Composer Autograph Manuscripts

German composer (1926-2012), whose works include a wide variety of styles. Autograph letter in German (untranslated) signed by him and dated in San Marino, 1998. Size is 8.25 x 11.7 inches, 1 page, in excellent condition.

German composer (1926-2012), creator of a vast number of works both orchestral and vocal, including 10 Symphonies, operas, stage works, concertos, ballets, and chamber music. Autograph music quote on a score with a small photo of him on top. Size is 4 x 6 inches, in excellent condition.

German composer (1926-2012), whose works include a wide variety of styles. Nice 2-bar autograph music quote from an unknown piece signed by him. Size is 8.9 x 3.75 inches, in excellent condition.

German composer (1926-2012), whose works include a wide variety of styles. 1-bar autograph music quote from an unknown piece plus an autograph note in German on verso also written by the composer on October 9, 1997.  Size is 8.2 x 4 inches, in very good condition.

Irish-born American composer and conductor (1859-1924), best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I. 2-bar autograph music quote signed by him on the cover of a program for a performance dated December 1910 at Springfield, USA. Size is 6 x 9.2 inches, in excellent condition.

Irish-born American composer and conductor (1859-1924), best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I. Business card of music fan Gladys Greeley signed by Herbert on the back with an 8-bar music quote from "Le Prima Donna" dated in November 1908. Size is 2.8 x 2 inches, mounting traces on verso, in excellent condition.

French composer (1794-1880), brother of Henri Herz. Set of two autograph letters in French (untranslated) signed by him, one of them is dated 1856.  Letters concerns a rescheduled lesson and the acquaintance of the musicians Frantz Louis Matz and Madame Matz for the Londoner publish Chappel. We report an extract as a sample: “….j’ai joué et fait entendre à quelques notabilités de Boulogne le dernier instrument que vous avez envoyé à Mr. Matz, Madame Matz, que j’ai vu ce matin…”. 3 pp. In-8. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

Swiss composer (1906-1997), musicologist, and a famous Beethoven scholar. Autograph music quote signed by him on a card with 5 bars from his opus 44.  Size is 5.8 x 4.1 inches, in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a small booklet in German for his funeral service which includes a 4-bar music quote by him from his work "Meditation" dated in 1977, attached to the first page of the booklet.  Size is 5.75 x 8.25 inches, 24 pages, softcovers, in excellent condition.

German composer and teacher (1908-1994). Large music quote from one of his cantatas signed by him and dated March 1992. Size is 8.25 x 5.8 inches, in excellent condition. ALSO INCLUDED is an autograph letter in German (untranslated) signed by him, dated 1992. Size is 8.25 x 11.6 inches, in excellent condition.

French composer (1822-1898) of light opera, notable as a friend of Jules Verne. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated in Paris, May 23, 1875, to a gentleman: “…je vous envoie l’autographe que vous désirez…”. Size is 5.5 x 8.3 inches, 1 written page, folds, dust stains, in overall excellent condition. Its original envelope is ALSO INCLUDED.

German composer and singer (1849-1924), his voice was of a baritone, creator of many songs. Set of 3 autographs: 1 letter on his latter head paper, 2 pages, dated in 1911, sized 5.5 x 8.25 inches; one letter, 2 pages, dated 1919, sized 8.25 x 11 inches and one letter on his personal card, written on both sides, sized 4 x 2.5 inches, (no date). All in German, sold untranslated, in excellent condition.  SOLD ONLY AS A LOT, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

American composer (1801-1890), who was mostly a songwriter, playwright, and poet. Autograph letter signed, dated in Baltimore in 1874, about some business. Size is 7.6 x 9.6 inches, 1 page, some folds and rust, otherwise in very good condition.

French composer (1860-1909), brother of pianist Paul, pupil of Émile Durand and Jules Massenet. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated in Paris, February 22, 1907, to a gentleman about music matters: “…Pierné était en voyage! Il repart même aujourd’hui pour une absence de dix jour: cela t’explique pourquoi tu n’as pas reçu réponse de lui.– (…) Hélas! mon pauvre vieux, tu n’as pas un piano de marque, et tu auras le plus grand mal à le vendre…”.  Size is 7.8 x 6.1 inches, two written pages in one sheet (front and back), folds, creases, some dirt stains, in overall very good condition.

French composer (1852-1933) and pianist, brother of Lucien. Nice autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, no date, to a lady: “…Voulez-vous bien accepter ces deux anguilles que j’ai moi-même pêchés hier dans l’Oise?…”. Size is 3.9 x 6.2 inches, 1 page, folds, rust stains, in overall very good condition.

French composer (1872-1961). Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, no date, where he addresses the music publisher Ricordi: “…J’ai porté Boulevard Malesherbes le 3ème acte orchestre et piano de ma partition. Je voudrai bien avoir le plutôt possible le manuscrit ou les gravures du V acte pour que j’en termine l’orchestration…”.  Size is 4.7 x 7.3 inches, 2 written pages in one sheet (front and back), printed letterhead and monogram, folds, light creases, in very good condition.

Polish-American composer and pianist (1876-1957). An album page signed by him and dated 1921. Size is 4.9 x 6.1 inches, in excellent condition. 

American composer (1926-2011) and pianist, creator of operas and songs, a disciple of Gian Carlo Menotti. Card signed and inscribed by him with 10 bars of music from "The Tides of Sleep" -one of his pieces for low voice and orchestra, dated in 1969. Size is 6 x 4 inches, in excellent condition,

American composer (1926-2011) and pianist, and disciple of composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Short autograph note in English with his letterhead and a short greeting signed by him adding a short 3-bar music quote from the piece Summer & Smoke. Size is 7.25 x 10.4 inches, 1 page, in excellent condition. Its original autograph envelope is ALSO INCLUDED.

Dutch composer and conductor (1825-1904), as a composer created 4 Symphonies, 2 operas, songs, and oratorios, as well as organ and piano music.  Autograph music quote from a Sonata in F Major, inscribed at the bottom and signed by him, dated in 1853. Autograph album page trimmed on left and right, damage and stains on corners, size is 7.5 x 6 inches. On verso, handwritten poetry in French dedicated to the album owner ("Adelaide...") at a later date, by an unknown artist (E. Rogers). Autographs of Hol are rare.

French composer (1847-1903) of Irish descent.  Autograph letter in French (untranslated) on a card signed by her and dated 1891. Size is 5.25 x 3.5 inches, written on both sides of the card, jagged edges, in very good condition.

French-born Swiss composer (1892-1955), best known for being part of "Les Six" and his opera "Antigone". Typed letter in French (sold untranslated) signed by him, dated in Zurich, 1948, addressed to the then director of Buenos Aires Teatro Colon.  Size is 7.5 x 10.75 inches, 1 page, folds, in excellent condition.

English composer and singer (1786-1849). Autograph letter signed, 3 pages, size is 4.5 x 7.25 inches, very small stains at top of each page outside of the area of text, otherwise in excellent condition.

English composer (1774-1858), creator of numerals instrumental pieces and glees. Autograph letter signed, on two pages with signature on verso, in English. Size is 4.25 x 6.75 inches, mounted on a larger piece of paper frame, in excellent condition.

American composer (1888-1949) of songs, chamber music, journalist, and lecturer.  Printed score of one of her songs, signed and inscribed by her with a short sentiment, dated in 1918.  Size is 9 x 11.8 inches, full score with all pages and covers, minor rust stains, otherwise in excellent condition.

American composer (1911-2000), one of the most prolific 20th-Century composers.  Autograph music quote with 15 bars of his Magnificat's Gloria (trumpet II) signed by him.  Size is 8 x 4.1 inches, in excellent condition.

English composer (1898-1982) and pianist. Album page signed by her. Size is 6.3 x 3.5 inches, in excellent condition. The album page has the signature of the English tenor Maurice D'Oisly (1882-1949) on verso.

German-born British music critic (1845-1889). Autograph letter in English signed by him with content related to the music business, dated 1874. Size is 4.4 x 7 inches, 2 written pages in separate sheets, folds, in excellent condition.

American composer (1885-1974), also pianist, arranger, and teacher. Set of two autograph letters signed, both dated in Syracuse, New York in 1943. One letter has 6 pages and the other 5, each one is 4.9 x 7.8 inches, both in excellent condition. ALSO INCLUDED are two advertisements for his records.

Austrian composer (1778-1837) and virtuoso pianist. Clip from the last part of a letter written by Hummel with his signature, mentioning his position as kapelmeister, chevallier de la Legion d'honneur, and other titles. Size is 7.9 x 49 inches, folds, minor stains, otherwise in excellent condition.

Austrian composer (1778-1837) and virtuoso pianist. Autograph letter in French (sold untranslated) signed by him in 1830, about a concert. Size is 5.1 x 8.1 inches, 1 written page, spotted rust stains, in overall good condition. Hummel's autographs are very rare to find!

American pianist (1931-2008). Autograph letter signed by Hundley dated December 1986 and addressed to his friend LeRoy Richmond. Size is 8.5 x 11 inches, 1 page, folds, in very good condition.

Czech-born classical composer and conductor (1921-2016), winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Autograph music quote on a card with 1 bar from his Sonata #2 for piano signed and inscribed by him, dated September 21, 1982. Size is 5 x 3 inches, in excellent condition.

English composer (1852-1935), conductor, and pianist. Set of two fine autograph letters signed by him, not dated, where he addresses the music critic Aldo Noseda, thanking him for articles he wrote on him. For a total of 2 pp. In-8. ALSO INCLUDED is an autograph letter signed on a card, not dated, addressed to Aldo Noseda: “…I wanted to tell you that Sanzogno has taken my opera ‘Signa’ and will perform it as soon as he can…”.  Signa is an opera originally conceived in four acts with music by the British composer with a libretto by Gilbert Arthur à Beckett, after Ouida, with an Italian translation by Giannandrea Mazzucato, first performed in a reduced three-act version at the Teatro Dal Verme, Milan on 12 November 1893. It was later given in a two-act version at Covent Garden, London on 30 June 1894. 2 pp. on visiting card. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

English composer (1852-1935), conductor, and pianist. Autograph note on a visiting card signed in pencil by him, no date, to a gentleman: “...There is a dreadful scandal in London at the way S... has been treating me...”. Size is 3.6 x 2.1 inches, in very good condition.

Argentine composer (1913-1988), who created music based on folk traditions. Beautiful black-and-white photo postcard shown young, signed and inscribed by him with a short sentiment and a 2-bar music quote from his opera "El Oro del Inca", dated in 1953. Size is 3.3 x 5.25 inches, pinholes in all four corners, small crease, otherwise in very good condition.

French composer (1880-1965), conductor, and writer. Collection of three autograph notes in French (untranslated) on visiting cards addressed to Inghelbrecht by theater critic Jean Prudhomme (pseudonym of Jean Ricard), the pianist Raoul Bardac’s widow, the musicologist Georges de Saint-Foix. We report an extract as a sample: “…Merci mille fois, cher Maître, de l’envoi de votre plaquette sur Carmen, Faust et Pélleas, qui je trouve à mon retour de vacances…” Different sizes, lengths, and conditions (see scans provided for a detailed view). SOLD TOGETHER NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

Swiss composer (1865-1950) and music educator who developed Dalcroze eurhythmics. Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by him, dated in Genève, December 4, 1897, addressed to Arthur Cognard, concerning his vocal work Sancho (1896): “…la première de ma comédie musicale Sancho a lieu à Genève le lundi 13 Décembre prochain (…) j’ai très peur de l’indifference de la presse et du public locaux – nul n’est prophète chez lui…”.  Open size is 11.2 x 8.6 inches, two written pages in one folded sheet, folds, creases, letterhead from "Gazette Musicale Geneve", in very good condition.  

Swiss composer (1865-1950), musician and music educator who developed Dalcroze Eurhythmics, an approach to learning and experiencing music through movement. Autograph letter signed, one page in French, sold untranslated. Size is 5.3 x 8.3 inches, storage holes, in very good condition. Rare.

Swiss composer (1865-1950), and music educator, who developed Dalcroze eurhythmics, an approach to learning and experiencing music through movement. Fine autograph letter in French signed by him (no year), addressed to a fellow composer, complimenting him on a recent speech.  Size is 8.5 x 10.9 inches, folds, othewise in very good condition.

English composer (b.1927) who has written many film and TV scores, including the famous film Dr. Strangelove (1964) among many others. Autograph music quote signed by him, with 2 bars from "Dr. Strangelove", dated by him in 2008. Size is 5.9 x 4 inches, in excellent condition.

French composer (1812-1860) and conductor. Set of two autograph letters in French (untranslated) signed by him, as follows: A. Coblentz le 23 Août 1847. To the journalist and music publisher Léon Escudier (1821-1881): “…je vous envoie les traités signés puisqu’ils contiennent plusieurs petites choses sur les quelles j’ai des objections à faire…”. 3 pp. In-4. B. Not dated. To the director of the London Royal Opera House Frederick Gye (1810-1878): “…je crois donc qu’avant mon départ il ne serait pas inutile de nous entendre sur quelques petits points…”. 2 pp. In-8. ALSO INCLUDED is a printed first page of the 29th of August 1852 edition of the magazine “Gazzetta Musicale di Milano”. He was compelled to leave Paris to escape his creditors, and came to live in London (1840-1856), where he formed a good orchestra and conducted bands and orchestras at promenade concerts. These had existed in London's pleasure gardens since the mid-18th century, but under the direction of Jullien (and later Sir Arthur Sullivan) indoor proms became a feature of 19th-century musical life in London from 1838. The annual series of BBC Proms continuing today had their roots in that movement. SOLD TOGETHER, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

Soviet composer (1905-1987), creator of a large amount of piano and chamber music, Kabalevsky is better known for his 2nd Symphony and his 3rd Piano concerto. Autograph music quote with 2 bars from his Cello Concerto, signed and dated in 1966 in Interlocken, Michigan, during a summer music camp. Size is 8.75 x 5.9 inches, in excellent condition. Kabalevsky´s autographs are very scarce.  

Soviet composer (1905-1987), creator of a large amount of piano and chamber music, Kabalevsky is better known for his 2nd Symphony and his 3rd Piano concerto. First page from a manuscript of a composition by another composer, signed by Kabalevsky, who wrote in bad English "For remember of our discussion, this my best wishes". Dated by him in Interlocken, Michigan, 1966. Signed during the music summer camp there.

Famous German pianist, composer and teacher (1785-1849), at his peak, Kalkbrenner was considered by many the best pianist in Europe, and a prolific composer. Autograph note, addressed to the Gentlemen Directors of the Philharmonic Society". Letter reads "Mr Kalkbrenner presents his compliments to the Gentlemen Directors, and would feel much obliged to them if they would let him have back the scores of his Symphonia today, as has to look over some of the parts which never were well corrected. He would likewise thank them to let him know who is to be the leader. Sunday morning, 14 South Malton Street. One folded page, 8 x 9.75 inches (when folded), handwritten only on one side (see scans), in excellent condition, rare.

American composer (b.1927), known largely for his work in the musical theater. 3-bar autograph music quote from his musical Cabaret (1966), signed on an envelope (postal markings indicated July 3, 1978) by him. The size is 6.7 x 3.7 inches, in excellent condition.

Croatian composer (1924-2018). Autograph music quote on a music sheet with a graphic crescendo of the first movement "Genesis" from his work "Opera Bestial" signed by him and dated in Stuttgart on June 24, 1978.  Size is 8 x 5.7 inches, in excellent condition.

American composer (1911-1994) and conductor. Set of 2 autograph music quotes signed and inscribed by him with a short sentiment. One of them has 2 music quotes: 3 bars from his song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1943) and 4 bars from "There'll Be Blue Birds Over the White Cliffs of Dover" (1941) signed and inscribed by the composer, dated in January 1986.  The other has 4 bars from "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1943) and was signed, inscribed and dated by him in 1992. Sizes are 5 x 2.97 and 6 x 4 inches, in excellent condition.

American composer of musical theater and popular music (1885-1945), considered one of the most important American composers for theater music in the first part of the 20th Century.  Signed score for his theater musical "Music in the Air" (read more HERE), first edition, 1933, published by T.B. Harms, New York. Kern signed this printed score for voice and piano on the title page, and inscribed it to custom designer Madi Christians. Size is 8.75 x 11.5 inches, softcover, 216 numbered pages plus extras, spine is partially loose and repaired with tape, in overall very good condition.