Two autograph letters signed and one typed letter signed by the great Swiss pianist, then living in Germany, to Maria Flörsheim, née Koch (1895-1955). Maria Flörsheim was a daughter of the wealthy Frankfurt jeweler Louis Koch (1860-1930), who owned a large collection of art, jewelry, autographs, etc. She and her husband Rudolf Flörsheim (1893-1962) emigrated to Switzerland in 1934. In German. In fine condition overall. Uncommon.
1. ALS, Cologne, September 12, 1926. 2 pp. One leaf. "Dear Mrs. Fleursheim [!], As you can see, I switched a bit and has escaped from hot Berlin. And I left the better part of my illness there; at least is seems so. My housekeeper brought me here as I was still very frightened), and I live here in the home of a childless married couple named Leffmann. Except for the domestics, no one is at home, and everything is quiet, which is ideal. And here and now I will combat my nerves and nurse my sick guts, and in another 8 to 10 days the long series of my concerts should resume. I have tried now to take some time off in the first week of October, only to relax at your place for a few more days after my recovery. I am sure you will have been discharged by then... Why are you in [Bad] Kissingen, after all? I hope it is not for vanity reasons, that is, to slim down—I will never like such a toned woman..." Fischer's host in Cologne was probably Ernst Leffmann (1899-1972), a Jewish lawyer who emigrated to the Netherlands in 1933 but was persecuted during the German occupation and survived detainment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. 10.75 x 8. 5 inches (27 x 21 cm).
2. ALS, no place, no date ["January 1930" added in pencil in an unknown hand]. 1 p. of bifolium. In full: "Dear Mrs. Fleursheim [!], Now you have lost your father, and no wish to please him will call him back. My thoughts are with your woe, and I shake your hand in respect and grief. Sincerely, Edwin Fischer." Maria Flörsheim's father, Louis Koch, died in Frankfurt on January 14, 1930. 8.5 x 7 inches (22 x 18.8 cm).
3. TLS, Berlin-Wilmersdorf, April 11, 1934. Addressed to "Frau Baronin Maria Flörsheim | Beierseich." One leaf of Fischer's letterhead paper. "Just a quick Thank You for your letter. Could you not see to it that you will attend the morning rehearsal because after the concert, I will have to be off to Budapest immediately." It appears that this letter was written shortly before the Flörsheims emigrated; "Beierseich" (correct spelling: "Beyerseich") was the name of the secluded house south of Frankfurt where they had lived since 1921. 10.75 x 8.25 inches (27.5 x 21 cm).
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Autograph Letter Classical MusicAutographs & ManuscriptsComposers / Conductors / Instrumentalists