Third Person ALS: "Mr. Mendelssohns" in English, 1p, 4¼x4½. Hobart Place, Eaton Square (London), 1844 June 29. In full: "Mr. Mendelssohns (sic) Compliments to Mrs. Maxwell; he regrets to say that he does not give lessons, and his stay in this Country being so very limited now, he finds himself not even at liberty to fix a time at which he could play to Miss Maxwell and hear her play, which under other circumstances he would certainly have done with the greatest pleasure." At the time of this letter, German composer Felix Mendelssohn was in London during a recess from his duties as Headmaster of the Leipzig Conservatory. Mendelssohn's works include the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, the symphonies C Minor and Reformation, concertos and chamber music. He died in 1847 from overwork and nervous exhaustion following the death of his sister, Fanny. He was 38. Uniformly tanned except for a few light spots. Hole at paper to the left of the "2" in date, touching part of it, and in text, touching 2 words. Upper left and lower right corners missing. ½-inch diagonal tear and pinhead-size nick at blank left margin.

Gioacchino Rossini sends an autograph letter in Italian to send an article. Autograph Letter Signed: "Rossini" in Italian, 1p, 4¼ x 5½. No place, no date. To Severini. In full: "Please send, within today, the portion of the opera La Fata Bianca [The White Fairy] which has the tenor's role, to Mr. Curioni. All is well." Curioni was the Italian tenor, Alberico Curioni.By the time he was 18, Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) had written his first opera. The Italian composer is best known for his comic opera, The Barber of Seville, and his grand opera, William Tell, with its famous overture. The "Overture" to the four-act William Tell became one of the most familiar of all operatic works when it was used to open the radio and television show, The Lone Ranger. Guillame Tell was first performed in Paris in 1829. The Italian composer, the leading representative of the Bel Canto School of Opera and one of the last masters of opera buffa, spent his later years in Paris and his native Italy. Lightly stained, lightly creased, with folds. Light ink transfer from a different letter. Ink smudging present on some letters. Framed to an overall size of 32½ x 24½.

Framed display (35x25), including Berlin's signature on a card attached to a musical biography; and a typed letter signed by Sibelius in 1953, politely declining to answer the question of whether Berlin is "America's greatest composer". Typed Letter Signed: "Jean Sibelius" in English, 1 page, 6x8½. Järvenpää, 1953 June 4. To Cyril Clemens, President, The International Mark Twain Society. In full: "Many thanks for your latest letter with your account of my life and career. It was very well written, indeed, with much ability and sympathy. Please accept my cordial thanks for it. The article about Irving Berlin I have read with much interest. His works are indeed performed here very often. If he is America's greatest composer, is of course difficult to say. America has many prominent composers by now. It is almost impossible to say such a thing about any composer. With all my kindest regards". Mid-horizontal fold, not at signature. Fine condition. In this letter to Cyril Clemens of the Mark Twain Society, JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957) expressed the difficulty of calling any one composer a country's "Greatest Composer".

The Italian composer signs this touching sentiment on a photograph mount. Photograph Mount inscribed and signed: "Alla bella & gentile Signorina / Marietta Stern, / ricordo / Giacomo Puccini / Roma Gen: 1918" Photograph of Puccini by Vuillemenot Montibone, 6½ x 8½, 11¾ x 17 photograph and mount overall. Puccini was in Rome preparing for the European debut, on January 11, 1919, of his opera, Il trittico. This was a trilogy of three one-act operas including Il tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. Photograph is creased and toned. Photograph mount creased. Framed to an overall size of 24½ x 27. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), the greatest Italian opera composer of his time. He wrote a number of operas, including his three most famous works, La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, while living at Torre Del Lago, the home he had purchased in 1891. Puccini and his family lived at Torre Del Lago until 1921, and the home became a museum after the death of Puccini's wife in 1930. Light partial postmark to the right of Puccini's head.

Large framed display on the Polish composers, featuring a 2x3 Autograph Musical Quotation signed by Henri and a 4x6 photo signed by Josef. Comprises: (1) HENRI WIENIAWSKI. Autograph Musical Quotation signed: "Hri. Wieniawski", 2x3. He has penned three bars of music from his "2nd Polonaise - Polonaise Brilliante No. 2" (1870). Headed in his hand: "2de Volonaise". Slightly shaded. Fine condition. (2) JOSEF WIENIAWSKI. Photograph signed: "Joseph Wieniawski" below a three-line inscription in French (not translated), dated 15 June 1910. B/w, 4x5¾. Signed with the English spelling of his name. Nicked at right edge and upper corners. Overall, fine condition. HENRYK "HENRI" WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) and his younger brother, JOSEF "JOSEPH" WIENIAWSKI (1837-1912) were known as the "Maestros of Poland". As boys of 14 and 16, the Wieniawskis had began a two-year concert tour of Russia in 1851 with pianist Josef accompanying violinist Henryk. That year, they also published "Allegro de Sonata", which they had composed in 1848. The two brothers excelled in their chosen fields of music, with Henri composing brilliant Romantic concertos, études and genre pieces for the violin.

Both sign their names on this album leaf containing several bars of music drawn by Grieg Autograph Musical Quotation signed: "Edvard Grieg" 1p, 6x3½. Leipzig, 1891. Three bars of music labeled: "Andante" at top by EDVARD GRIEG (1843-1907). Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist who learned how to play at the age of six and went on the attend Leipzig Conservatory. His works include music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1876) as well as many choral, orchestral, and chamber pieces. On verso is an Autograph Note signed: "Schumann Heink" in German, New York, 1902 January. From the late 1880s to the early 1900s, the exceptional contralto voice of ERNESTINE SCHUMANN HEINK (1861-1936) was heard frequently at concerts and festivals throughout Europe. She was primarily known for her interpretations of Wagner and Strauss. In 1905, she took out U.S. naturalization papers. Her German-language recording of "Silent Night" earned sales for Victor Red Seal records unmatched by any other artist. When the U.S. entered World War I, Schumann-Heink put herself wholeheartedly behind the American war effort, promoting Liberty Bonds and entertaining troops, despite having a brother in command of an Austrian warship and a son in the German navy.

On the date of the premier of his comic opera masterpiece Manon, he penned and signed these four double bars from Act II. Autograph Musical Quotation signed: "J. Massenet”, in /Paris/1 er presentation op: comique/samedi 19 Janvier 1884 [1st presentation opera: comic/Saturday 19 January 1884]", in black ink, 9½x2½. The composer has drawn four double bars of music, and written in French: "Prelude de l'act II (Manon) [Prelude to Act II (Manon)]". This historical musical quote was written on the first performance of his comic opera, Manon, considered his operatic masterpiece. The opera, which premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, is a staple in the repertoire of many operatic companies and has been featured on numerous recordings, beginning with the historic first recording in 1923. Jules Massenet (1842-1912), who was extremely popular in his day, wrote numerous operas, but Manon established his reputation as a composer. Lightly creased with folds, vertical fold at 1 word of writing. Slightly soiled. Irregularly cut. Overall, fine condition.

Right handprint the composer which he has signed and dated in 1925! Handprint signed: "Richard Strauss/21.4.25" in ink, 6½x8¼. Handprint of Strauss' right hand. Stamped: "M. Raschig's Handarchiv." Strauss (1864-1949, born Richard Georg Strauss in Munich, Germany) was Court Conductor at Munich (1894-1898) and Chief Conductor of the Berlin Court Opera (1898-1918). As a composer, Strauss was regarded as the leader of the New Romantic school. Among his works were 15 operas, including Salome (1905), Elektra (1909) and Der Rosenkavalier (1911), as well as ballets, symphonies, concertos and about 200 songs. Berlin palm reader MARIANNE RASCHIG, who also wrote a scientific book on the art of palm reading, put together a collection of over 2,500 handprints from 1924 to 1935. Lightly creased and soiled, irregular left edge. File notes in blank areas (unknown hand). Otherwise, fine condition.