Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - photo 1
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - photo 2

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Lot 105
08.11.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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£ 21 420
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1053219
Lot 105 | Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Estimate value
£ 10 000 – 15 000
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Autograph letter signed ('Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy') to the violinist Ferdinand David, Frankfurt, 19 February 1845
On the Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64, including four musical examples.

In German. 2 pages 196 x 127mm, integral autograph address panel, including four autograph musical examples.

Provenance:
(1) Collection of 'Mrs Fricken' (annotation in portfolio).

(2) With William Reeves Bookseller, Charing Cross Road.

(3) Sotheby's, 4 December 2007, lot 84.

(4) Schøyen Collection, MS 5403.

Mendelssohn thanks Ferdinand David for the trouble he is taking with the concerto, suggesting corrections and alterations to the solo part, discussing the close of the first movement, and also the ad libitum cadenza, suggesting an alternative version for a few bars should he find the original too uncomfortable. The four musical examples in the letter are all solo violin passages from the concerto, comprising: 1) three bars from the first movement cadenza, bb.323-325; 2) first movement, bb.505-506 and 512-513; 3) first movement, bb.489-492; and 4) third movement, bb.219-222.

'Habe vielen dank für alle Mühe die du dir mit meinem Violin-Concert giebst, und verzeih alle die Zeit und Langeweile, die es dich kosten muß. Der Tact vor der Cadenz möchte ich nicht wiederholt haben; es steht ja wohl dabei Cadenza ad libitum, u. da meine ich man kann die Arpeggien so lang oder kurz machen, wie man will.'

Mendelssohn's op.64 is one of the best-known of all violin concertos. Its composition occupied six years from its first conception in 1838, and throughout this period it was the subject of discussion between Mendelssohn and his close friend and colleague Ferdinand David (1810-1873), in which David provided detailed technical and compositional advice. David was the soloist at the first performance in Leipzig on 13 March 1845, only a few weeks after the present letter, and the work was subsequently dedicated to him.
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