompanied female voices, fair copy manuscript, 2 pages, Oxford, 28-29 October 1944; with an autograph note by Wellesz to Elizabeth Mackenzie ("...I do not know if it is good. But I tried to change in every strophe slightly the melody..."); with an inscribed copy of the printed edition

I Sing of a Maiden, for 3 unaccompanied female voices, fair copy manuscript, signed and inscribed (..."for Elizabeth"), 1 page, Oxford, 7 November 1944, vertical folds; with an inscribed copy of the printed edition

Symphony No.1, Op.62, convolute of drafts for all three movements, signed and inscribed, 21, 10 and 6 pages, 18 July-28 August 1945

Symphony No.2, Op.65, sketches for the first and fourth movements, signed, c.66 pages in all, unbound, 1 November 1946-10 February 1948

String Quartet No.7, Op.66, collection of sketches, signed, c.21 pages in all, 3 March-2 April 1948

Octet, Op.67, 3 manuscript music books containing composing drafts and sketches for all five movements, signed in various places, c.84 pages, wrappers, September 1948-January 1949

Incognita, Op.69, 13 manuscript music books containing sketches and drafts for the three-act opera, signed and inscribed, over 300 pages, one volume bearing an autograph dedication to Elizabeth Mackenzie ("I give back to the Poet what I got from her / To Elizabeth / Egon, 6 June 1949 Oxford"), another volume containing sketches for the Symphony No.3, Op.68, 20 pages, the first movement sketch dated 9 April 1949, printed wrappers, 1949-1950

The Poet and the Day, Op.63 No.3, revised fair copy score and composing draft, the fair copy inscribed "To Elizabeth from Egon 21. March 1950 This is the first copy from the manuscript E.J.W."), 5 and c.10 pages, 15-16 March 1950 (revised 17-21 March 1950) 

Symphony No.3, Op.68, manuscript music book containing sketches for the first movement, scherzo and fourth movement, 20 pages, printed wrappers, 3 April 1949-14 April 1950; with a 1-page autograph letter to [Elizabeth Mackenzie], dated Easter 1950; together with a separate volume of sketches for the Adagio and some loose drafts and sketches for the fourth movement, 18 pages, 15 January-5 April 1950

Symphony No.4, Op.70, collection of sketches and drafts, over 70 pages, unbound, October to December 1951

4 Songs of Return, Op.85, manuscript music book containing the composing draft, 30 pages, signed on the upper wrapper, printed wrappers, Sunday 23 July 17 August 1961; with a manuscript note by Wellesz to [Elisabeth Mackenzie] ("The music comes back to its source. Xmas 1963 Egon")

Symphony No.6, manuscript music book containing sketches for the first, second and third movements, signed and inscribed ("for Elizabeth Egon Sept. 1965"), 31 pages, blue card spiral-bound wrappers, dated at the end April 1965, corrected 1 and 2 May [1965] 

Vision, Op.99, for orchestra and soprano solo, complete draft score, 9 pages, folio, signed on the title-page ("Egon Wellesz"), unbound, 15-20 June 1966, revised 10-11 September 1966

Symphony No.9, Op.111, 2 manuscript music books containing drafts and sketches for the work, 26 leaves and 20 pages, one volume inscribed "for Elizabeth I worked and worked and yet - it isn't the final version", blue card spiral-bound wrappers, 4 November 1970-14 April 1971

many hundreds of pages in all, various sizes, the drafts and sketches in ink and pencil, with extensive corrections, revisions and alterations, with a photocopy of 3 pages from the orchestral score of Prosperos Beschwörungen, Op.53, with a few manuscript additions, some inscribed printed scores, including of On Time, Op.63, the manuscripts dated Vienna and Oxford, 1917-1971

A SIGNIFICANT WELLESZ DISCOVERY. 

This is a substantial and important archive of manuscripts by the Austrian composer and musicologist Egon Wellesz (1885-1974). A pupil of Schoenberg and later Guido Adler in Vienna, Wellesz fled to England in 1938 as Hitler was annexing Austria, establishing himself in Oxford (Fellow of Lincoln College: 1939; University Lecturer: 1943), where he continued to give expression to his multifarious talents as a composer, a teacher and an authority on Byzantine music.

The collection, which comprises in the main sketches and drafts for a significant cross-section of Wellesz's composing output, but also some fair-copy scores as well, represents not only a substantial creative testament: belonging once to Wellesz's muse, the Oxford scholar, poet and latterly Vice-Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Elizabeth Mackenzie (1921-2021), to whom most of the manuscripts are dedicated, it is also a poignant record of a great and enduring love. This is made plain too by a number of letters of Wellesz which accompany some of the - helpfully well-dated - manuscripts. One such, dated 4 January 1949 is typical: "All these little melodies speak out what you are for me, my inspiration, my happiness, my beloved friend, my home and my peace. All the blessings of the Gods may protect you. For ever and ever yours Egon." In another, dated 28 May 1948, accompanying some sketches for the opera Alkestis and the fourth string quartet, we read: "You suffered today with me from the co-existence of things in the artist's soul, and I wished so much to give you a token of my gratitude for your help and searched among my sketches...They are old and torn, and older than you are, but they still live in me as they were when I wrote them and I want them to be with you. I love you very much E."