Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix. (1809–1847)
Autograph Letter of Dedication for His Piano Quartet, OPUS NUMBER ONE
Remarkable autograph letter from the important composer, dedicating his Piano Quartet op. 1 to the Prussian aristocrat and musician Antoni Radziwiłł (Anton Heinrich Fürst von Radziwill). Dated Berlin, February 3, 1824, on Mendelssohn's fifteenth birthday, and addressed to "Ew. Durchlaucht" ("Serene Highness.") Mendelssohn writes (translated from the German): "[I] take the liberty, in consequence of the permission you most graciously granted me, to most obediently offer you the first work that I have published. May your Highness receive it with goodwill and indulgence." 22 x 26 cm. In fine condition.The young Mendelssohn appears to have been undaunted by the piano quartet—a medium with which other great composers sometimes struggled. He composed four piano quartets, all between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. While the earliest remained unpublished until after his death, the other three were his first three published works. Planted firmly in the Classical idiom with four movements, the Quartet no. 1 showcases the piano above the string instruments, with plenty of dramatic material.
The quartet's dedicatee, Prince Antoni Radziwiłł (1775–1833), was a Polish and Prussian noble, aristocrat, musician, and politician, known for his patronage of the arts. Guests and performers at his Berlin palace included Paganini, Goethe, Chopin, and Beethoven. He was also the dedicatee of Chopin's Piano Trio op. 8, and Beethoven's Overture op. 115 ("Zur Namensfeier"). (15597)
Autograph Letter Classical Music