W. A. MOZART, EARLY SCRIBAL MANUSCRIPT FULL SCORE OF "DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE" ("THE MAGIC FLUTE"), C.1800

notated in brown ink apparently by a single scribe on a single system, of up to 12 staves, per page, the musical numbers, including the overture, numbered "1"-"9", and beginning on new gatherings, the trombone parts for the overture, as well as the flutes, trumpets and timpani for the finale copied separately at the end 193 leaves, oblong 4to (22 x 28.5cm), the staves drawn with a single-headed rastrum, red edges, library stamp to title-page ("Gräfl. Stolbergische Bibliothek z. Wernigerode"), trimmed by the binder, contemporary half calf, no place or date [late C18th or early C19th], covers very worn, damp-staining

NMA II/5/19, Kritischer Bericht (2006), pp.33ff.

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."

RARE. We have not traced an early manuscript full score of any Mozart's great operas at auction for nearly ten years. Although the present score does not appear to have been copied by any of the copyists associated with the original and early Viennese performances of the opera, at the Theater auf der Wieden, it is evidently relatively early in date and testifies to the great popularity of the work. Although keyboard scores of the opera appeared early on, an unarranged edition of the full score did not appear until Simrock's edition of 1814. A notable feature of the present score is the way some of the wind parts are copied separately at the end of the manuscript, as in Mozart's autograph.

The score is not among the fourteen score-copies recorded in the critical report to the edition of Die Zauberflöte in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe, only one of which can be securely connected to the Theater auf der Wieden. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dexter Edge with our cataloguing of this lot.