R. STRAUSS, AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT SKETCH-LEAF FOR 'HYMNE AN DER LIEBE' FROM "DREI HYMNEN", OP.71 NO.1, [1921]

part of the first number, 'Hymne an der Liebe', the short score notated in pencil on up to six staves per page, two systems of three staves each, with alterations and corrections, an early draft of the "recapitulation" section in F major, marked "Ruhig", with the words "Siehe! mit der Erde gattet sich der Himmels höchste Lust, Von den Wettern überschattet, bebt entzückt der Mutter Brust", the music thereafter as a single line, continued on the verso (inverted), comprising some forty bars in all, diverging from the final version; together with the end of a sketch in 4/4, E-flat major, for a different piece (14 bars, incomplete, with text lost to the upper margin) and some financial memoranda 2 pages, c.13 x 35.5, 7-stave paper cut down from a larger leaf, both sides paginated "7", Garmisch, 11 June 1924, trimmed, with some text loss to the sketch in E-flat, crease to central vertical fold

TrV 240; RSQV ID q01140 ("unbekannt")

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.
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This seems to be the only extant manuscript for this piece, the first of the Drei Hymnen, op.71 no.1 for solo voice and large orchestra. This setting of Hölderlin's words "Froh der süssen Augenweide" was composed at the beginning of 1921.  Reports of other autographs appear to be mistaken: Trenner lists autographs for the Drei Hymnen at the Richard Strauss-Archiv in Garmisch.  However the Richard Strauss Quellen Verzeichnis concludes that Trenner is in error, and that no such manuscripts have been located in Garmisch. Müller von Asow, (ii, 757-759) states that the autograph of this number, 'Hymne an der Liebe" was once in Dresden, but RSQV disputes this too.  They state that autograph sources for this piece are thus "unknown".   We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Nigel Simeone in the identification of this manuscript. The words Strauss uses in this draft can be translated as "See! the greatest joy of heaven bonds with the earth. Overwhelmed by storms, the mother’s breast trembles with rapture".

"The years 1919 and 1920 are blank in the catalogue of Strauss's works; in 1921 he composed only - some only! - the Drei Hymnen, Op. 71, to texts by Hölderlin with accompaniment for large orchestra, songs which anticipate the richness of the Vier letze Lieder of twenty-seven years later and constitute a major work, sadly underrated and neglected.  Part of the explanation is that he was composing the opera Intermezzo and that the Vienna Opera and travels abroad ate into his time. The first performance of Op. 71 was given in Berlin on 4 November by Barbara Kemp, with Gustav Brecher conducting." (Michael Kennedy, "Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma," p. 210)