Klarinet Archive - Posting 000420.txt from 1997/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Big News! Anyone got $1,000,000?
Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 01:51:18 -0400

A London report dated Oct. 10 indicates the that two manuscript
scores for the Brahms clarinet sonatas will be placed on auction
in December. Southby's auctioneers estimate that they could
fetch up to $1,000,000.

The inheritors of Brahms' estate decided to sell the manuscripts
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Brahms' death. A dedication
written by Brahms says, "To RM, in heartfeld and thankful memory."

If one measured the worth of a composer by the cost of his
manuscripts when they are put up for sale, Brahms would rank
very high. The manuscripts are small but are expected to sell
for between 450,000 and 600,00 pounds. But a single page of
a Mozart manuscript came up for sale only about a year ago.
It was made especially valuable by virtue of the fact that
the work of which it was a part was quite unknown.

The page (part of an aria for soprano, and small orchestra) was
bought by David Packard of the Packard Foundation for an
undisclosed price but estimate to be well over $100,000 and
I happened to see it last summer where it is on loan to the
Mozarteum in Salzburg.

When I first married, a long time ago, a Mozart letter went
up for sale in NY and I decided to buy it. Didn't have too
much money at the time but I scraped together everything
I had and planned to make a bid of $1,450.75. I never got
a chance to open my mouth. The opening bid was $13,000 and
it eventually went for a lot more.

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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
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