Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) - photo 1
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) - photo 2
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) - photo 3

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Lot 205
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 100
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1109005
Lot 205 | Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Estimate value
£ 1 200 – 1 800
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Autograph letter signed (‘Hector Berlioz’) to [Carolyne, Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein] (‘Princesse’), Paris, 20 February 1858
In French. Eight pages, 208 x 133mm, on two bifolia. Provenance: Christie’s, 29 June 1995, lot 443.

Musical life in the Paris of Napoleon III: Berlioz writes near the completion of Les Troyens, recounting a visit from Wagner and describing recent concerts. Berlioz apologises for the delay in responding to the princess, lamenting his busy life in Paris: ‘In fifteen days I have not found two hours of leisure … all the obligatory dinners, the obligatory balls, then [Henry] Litolff’s arrival […]. Finally, I am the master of my own evening, and I write your response.’ He mentions a performance in Berlin of one of his compositions conducted by von Bülow. The same day, Wagner paid him a visit in Paris and was supposed to arrange a meeting between Berlioz and M. Ollivier, the son-in-law of Franz Liszt, although this fell through. Berlioz reports on the début concert given by the British pianist Henry Litolff: it was a success and featured one of Berlioz’s works, as well as pieces by Haydn, Bruck and Brunot. Berlioz updates the princess on his progress on Les Troyens, which she has been urging him to complete over the last two years. He promises to send her the completed libretto and describes a reading of it in its current state to an audience of members of the Institute, as well as a dinner with the Prince Napoleon. He mentions a dinner with M. Royer, director of the Paris Opera, and the composer Halévy. He tells the Princess where the best concerts are to be found if she visits Paris, and describes a possible missed opportunity to read Les Troyens to the Emperor, to be arranged via Empress Eugénie; in the end, nobody dared to approach Her Majesty to make the request.

This letter is published in Berlioz, Correspondance générale, Paris, 1989, vol. 5, no. 2279.
Artist:Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869)
Place of origin:France
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 20:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
13.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 200
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 200
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 800
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
£3 800
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 200
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 200
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
BERLIOZ, Hector (1803-1869)
£1 200
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
£100

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>