Lot 49
- 49
Meyerbeer, Giacomo
Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Meyerbeer, Giacomo
- Celebrated autograph letter signed ("G. Meyerbeer"), TO ROSSINI ("Divino maestro!"), about the "Petite messe solennelle", 15 March 1864
- paper
in Italian, thanking him profusely for the pleasure of a second hearing of his latest creation [the Petite messe solennelle], asking the heavens to preserve him till he is a hundred so that he might bring forth similar masterpieces, and requesting that he be granted a similar lifespan in order to be able to experience the latest signs of his immortal genius ("...Che il cielo vi conserva fino a cento anni, per procreare ancora qualche altri Capi d'Opere simile...")
1 page, 8vo (21 x 13.4cm), integral blank, embossed with Meyerbeer's monogram, with an autograph envelope ("Giove - Rossini Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin Meyerbeer") Paris, 15 March 1864, some light creasing
1 page, 8vo (21 x 13.4cm), integral blank, embossed with Meyerbeer's monogram, with an autograph envelope ("Giove - Rossini Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin Meyerbeer") Paris, 15 March 1864, some light creasing
Literature
G. Radiciotti, G. Rossini, (1929), ii, 444; S. Henze-Döring, Giacomo Meyerbeer. Briefwechsel und Tagebücher, volume 8 (2006), pp.606-607 (partly in French); H. & G. Becker, Giacomo Meyerbeer. A Life in Letters, (1989), no.116 (in English); H. Weinstock, Rossini, A Biography (1968), p.325
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
This famous encomium of Rossini's Petite messe solennelle is one of Meyerbeer's last letters, its location unrecorded by scholars since 1904. Meyerbeer attended the premiere on 14 March 1864, at the home of the dedicatee, Countess Louise Pillet-Will, where it was repeated the following day before a larger audience. Meyerbeer attended both performances against the advice of his doctors, and apparently embraced the composer. He died only a few months later, on 2 May 1864, causing Rossini, when he heard the news, to faint with shock.