Lot 148: SCHUBERT, FRANZ.

Autograph letter signed ("Franz Schubert[paraph]")

Condition Note: to his friend, the composer Anselm Hüttenbrenner, asking him to be sure to be at home on the 19th of March at 3pm so that he call on him and go together to the play music with the Kunz sisters, telling him that he would be most disconcerted if he did not have time for this, but, in that case, he should leave a message with his house-keeper

...Ich bitte dich recht sehr, Donnerstag Nachmittags, das ist Monath März den 19 um 3 Uhr zu Hause zu seyn, damit ich dich abholen u. wir zusammen zu den Kunzen gehen können. Solttest du nicht Zeit, was mich außerordentlich derangiren würde, so lasse mit eine Nachricht bey deinem Hausherrn...

2 pages, 8vo (c.17.5 x 10.7cms), autograph integral address-leaf ("An H[errn] Hüttenbrenner, Compositeur"), annotated by the recipient ("19/3/ [1]818"), [Vienna, before 19 March 1818], light browning, staining to the address-leaf, library stamp and annotation

We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described in our catalogue. 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. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

CATALOGUE NOTE

Autograph letters by Schubert are rare; only about sixty are known, of which this is one of the earliest. This letter has not not been offered on the market for many decades.

On 12 March 1818, Schubert and Anselm Hüttenbrenner played music with the sisters Therese and Babette Kunz (for piano eight hands) at a private concert at the inn "Zum römischen Kaiser" in Vienna. Hüttenbrenner (1794-1868) was a member of Schubert's closest circle of friends, a composer and a pupil of Salieri. He is best known for keeping hold of the manuscript of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, which had in fact been sent to his brother Josef Hüttenbrenner.

The letter, which is stamped by the Sächsische Landesbibliothek, Dresden, was recently de-accessioned and released to the heirs of the late Paul Hinrichsen, one of seven children of the Leipzig music publisher Henri Hinrichsen.