music
1731 OPUS 1 BY BACH
2012 SOLD 230 K€ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Bach was established in Leipzig from 1723. His genius as a composer upsets all the traditions of church music.
Of course he did not abandon the secular music. Between 1726 and 1731, he wrote six "Partitas" for keyboard, in practice for harpsichord, inspired by traditional dances. He published rarely and confidentially. Nothing survives of thefirst separate editions of the partitas.
In 1731, in association with a bookseller, Bach publishes these six pieces as a unique collection, titled Clavir Ubung, of73 in-folio oblong pages 23 x 30 cm. The movable type printing does not work for musical scores: the engravingplates had to be prepared from a manuscript (which has no reason to be autograph).
The copy for sale on October 16 at Sotheby's in Paris, from the collection of André Meyer, is considered the best of the six known copies. It is estimated € 100K. Here is the link to the catalog.
Two comments demonstrate the extreme importance given to this edition by Bach.
The title page describes this set as "Opus 1", indeed somehow marking a turning point in the work of the master.
The partitas are subsequent to the first part of the Well-Tempered Clavier, this extremely reputable set which however was never published during the lifetime of Johann Sebastian.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold € 230K including premium, this music book of great rarity has well deserved to exceed its estimate.
Bach was established in Leipzig from 1723. His genius as a composer upsets all the traditions of church music.
Of course he did not abandon the secular music. Between 1726 and 1731, he wrote six "Partitas" for keyboard, in practice for harpsichord, inspired by traditional dances. He published rarely and confidentially. Nothing survives of thefirst separate editions of the partitas.
In 1731, in association with a bookseller, Bach publishes these six pieces as a unique collection, titled Clavir Ubung, of73 in-folio oblong pages 23 x 30 cm. The movable type printing does not work for musical scores: the engravingplates had to be prepared from a manuscript (which has no reason to be autograph).
The copy for sale on October 16 at Sotheby's in Paris, from the collection of André Meyer, is considered the best of the six known copies. It is estimated € 100K. Here is the link to the catalog.
Two comments demonstrate the extreme importance given to this edition by Bach.
The title page describes this set as "Opus 1", indeed somehow marking a turning point in the work of the master.
The partitas are subsequent to the first part of the Well-Tempered Clavier, this extremely reputable set which however was never published during the lifetime of Johann Sebastian.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sold € 230K including premium, this music book of great rarity has well deserved to exceed its estimate.
1764 Private Music for a Viennese Prince
2015 SOLD for £ 270K including premium
The Viennese aristocrats loved maintaining orchestras for their private use. Contracts with musicians generally included exclusivity clauses.
In 1761 Joseph Haydn, 29 years old, was free following financial difficulties of his first boss. He was hired as vice chapel master by Prince Esterhazy. Esterhazy died in the following year. His brother and successor Nicolaus Esterhazy so acknowledged the exceptional skill of his employee that he gave up the exclusivity. Haydn will remain in his service until the prince's death in 1790.
On December 7 in London, Sotheby's sells the final for choirs, horns, oboes and strings of a cantata composed by Haydn in 1764 in the name day of his patron, certainly in Eisenstadt which was the favorite residence of the prince.
This manuscript, complete for that movement, is estimated £ 150K, lot 217. It includes 89 bars of music over 10 pages 34 x 23 cm. The staves traced by a clumsy hand and the autograph corrections confirm that this private piece was not intended for publication. The rest of this cantata is kept at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
This manuscript is the authentic autograph version of this cantata, with an Italian text. This private music is indeed not easy to analyze even by the best connoisseurs. A Latin version was used at a time when the manuscript had not resurfaced. The manuscript itself has been subject to additions by an anonymous hand. These changes that hampered its reading are mostly erased now.
In 1761 Joseph Haydn, 29 years old, was free following financial difficulties of his first boss. He was hired as vice chapel master by Prince Esterhazy. Esterhazy died in the following year. His brother and successor Nicolaus Esterhazy so acknowledged the exceptional skill of his employee that he gave up the exclusivity. Haydn will remain in his service until the prince's death in 1790.
On December 7 in London, Sotheby's sells the final for choirs, horns, oboes and strings of a cantata composed by Haydn in 1764 in the name day of his patron, certainly in Eisenstadt which was the favorite residence of the prince.
This manuscript, complete for that movement, is estimated £ 150K, lot 217. It includes 89 bars of music over 10 pages 34 x 23 cm. The staves traced by a clumsy hand and the autograph corrections confirm that this private piece was not intended for publication. The rest of this cantata is kept at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
This manuscript is the authentic autograph version of this cantata, with an Italian text. This private music is indeed not easy to analyze even by the best connoisseurs. A Latin version was used at a time when the manuscript had not resurfaced. The manuscript itself has been subject to additions by an anonymous hand. These changes that hampered its reading are mostly erased now.
1773 A Serenade for Salzburg
2013 SOLD 200 K£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The young genius of Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, found an audience at the University of that city. His father Leopold closely monitored his work and provided logistics.
In 1773, he was 17 years old. The seven-movement Serenade in D major !K185) and the procession march (K189), made for the same public, are difficult to separate. Their manuscripts were assembled in a single volume after being paged, most likely by Leopold. They are autographed by Wolfgang Amadeus.
The volume was dismantled and some leaves appear from time to time on the market. They have ten staves per page on double-sided leaf 16x22 cm. By the chance of auction sales, two of the 58 sheets of the serenade are announced separately, almost for the same date.
On November 26 in New York, Swann sells the 52-70 bars of the sixth movement. Here is the link to the catalog. This leaf is estimated $ 120K.
On November 27 in London, Sotheby's sells the 66-77 bars of the second movement. Here is the link to the catalog. This leaf is estimated £ 80K.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
Very good price for the manuscript sold by Swann : $ 130K before fees, 160K including premium.
2
Still better at Sotheby's : £ 200K including premium.
The young genius of Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, found an audience at the University of that city. His father Leopold closely monitored his work and provided logistics.
In 1773, he was 17 years old. The seven-movement Serenade in D major !K185) and the procession march (K189), made for the same public, are difficult to separate. Their manuscripts were assembled in a single volume after being paged, most likely by Leopold. They are autographed by Wolfgang Amadeus.
The volume was dismantled and some leaves appear from time to time on the market. They have ten staves per page on double-sided leaf 16x22 cm. By the chance of auction sales, two of the 58 sheets of the serenade are announced separately, almost for the same date.
On November 26 in New York, Swann sells the 52-70 bars of the sixth movement. Here is the link to the catalog. This leaf is estimated $ 120K.
On November 27 in London, Sotheby's sells the 66-77 bars of the second movement. Here is the link to the catalog. This leaf is estimated £ 80K.
POST SALE COMMENTS
1
Very good price for the manuscript sold by Swann : $ 130K before fees, 160K including premium.
2
Still better at Sotheby's : £ 200K including premium.
1787-1789 Crossed Hands on the Keyboard
2018 SOLD for £ 345K including premium
The four-hands piano is an invitation to strengthen the empathy between the two players. Mozart pioneered this practice. Composed in 1786 the sonata in F major K.497 consisting of three movements (adagio, andante and allegro) is considered as his masterpiece in this genre of courteous music.
The reference K.357 applies to an unfinished sonata in G major composed of an allegro and an andante, for a duration of around 13 minutes.
On May 22 in London, Sotheby's sells an autograph fragment manuscript of this allegro K.357 (497a). This oblong 23 x 32 cm four page document is estimated £ 300K, lot 20.
These pages of three four-staves systems have a characteristic that confirms that Mozart was tempted by the most unusual difficulties : the right hand of the player on the left and the left hand of the player on the right must be crossed. It is supposed that Mozart wanted to play this sonata himself with a lady friend.
Koechel considered for this opus a creation in 1786 but could not inspect the autograph manuscript. Its watermarked paper is positioning it instead between the end of 1787 and 1789.
We do not know the circumstances of this creation. Since its first edition in 1796, 497a is associated with the andante K.357 (500a) but the relationship between these two movements has been refuted.
The reference K.357 applies to an unfinished sonata in G major composed of an allegro and an andante, for a duration of around 13 minutes.
On May 22 in London, Sotheby's sells an autograph fragment manuscript of this allegro K.357 (497a). This oblong 23 x 32 cm four page document is estimated £ 300K, lot 20.
These pages of three four-staves systems have a characteristic that confirms that Mozart was tempted by the most unusual difficulties : the right hand of the player on the left and the left hand of the player on the right must be crossed. It is supposed that Mozart wanted to play this sonata himself with a lady friend.
Koechel considered for this opus a creation in 1786 but could not inspect the autograph manuscript. Its watermarked paper is positioning it instead between the end of 1787 and 1789.
We do not know the circumstances of this creation. Since its first edition in 1796, 497a is associated with the andante K.357 (500a) but the relationship between these two movements has been refuted.
1788 contredanses and turqueries
2016 unsold
Mozart moves to Vienna in 1781. A protégé of Joseph II, he is welcomed in the palace. Great lover of dances, the young man is happy to attend masquerades, pantomimes and harlequinades. His official appointment in December 1787 as Composer of the imperial and royal chamber of the Emperor is an invitation to prepare the music for the ballrooms.
Mozart enters three types of dances in his corpus. The Deutscher Tanz, popular and daring, announces the waltzes of Vienna. The minuet danced by couples trends to become old fashioned in this festive atmosphere where they prefer the contredanse danced in groups like a quadrille.
The exoticism is another theme enjoyed by the musician as it is amply demonstrated in 1782 with Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The declaration of war from Turkey to Russia in September 1787 puts that theme trendy in Vienna, not without some insouciance since Austria is ready to engage troops on Russia's side.
On May 24 in London, Sotheby's sells the musical autograph manuscript by Mozart of a dance inspired by Turkish rhythms, lot 123 estimated £ 500K.
The contredanse is written for an orchestra of two violins, a flageolet, two clarinets, a bassoon, a trumpet, a drum and a double bass, an interesting set conceived to mimic an exotic tone although it does not use any oriental instrument.
This opus K.535 is documented on January 23, 1788 under the title Die Batallie which is a clear allusion to the military events in progress. The autograph manuscript title is the French translation with a spelling error: La Battaille.
Mozart enters three types of dances in his corpus. The Deutscher Tanz, popular and daring, announces the waltzes of Vienna. The minuet danced by couples trends to become old fashioned in this festive atmosphere where they prefer the contredanse danced in groups like a quadrille.
The exoticism is another theme enjoyed by the musician as it is amply demonstrated in 1782 with Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The declaration of war from Turkey to Russia in September 1787 puts that theme trendy in Vienna, not without some insouciance since Austria is ready to engage troops on Russia's side.
On May 24 in London, Sotheby's sells the musical autograph manuscript by Mozart of a dance inspired by Turkish rhythms, lot 123 estimated £ 500K.
The contredanse is written for an orchestra of two violins, a flageolet, two clarinets, a bassoon, a trumpet, a drum and a double bass, an interesting set conceived to mimic an exotic tone although it does not use any oriental instrument.
This opus K.535 is documented on January 23, 1788 under the title Die Batallie which is a clear allusion to the military events in progress. The autograph manuscript title is the French translation with a spelling error: La Battaille.
1804-1805 A Sketchleaf by Beethoven
2012 SOLD 250 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Ludwig van Beethoven is probably the most studied of all musicians. An autograph leaf of exercises or sketches forpiano, written on both sides, for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on October 17, is of great interest to specialists. It is estimated € 100K. Here is the link to the catalog.
This 22 x 31 cm folio was offered in the estate auction after the death of the master, in 1827. It was acquired at that auction by a great collector named Aloys Fuchs, who added a title "Skizzen von Ludw.v Beethoven's hand". In 1831, Fuchs presented it to Chopin with a dedication.
The work was known to friends of the collector André Meyer when it was framed and hanging on the wall in his home.This is by dismounting it in the preparation for the sale that the unpublished back was rediscovered.
This back page could be linked to the preparation of a sonata achieved by Beethoven in 1804-1805. The front side, which is ultimately less remarkable, is hardly datable.
POST SALE COMMENT
The passion for Beethoven is well alive : € 250K including premium.
Ludwig van Beethoven is probably the most studied of all musicians. An autograph leaf of exercises or sketches forpiano, written on both sides, for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on October 17, is of great interest to specialists. It is estimated € 100K. Here is the link to the catalog.
This 22 x 31 cm folio was offered in the estate auction after the death of the master, in 1827. It was acquired at that auction by a great collector named Aloys Fuchs, who added a title "Skizzen von Ludw.v Beethoven's hand". In 1831, Fuchs presented it to Chopin with a dedication.
The work was known to friends of the collector André Meyer when it was framed and hanging on the wall in his home.This is by dismounting it in the preparation for the sale that the unpublished back was rediscovered.
This back page could be linked to the preparation of a sonata achieved by Beethoven in 1804-1805. The front side, which is ultimately less remarkable, is hardly datable.
POST SALE COMMENT
The passion for Beethoven is well alive : € 250K including premium.
1808 A Creation by Beethoven
2016 SOLD for £ 380K including premium
Ludwig van Beethoven is a creator. In Vienna at the end of the decade of the 1800s, his musical activity is intense and multifaceted. He is sure of his genius but proclaims too loudly this high opinion of himself.
A musical autograph is surfacing from the collection of a bibliophile. This draft document consisting of two pages 20 x 30 cm with 15 staves per page is estimated £ 150K for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 20, lot 12.
This previously unknown piece helps to understand Beethoven's creative process here applied to his 5th Piano Concerto in E flat major. The composer wants freedom, in music and in politics. In this opus 73 he reinforces the role of the soloist in the face of the accompaniment and lengthens the duration.
The design phase of this concerto extends over several months, in an atmosphere of fear of war and hatred against the Napoleonic empire. The draft certainly laid down in the late 1808 interweaves the ideas that will lead to the first and final movement of the concerto, demonstrating that early in that new project the maestro had an overall vision of his future opus.
The concerto is completed in 1809 but Beethoven can not interpret it by himself due to his increasing hearing disability. This very innovative work that could not leave indifferent the music lovers gets a mixed reception two years later with a triumph in Leipzig and doubts in Vienna.
Beethoven created in this opus 73 the structure of the symphonic concerto that will so much inspire Liszt and Brahms. However he is frustrated by his infirmity and will not prepare another concerto. The name of Emperor Concerto popularly given to this opus displeases the maestro.
A musical autograph is surfacing from the collection of a bibliophile. This draft document consisting of two pages 20 x 30 cm with 15 staves per page is estimated £ 150K for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 20, lot 12.
This previously unknown piece helps to understand Beethoven's creative process here applied to his 5th Piano Concerto in E flat major. The composer wants freedom, in music and in politics. In this opus 73 he reinforces the role of the soloist in the face of the accompaniment and lengthens the duration.
The design phase of this concerto extends over several months, in an atmosphere of fear of war and hatred against the Napoleonic empire. The draft certainly laid down in the late 1808 interweaves the ideas that will lead to the first and final movement of the concerto, demonstrating that early in that new project the maestro had an overall vision of his future opus.
The concerto is completed in 1809 but Beethoven can not interpret it by himself due to his increasing hearing disability. This very innovative work that could not leave indifferent the music lovers gets a mixed reception two years later with a triumph in Leipzig and doubts in Vienna.
Beethoven created in this opus 73 the structure of the symphonic concerto that will so much inspire Liszt and Brahms. However he is frustrated by his infirmity and will not prepare another concerto. The name of Emperor Concerto popularly given to this opus displeases the maestro.
An unrecorded draft for #Beethoven's last piano concerto emerges for sale: #SothebysBooks https://t.co/EhZMii7c2c pic.twitter.com/12eCXoeVHs
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) September 16, 2016
1820-1821 BEETHOVEN'S MASS
1996 SOLD for £ 60k including premium by Sotheby's
2014 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The total deafness of Beethoven was a symptom of a more serious disease on which the experts state inconclusive assumptions. As early as 1815, aged 45, he considers his own suffering as a means to reach or express infinity.
In 1818, he overcomes his depression by adding a mystical intention into his creative process. Until 1822, he will be obsessed with the composition of his solemn mass in D major.
On January 15 online from Amherst NH, RR Auction sells a sketch leaf autographed on both sides for the Missa Solemnis, 28 x 24 cm.
This sheet has not been detached from an album, unlike so many musical leaves. It was separated from a notebook by the composer, who used keeping such documents folded in the pocket of his coat for recording his inspiration.
Indeed, the content is based on ink staves written probably in 1820, relating to the Sanctus. Additions in pencil, probably from 1821, mainly relate to the preparation of Gloria. The sheet was afterwards annotated and kept by a secretary of Beethoven.
Different from the final version, this musical sketch was unknown until this document came at auction in Sotheby's, who sold it for £ 60K including premium on 5 December 1996.
The musical demonstration of this difference is included in the video shared by RR Auction on YouTube:
The total deafness of Beethoven was a symptom of a more serious disease on which the experts state inconclusive assumptions. As early as 1815, aged 45, he considers his own suffering as a means to reach or express infinity.
In 1818, he overcomes his depression by adding a mystical intention into his creative process. Until 1822, he will be obsessed with the composition of his solemn mass in D major.
On January 15 online from Amherst NH, RR Auction sells a sketch leaf autographed on both sides for the Missa Solemnis, 28 x 24 cm.
This sheet has not been detached from an album, unlike so many musical leaves. It was separated from a notebook by the composer, who used keeping such documents folded in the pocket of his coat for recording his inspiration.
Indeed, the content is based on ink staves written probably in 1820, relating to the Sanctus. Additions in pencil, probably from 1821, mainly relate to the preparation of Gloria. The sheet was afterwards annotated and kept by a secretary of Beethoven.
Different from the final version, this musical sketch was unknown until this document came at auction in Sotheby's, who sold it for £ 60K including premium on 5 December 1996.
The musical demonstration of this difference is included in the video shared by RR Auction on YouTube:
1883 Five Movements for a Modern Dance
2015 SOLD for £ 330K including premium
In 1883, Tchaikovsky proofreads his opera Mazeppa and conceives his next work which will be the orchestral suite No. 2. The romantic composer, influenced both by Western and Russian musics, will shake up the conventions to open the way for modern music.
The suite consists of five movements, for an orchestra of wind instruments in wood and brass, percussions, accordions, instruments of the quartet and a harp. The audacity of harmonies and tones is growing throughout the suite.
After an almost classical introduction (first movement), the next two are a waltz and a burlesque scherzo, burlesque meaning here that it is from folk inspiration. With the fourth movement entitled Rêves d'enfant (in French), the tempo slows for introducing harmonic melodies that anticipate the polyphonic music. The fifth movement titled Danse baroque is extremely fast (vivacissimo), on the model of the Cossack dance by Dargomyzhsky.
Tchaikovsky threw his first ideas on provisional drafts, abundantly reworked, which he gave or destroyed when the work was close to its final version. On May 28 in London, Sotheby's sells the working manuscript of movements 1, 4 and 5 of the orchestral suite No. 2, lot 303 estimated £ 250K.
Interestingly, the manuscripts of the movements 4 and 5 are mingled. The unconventional dreamlike lullaby of the fourth movement and the wild dance of the fifth movement are thus inseparable. They jointly announce the end of classical music.
The suite consists of five movements, for an orchestra of wind instruments in wood and brass, percussions, accordions, instruments of the quartet and a harp. The audacity of harmonies and tones is growing throughout the suite.
After an almost classical introduction (first movement), the next two are a waltz and a burlesque scherzo, burlesque meaning here that it is from folk inspiration. With the fourth movement entitled Rêves d'enfant (in French), the tempo slows for introducing harmonic melodies that anticipate the polyphonic music. The fifth movement titled Danse baroque is extremely fast (vivacissimo), on the model of the Cossack dance by Dargomyzhsky.
Tchaikovsky threw his first ideas on provisional drafts, abundantly reworked, which he gave or destroyed when the work was close to its final version. On May 28 in London, Sotheby's sells the working manuscript of movements 1, 4 and 5 of the orchestral suite No. 2, lot 303 estimated £ 250K.
Interestingly, the manuscripts of the movements 4 and 5 are mingled. The unconventional dreamlike lullaby of the fourth movement and the wild dance of the fifth movement are thus inseparable. They jointly announce the end of classical music.
1902 The Third Symphony of Mahler
2011 SOLD 163 K£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Highly influenced by the work of Beethoven, Gustav Mahler wrote ten symphonies. His third one for orchestra and choir is the longest, and is the result of a creative process that lasted several years.
He was also one of the most famous conductors of his time and himself directed the first complete version of that symphony in 1902. The original edition was immediately published in a folio volume of 231 pages 33 x 26 cm.
Mahler was not satisfied with this achievement. His personal copy of the 1902 edition includes many autograph amendments. Most of them will indeed be included in subsequent editions.
This book is for sale on June 8 at Sotheby's in London, with an estimate of £ 100K. It is illustrated in the article shared by Paul Fraser Collectibles.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result, £ 163K including premium, is in the region of the higher estimate.
Highly influenced by the work of Beethoven, Gustav Mahler wrote ten symphonies. His third one for orchestra and choir is the longest, and is the result of a creative process that lasted several years.
He was also one of the most famous conductors of his time and himself directed the first complete version of that symphony in 1902. The original edition was immediately published in a folio volume of 231 pages 33 x 26 cm.
Mahler was not satisfied with this achievement. His personal copy of the 1902 edition includes many autograph amendments. Most of them will indeed be included in subsequent editions.
This book is for sale on June 8 at Sotheby's in London, with an estimate of £ 100K. It is illustrated in the article shared by Paul Fraser Collectibles.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result, £ 163K including premium, is in the region of the higher estimate.
1908 Schoenberg broke the Key
2012 SOLD 240 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Arnold Schoenberg, a young theorist of musical composition, questioned whether it was possible to appreciate both the classicism of Brahms and the greatness of Wagner. He understood that modern music lovers have been graduallyaccustomed to new harmonies and that it is possible to explore new paths. He will devote his life to the accomplishment of this idea.
In 1908, he is 34 years old. His second string quartet, opus 10, suddenly escapes all previous logic and all earlier conventions.
He wanted to be guided by the musicality of a symbolist poem by Stefan George: the use of a soprano voice in a quartet had never been dared.
Above all, he does not attribute any key of harmony in the fourth and final movement. In an actf similar as the invention of abstract art by Kandinsky, he releases the music from one of its most traditional constraints. This movement is not yet serial but is already atonal.
Fans of Schoenberg (who changed the spelling of his name in 1934) are excited by the arrival at auction of the autograph manuscript of opus 10. Estimated € 100K, this lot is one of the highlights of the sale of the André Meyercollection by Sotheby's in Paris on October 16 and 17.
Here is the link to the catalogue.
POST SALE COMMENT
This opus outstanding for the development and understanding of the music of the twentieth century was sold € 240K including premium.
Arnold Schoenberg, a young theorist of musical composition, questioned whether it was possible to appreciate both the classicism of Brahms and the greatness of Wagner. He understood that modern music lovers have been graduallyaccustomed to new harmonies and that it is possible to explore new paths. He will devote his life to the accomplishment of this idea.
In 1908, he is 34 years old. His second string quartet, opus 10, suddenly escapes all previous logic and all earlier conventions.
He wanted to be guided by the musicality of a symbolist poem by Stefan George: the use of a soprano voice in a quartet had never been dared.
Above all, he does not attribute any key of harmony in the fourth and final movement. In an actf similar as the invention of abstract art by Kandinsky, he releases the music from one of its most traditional constraints. This movement is not yet serial but is already atonal.
Fans of Schoenberg (who changed the spelling of his name in 1934) are excited by the arrival at auction of the autograph manuscript of opus 10. Estimated € 100K, this lot is one of the highlights of the sale of the André Meyercollection by Sotheby's in Paris on October 16 and 17.
Here is the link to the catalogue.
POST SALE COMMENT
This opus outstanding for the development and understanding of the music of the twentieth century was sold € 240K including premium.
1960 PSYCHO WITH STRINGS
2009 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
In 1960, Hitchcock prepares "Psycho". After some hesitation on the musical illustration of this film, he entitled it to Bernard Herrmann, who had already worked with him. For this work, Herrmann limited himself to string instruments, but he operates them with all the sound possibilities, including the most unpleasant. The creaking violin enhances the suspense of the scene in the shower, which becomes a real moment of movie anthology.
In 1968, for a concert, Herrmann gathers in a single twenty-page handwritten opus the key musical themes of "Psycho". This score estimated £ 30 K, which Bonhams sells in London on March 24, is composed of originals of 1960 with some alterations.
Bonhams, the only auction house in the world to practise the humor, forwards as a selling argument the fact that this music has provided nightmares to one million moviegoers. Hitchcock would have loved this joke!
Psycho is considered as the masterpiece of Herrmann.
In 1960, Hitchcock prepares "Psycho". After some hesitation on the musical illustration of this film, he entitled it to Bernard Herrmann, who had already worked with him. For this work, Herrmann limited himself to string instruments, but he operates them with all the sound possibilities, including the most unpleasant. The creaking violin enhances the suspense of the scene in the shower, which becomes a real moment of movie anthology.
In 1968, for a concert, Herrmann gathers in a single twenty-page handwritten opus the key musical themes of "Psycho". This score estimated £ 30 K, which Bonhams sells in London on March 24, is composed of originals of 1960 with some alterations.
Bonhams, the only auction house in the world to practise the humor, forwards as a selling argument the fact that this music has provided nightmares to one million moviegoers. Hitchcock would have loved this joke!
Psycho is considered as the masterpiece of Herrmann.
