Important Collection of Biographical Material and Ephemera, including an Autograph Musical Manuscript, Letters, Photographs, and drafts for an important Biography of the Composer

An important archive of biographical material, letters, clippings, and images relating to the significant but often overlooked French composer, compiled by his first biographer, Madeleine Marceron (Ventadour, 1959; 2 copies of the brief biography are present in the collection.) Included are several autograph items in Schmitt's hand, including a large manuscript sketch leaf from his ballet "Oriane," inscribed to Marceron, a postcard with a humorous AMQS, and a signed score of his "Petit Elfe Ferme-l'oeil," and a total of 39 autograph letters to Marceron from friends and family of Schmitt, mostly from around the time of his last illness and death (August 1958) and the release of Marceron's book (June 1959). The letters deal not only with the sadness around Schmitt's death, but also with some controversy thereafter: several letters from friends of the composer decline Marceron's request to reply to an article which had critiqued his work after his death, and a letter from a close friend of Schmitt offers some harsh criticism of Marceron's biography. An accompanying large folder contains extensive notes and manuscript and typescript drafts for Marceron's biography of Schmitt, together with correspondence from the publishers. Also included is a beautifully penned manuscript statement about Schmitt from Heitor Villa-Lobos, which was reproduced as a plate in the biography. The collection also contains many newspaper clippings and concert programs relating to Schmitt, and several original photographs and negatives of the composer and his house in Saint-Cloud.

Schmitt was a "French composer, pianist and critic. Throughout his life, Schmitt was valued for his independent spirit and refusal to be identified with any school or group. In a time when many composers embraced Impressionism, his music, albeit influenced by Debussy, was admired for its energy, dynamism, grandeur, and virility, for its union of French clarity and German strength. While some works, especially youthful ones, reveal a desire to please and are sometimes facile, many others refuse lyrical abandon and sentimentality and are formed of a wilful and premeditated complexity as well as a passion for strong bold colours, violent emotions and extreme contrasts. Schmitt was considered a pioneer during his lifetime, rejected by some and embraced by others for a style that influenced and helped prepare for later innovations by Stravinsky, Ravel, Honegger and Roussel." (New Grove.)

Contents of the collection:

Autograph items:

Manuscript music leaf from Schmitt's 1933 orientalist ballet "Oriane et le Prince d'Amour," inscribed in the upper left corner to Madeleine Marceron. Six systems of music in two to three unlabeled staves, 21 mm., with indications of the action on stage above each system. In ink, with rehearsal numbers in blue and red pencil and several other pencil marks in the margins. Marked in the upper right as page 42. On the verso, fragment in pencil of another work, apparently a string quartet; five systems of music in four staves, 22 mm, with some light sketches of music between the systems. With dynamic and expressive markings and indications for arco and pizzicato. Marked as page 10, but this and the whole page have been struck through in pencil, presumably to reuse the paper on the other side. One rough edge and a horizontal fold with a slight tear, light toning and edge wear; overall in very good condition. 10.5 x 14 inches (27 x 35.3 cm). This manuscript leaf is reproduced in Marceron's book (p. 16ff.)

"Une semaine du petit Elfe Ferme-l'oeil, ou Les songes de Hialmar," suite for piano four hands. Paris: Durand & Fils, 1913. Signed and inscribed on the front cover: "A Madeleine Marceron, très affetuesement, cette semaine qui fut - peut-être - celle de Noël et d'où naquit un ballet. Florent Schmitt, 31 Xbre XLV [December 31, 1945]." 44 pp. Slight toning and wear to the cover, overall fine. 10.5 x 13.5 inches (27 x 34.5 cm).
With another copy of the cover, cut down to 8 x 11 inches, with the inscription copied out again in pencil and the note "format too large for album."

Postcard to Marceron, bearing an AMQS in Schmitt's hand of an unidentified tune, with the words: "On peut aller vous voir, chère Madeleine, Entre dix heur et quart et vingtaine. Amitiés à Lucien, Bonjour à tous..." Signed, "affectuesement, Elisabeth," in another hand, and postmarked in St Moritz, August 21, 1951. 5.75 x 4.25 inches (14.7 x 10.5 cm). This postcard is also reproduced in Marceron's book (p. 16ff.)

1 short autograph letter to Marceron from Florent Schmitt, accepting an invitation, dated "10 ou 11 nov," no year. 5.75 x 7.5 inches (14.8 x 19.1 cm).

Publications:

Madeleine Marceron: Florent Schmitt. Paris: Ventadour, 1959. Softcover, 48 pp, with 8 pp. photographs and facsimiles. 5.5 x 7 inches (13.5 x 18 cm). 2 copies are present in the collection. One, in fine condition, has been signed and inscribed by Marceron on the title page to an unidentified friend. The other copy has been flattened to fit into the album with some damage to the binding; otherwise in very good condition.

"Hommage à Gabriel Fauré: Sept pièces de piano sur le nom de Fauré." Paris: Durand, 1922; published as a supplement to the special edition of the Revue Musicale, October 1922. Pieces by Aubert, Enesco, Koechilin, Ladmirault, Maurice Ravel, Roger-Dugasse, and Schmitt.  47 pp. Softcover, in very good condition. 6.75 x 9.75 inches (17.4 x 24.8 cm).

Copy of "Le Guide du Concert et du disque," June 1958, with an article on Schmitt's Deuxième Symphonie.


Copy of "Musica Disques" magazine, November 1959, with a brief positive review of Marceron's book.

Copy of "Musica Disques" magazine, May 1960, with Marceron's article on Schmitt entitled "Florent Schmitt: enfant terrible."

Autograph and typed letters from others:


1 autograph statement from Heitor Villa-Lobos about Schmitt, in ink on transparent manuscript paper: "I believe him to be one of the geniuses of modern music... Florent Schmitt is a great French artist, a great universal creator, and I am certain that posterity will understand and admire him." Signed and dated May 5, 1958. This document is reproduced in Marceron's book (p. 32f.) Together with a TLS and original envelope from Villa-Lobos, sending the statement to Marceron for use in her book. Signed and dated May 20, 1958.

7 letters from René Dumesnil, important French music critic of the era, and Jeanne Dumesnil, dating from Schmitt's last illness and death in summer 1958, and thereafter in autumn 1958.
1 letter from Marcel Schneider, 9 August 1958.
1 letter from Jacques [Bourgeois], responding to Marceron's apparent anger over his critical article about Schmitt. "Only posterity can judge. I am only writing my sincere opinion, because I have been asked to." Dated Sunday, 31 [August 1958]
1 letter from Jeanne Dumesnil, declining to respond to Bourgeois' negative article on Schmitt because, "silence hurts these authors more than any reply." September 1, 1958.
1 TLS from B. Gavoty ("Clarendon," reviewer at Le Figaro), declining to respond to Bourgeois' negative article on Schmitt, but offering sympathy: "The person whom you mention (I haven't read the article) has always seemed to me to appear to the rejects of humanity and the profession." September 11, 1958.

1 letter from Pierre Bertin after Schmitt's death, August 21, 1958.
1 letter from Jeanne Schmitt, Schmitt's wife, dated March 6, no year.

1 letter from Claude Marcel-Dubois, dated 21 August 1958.
1 letter from Lucie Mackert, dated 23 August 1958.
3 letters from J. Schmitt, indicated as "Ralón," son of Florent Schmitt, dated September 22, 1958, October 27, 1958, and June 11, 1959.
1 postcard and 2 letters from Elisabeth Fréderic Moreau, dated July 27, 1958, August 13, 1958, and September 22 [1958], about Schmitt's last illness and death. 1 further letter from Moreau dated June 18, 1959, rebuking Marceron for errors and omissions in her biography of Schmitt.
1 letter from Demetrios Galanis, undated.
1 letter from Catherine Lorent, dated February 1, 1981, asking for a meeting with Marceron to discuss Schmitt. Lorent later became Schmitt's biographer (Paris: Bleu nuit éd., 2012).
1 typed letter, unsigned, announcing the cancellation of the "Festival Florent Schmitt," dated January 15, 1958.

15 further autograph letters and notes and one TLS from various correspondents, thanking Marceron for the biography of Schmitt. Including letters from: Schmitt's son; René Dumesnil; and various members of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Paul Tournon, Louis Réau). Dated May-July 1959.

19 pp. of typed correspondence from the publishers Les Editions Ventadour and Chaix Musica, dealing with the contract, editing process, publishing, and royalties for Marceron's book and article. Dated June 1958-December 1960.

Notes, drafts, and typescripts:

A large folder of Marceron's notes and drafts for her book on Schmitt, comprising 187 typed pages and 89 handwritten pages, and two further notebooks with 58 pp. and 74 pp. of handwritten notes respectively. These have been organized by Marceron into sections, and include, in particular, several versions of the first section of her book, "Portrait," as well as several drafts of her listing of Schmitt's works.

Programs:

2 copies of the program from a concert in honor of Schmitt, "Hommage de la Ville de Saint-Cloud au Maitre Florent Schmitt," on October 7, 1950. The program included Schmitt's string trio, three dances for piano, the ode to Chopin, and "Hasards" for quartet and piano, as well as choral music. 12 pp. Both copies in fine condition with original green tassel. 9.5 x 12.5 inches (21.3 x 31.8 cm).

Invitation to and program for the "Festival Florent Schmitt" at the Cité Universitaire de Paris on January 15, 1958. 2 sheets, 5.5 x 4 inches (13.8 x 10.5 cm).

Clipped pages from concert programs of Schmitt's Symphonie and other works, in a concert with Isaac Stern under Charles Münch, Strasbourg, June 1958.
Clipped pages from a concert program of Schmitt's Deuxième Symphonie, and other works, Paris, November 1958.

Program from a performance of Schmitt's Mirages and other works with Pierre Sancan at the piano, Paris, March 1958.

Program from a performance of Schmitt's Psaume XLVI and other works under Igor Markevitch, December 1957.

Invitation card to Schmitt's memorial service on October 10, 1958.

Newspaper clippings:


2 large clippings (approx 17.5 x 18.5 and 17.5 x 13 inches) from Le Figaro, October 22, 1922, and December 10, 1922, reproducing two extracts from his piano work "Soirs," op.5, as published by Durand.
Front page of the Journal Musical Français, September 29, 1958, with large image of Schmitt and a quotation from Georges Enesco.
Small clipping from an unidentified newspaper with the headline, "Florent Schmitt en liberté," with a positive review of Schmitt's conducting at the age of 87, ca. 1957.
4 reviews of Schmitt's Symphonie, conducted by Charles Münch at the Strasbourg Festival, in June 1958; one by René Dumesnil.
8 articles reporting on Schmitt's death, August 1958, from various papers and publications.
Article entitled, "Sur Florent Schmitt," by Marcel Delannoy.
Article entitled, "Le vrai visage de Florent Schmitt," by Emile Vuillermoz
Article entitled, "Florent Schmitt a peu enrichi la musique," by Jacques Bourgeois, giving a somewhat critical view of Schmitt's work just after his death.
Positive review of Marceron's biography from "Résonances Lyonnaises," dated June 17, 1959.
1 clipping mentioning Marceron's biography in a column on music, dated June 5, 1959.

Photographs:


13 black and white snapshots of Schmitt's home in Saint-Cloud.
2 photograph portraits of Schmitt.
Several assorted negatives, slides, and small snapshots of Schmitt.
4 postcards with black and white aerial photographs of the town of Blamont in northeastern France. (9398)

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Autograph Letter

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