RESULTS OF DELIUS AUCTION: Wed Jun 10 19:06:46 1998 Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Delius manuscripts which sold last month. Most of them have gone to the British Library but there are a couple still available in my next catalogue - the 'Chant Indien' and 'La Plage est silencieuse et deserte'. They will be Ł1250 each. Yours sincerely, Sophie Dupre ************************************************************************* ORIGINAL LIST OF AUCTION ITEMS: Subject: Re: Delius Manuscripts Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 04:31:24 -0500 From: Sophie Dupre Farahar_Dupre@compuserve.com To: Bill Thompson stretch@hal-pc.org We are indeed handling an important collection of Delius material for a client. However, after an insubstantial offer from the British Library we have been instructed to place the collection with Sotheby's for their May sale. Here is a description of the items for sale: DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) MAZURKA, MS beginning of an outline sketch in his hand, in pencil, signed on the title 'Fritz Delius', no date, in C minor, 3/4 time for orchestra, some names of instruments in French, the melody given out by the oboe is taken up by the strings, no dynamics, some phrasing, title and 7 further sides each 354mm x 271mm = 13 15/16" x 10 11/16", 22 staves, 55 bars, oval embossed stamp 'LARD/ 25, R. FEYDEAU/ PARIS', no watermark, incomplete at end, n.d. c. 1891 [SD16983] Unknown to Threfall or Lowe. This is not the 'Dance in Mazurka tempo' (3 sharps - 0 sharps) in 'North Country Sketches: Four Orchestral Pieces' No. 3, or the mazurka in 'Mazurka and Waltz for a Little Girl', 1923, 38 bars in F major, (No. 1 in 'Five Piano Pieces', published 1925, RT (1977), IX/7). Apparently scored for Piccolo, Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns in F and Strings. An otherwise unused stave (no. 15) on the first side has a few notes in bars 5-7 marked 'Soldats' ('soldiers'). DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) VASANTASENA, MS beginning of a sketch in ink in Delius' hand, unsigned, apparently for Violin and Piano, in E flat minor with some changes of key, in vigorous 4/4 time, and with a strong second beat, dynamics limited to 'Molto ritard.' in bars 9-10 on a descending run, original alterations in several places, 41 bars, plus marks for a 'da capo', the text breaks off near the foot of the page after four bars of violin without piano, n.d., c. 1890 WITH ON VERSO: BADINAGE MS first side of a working draft in ink in Delius' hand, unsigned, on two staves as for Piano, title in pencil added by Jelka Delius above the composer's title 'Drei Gespr„ch' ('Three conversations') and 'Dance', in D flat major - E flat major, 4/4 time 'con moto grazioso', no dynamics, some alterations in ink and pencil, including rewriting at bars 25-26, 48 bars, incomplete at end, together 2 sides, 354mm x 269mm = 13 15/16" x 10 9/16", 30 staves, oblong embossed stamp 'LARD ESNAULT/Paris/25, RUE FEYDEAU', no watermark, c. 1890 [SD16984] (a) Vasantasena. Unknown to Threfall or Rowe. The title is in an upright informal hand, not unlike Delius' hand in French in the draft of 'Margot la Rouge', 1902, RT (1977) p. 44, Plate 6. 'Vasantasena' is the heroine of the old Sanskrit play 'The Little Toy Cart', by Sudraka, Raja of Magadha, (German translation, 1879). It is also the title of a play freely based on the latter by E. Pohl, (Stuttgart, 1893), and of a Suite for Orchestra (Leipzig, 1897), by the Norwegian Johan Halvorsen, (1864-1935), to accompany the version by Bj”rnstjerne Bj”rnson, (1832-1910). Another Sanskrit play, Kalidasa's 'Sakuntala', inspired Holger Drachmann's well-known Danish poem of that name (1876). Delius' setting of the latter poem, in a German version published by Edmund Lobedanz, (Leipzig, 1881), was written in 1889 for tenor and orchestra, but not performed and published till 1987 (Complete Works Vol. 19). (b) Badinage. RT (1977) IX/4, p. 184. Plates 27-28 on pp. 185-186 show the complete work in a copyist's hand, 82 bars. See also RL (1974), p. 112 for the latter copy. The text, marked 'Giocoso', incorporates the rewriting of bars 25-26, and otherwise agrees with the present copy. RT (1986), p. 150, in 'Box No. 5', ff. 5-7 appear to be drafts on the same paper as the present text. RT (1986), p. 194, plate 29, shows notes for parts of 'Danse lente [=Badinage]', from an 8-stave oblong notebook 145mm x 225mm = 5 11/16" x 8 7/8", representing an earlier stage. RT (1986), p. 161, f. 9b on 24-stave paper, is in part an ink sketch for 'Badinage' in quavers. DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) MS Song 'La Ballade du Musicien' in French, in ink, in an elegant copyist's hand for the publishers, from Ibsen's words 'Spillemaend' in 'Digte', 1851, (in German 'Spielleute', later 'Spielmann', meaning 'Minstrel'), for voice and piano, with, after the title, added in Delius' hand "(paroles de Henrik Ibsen)", and "musique de" before the composer's name, E minor in 2/2 time, in another hand on side 1 "Allemand et Francais" in ink over pencil, corrections to single notes in bars 17 and 30, 46 bars on 4 sides 349mm x 270mm = 13 3/4" x 10 5/8", 12 staves, no dotted line for words, no embossed stamp, no watermark, n.d., c. 1896 [SD16985] RT (1977) V/9, p. 95, '7 Lieder (aus der Norwegischen)', no. 5, and RT (1986) V/9, p. 54. Composed in 1890. The song was first published as No. 5 of '7 Lieder (aus dem Norwegischen)', in German and English, by Augener, 1892. The plates and copyright were transferred back to Delius in 1895. This version was published by L. Grus fils, Paris, in 1896, transposed down from F sharp minor to E minor, in '5 Chansons ... de Fritz Delius', to French and German words. DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) MS Song 'Chant Indien' in French, in ink, in an elegant copyist's hand for the publishers, from Shelley's words 'The Indian Serenade' ('I arise from dreams of thee', 1822), for voice and piano, with on the title page added in Delius' hand "… la Princesse de Cystria-Fancigny n‚e de Trevise" and "PoŠme de Shelley", D flat major in 6/8 time, in another hand on side 1 of the music "Rajouter l'Anglais" ['Add the English'] and "en ut maj." ['in C major'], one comment on tempo and three breathing marks in pencil, "Et que mon coeur" at climax replaced by Delius by "encor" (poetic for 'encore') in pencil, 77 bars, title and 6 sides each 349mm x 270mm, = 13 3/4" x 10 5/8", 12 staves, guideline for words in light pencil, no embossed stamp, watermark of a lyre, stitched, n.d., c. 1896 [SD16986] RT (1977) V/12, p. 104, '3 Songs, The words by Shelley', no. 1. This transcription precedes the one in C major made for the engraver, RT (1986) V/12, p. 55. Composed in 1891. First published in English by Augener, 1892, but transferred back to Delius in 1895. This version was published by L. Grus fils, Paris, in 1896, transposed down into C major, in '5 Chansons ... de Fritz Delius', no. 3, to French and English words, being the sole French publication. DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) MS Song 'La Plage est silencieuse et d‚serte', for voice and piano, possibly in Jelka Delius' hand in ink, a French version of 'Lyse Naetter - Paa Stranden' (1879) by the Danish poet Holger Drachmann, 1846-1908, known in English as 'Summer Nights (On the Sea Shore)', in E flat major, 4/4 time, with dynamics, original marking 'Lento, molto tranquillo ed expressivo (ad libitum)' crossed out and marked 'wrong' in pencil, 'Ad libitum' and one accidental added and a tie corrected by Delius in pencil, the last bar of side 2 crossed out and transferred to side 3, otherwise a fair copy, 21 bars on 3 sides each 352mm x 272mm = 13 7/8" x 10 11/16", 4 x 3 = 12 staves with dotted line for words, oblong embossed stamp 'H. LARD ESNAULT/Ed. BELLAMY Sr./PARIS', no watermark, n.d., c. 1897 [SD16987] This French version appears to be unpublished. See RT (1977) V/13 ('Lyse Naetter'), p. 107. Compare RT (1977) III/4, pp. 77-79 (orchestral versions). This song was first published in any language for voice and piano in 'Ten Songs by Frederick Delius', Galliard, 1973, ed. Robert Threlfall, to English words, marked 'Adagio, con molto espressione'. That version is no. 8, p. 28, the third of the 'Five Songs from the Danish'. In 1897 Delius compiled an orchestral version to English words, using four horns and strings, which was performed at the Delius concert at St. James's Hall, 30th May 1899. Delius made several versions of Drachmann's poem to Danish, German, French and English words between 1891 and 1897. The earlier versions are in 6/8 time, the later in 4/4. At first the 4/4 version was 'declamatory' with an accompaniment largely of spread chords. Delius then replaced some bars towards the beginning and end with broken chords, giving a much calmer effect. For a version in Danish showing the spread chords see RL (1974), p. 126, plate 32a. On that copy, above the melody line, the French words are pencilled in, and in the score Delius has indicated how the spread chords are to be replaced by broken chords, as realised in the present copy. The present version also shows a sensitive adaptation of the note values to the French words and their natural rhythm. For a version of the music closer to that of 1891 see 'Ten Songs' (above), No. 7. The French version of the words is by William Molard (1862-1937), whose mother was Norwegian. His studio was below Gauguin's in the rue Vercing‚torix, and he was at the centre of Delius' social life at this time (see Lionel Carley, 'Delius: The Paris Years', 1975). For Debussy's review of a performance of the 'PoŠmes Danois' under Vincent d'Indy, sung by Christianne Andray, 16th March 1901, see Carley, p. 74. DELIUS (Frederick, 1862-1934, Composer) THE SPLENDOUR FALLS ON CASTLE WALLS, Draft in Jelka Delius' hand in pencil, for SATB chorus, with second chorus of tenors and basses ('to be hummed with closed mouth imitating horns'), the words by Tennyson from 'The Princess', 1847, in C major, in 4/4 with short sections in 3/4, chorus 'Blow bugle blow' in 6/8, the hummed portions marked for 'second tenors' and 'first basses', 'Ah' in bass at bar 63 deleted in pencil, 77 bars, 7 sides. The above is an earlier version than that recorde by RT, see below. WITH ON SIDE 8: Short Sketch headed 'SONATA', apparently for Violin and Piano, beginning in C major, in Jelka Delius' hand, 11 bars for violin, of which bars 1, 4, 10 and 11 have the piano part marked, 341mm x 272mm = 13 7/16" x 10 11/16", printed monogram 'B.C.' on a lyre, no watermark, together 8 sides, n.d., c. 1923 [SD16989] For the Tennyson see RT (1977) IV/6, p. 87, and (for a replacement entry concerning the manuscripts), RT (1986) IV/6, p. 51. Published by the Oxford University Press in 1924. The 'Sonata' is completely unknown to Threlfall and Rowe, and is not part of the published Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Nos. 1, 2, 3 or posthumous). However it is in C Major and may have some echoes in Sonata no. 2 also in the same key. Best wishes, Sophie Dupre