Beschreibung:

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
Important archive of autograph librettos, letters and drawings
1. COLLECTION OF AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPTS OF LIBRETTOS, including: MARIA ORBA: a folder of unbound drafts, over 50 pages, folio, no date
IRENE: a fair-copy autograph of the libretto, 11 leaves, 4to, signed and dated on the title (“Irene Melodramma in tre Atti…Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Venezia Agosto-Ottobre 1895”), browning and damp-staining
IL SEGRETO DI SUSANNA: 26 leaves, unbound, signed on the title, no date
EPHEMEROS: folder of unbound drafts in Italian and German, c.47 pages, 1915 and later, and also a mostly carbon-copy typescript libretto (“Fassung 13. Juli 1918), c.100 pages, loose in blue folder
SCARPIN DI VETRO: (Cenerentola), 28 pages, 4to, cloth-covered boards, signed in several places, dated Milan, May 1897-September 1898
I DUE COLOMBI: signed and inscribed (“…libretto in un prologo 2 atti e 5 quadri di Forzano…”), 6 pages, c.1920 (?)
ICH TÖTE DICH NICHT! EIN ZWIEGESANG: fair copies and drafts of the text, c.23 pages, November 1917
DER KÖNIGS TRAUM: autograph manuscript of the libretto for Act 1, scene 1, with an annotated typescript of the same, 8 pages in all; and also a manuscript of the libretto of Le donne curiose, including drafts for the first two acts, with annotations by Wolf-Ferrari, signed and dated at the end of Act 3 (“…L. Sugana Venezia 8/6 1902”), over 200 pages, 1902, with a loose 8-page autograph letter by Sugana to Wolf-Ferrari, concerning the opera, dated 26 January 1903, with another manuscript version of Act 1, annotated by Wolf-Ferrari, c.27 leaves, and the autograph manuscript by Wolf-Ferrari of the three-act libretto, 41 pages
together with a number of typescripts of opera librettos and essays, including of:
‘Or-angu-Tang Ein Marionettenspiel’, carbon copy with some autograph annotations, 4 pages, 26 August 1918; ‘Versuch einer Besinnung im Bereiche der Musik’, 49 pages, 4to, with some autograph (?) annotations, 1918; ‘Ueber die Form des Rezitativs bei Bach', 7 pages, corrected carbon copy, dated 19 June 1919; ‘Ueber die Arie oder sonstige geschlossene Form bei Bach…’, corrected carbon copy, 9 pages, dated 28 June 1919; ‘Ueber die Anwendung alter englischer Weisen in meiner Oper “Sly”. Eine Erwiderung auf die Randglossen dess Herrn Dr. Heinrich Möller’, corrected typescript, 4 pages, c.1930, with a 4-page typed letter signed by Heinrich Möller, 3 February 1930; Madamigella Figaro, three typescripts, two with annotations and revisions, one annotated copy 71 pages, dated “Zollikon, 8[…] 19[…]”, with a 4-page autograph list of revisions, signed (“E. Wolf Ferrari”); D’uno Monaco che andò al servizio di dio, typescript, 15 pages; Il Bacio, typescript, 9 pages; La bona mare, three-act comedy, with some autograph annotations, 52 pages, loose in inscribed wrapper, Venice 1940; Ginevra, typescript of Act 1, 56 pages, with some annotations; Cerenetola, printed edition of the libretto (1900), marked ‘2a Versione Dicembre 1900”, with extensive revisions and annotations in Wolf-Ferrari’s hand, upper cover detached and lower cover lacking; and also a typescript of the ‘Disposizione scenica del Filosofo di Campagna’, with extensive manuscript annotations in another hand, c.114 pages, no date
2. COLLECTION OF AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED BY WOLF-FERRARI AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, including:
3 letters by Wolf-Ferrari to his mother Emilia, 8 pages, autograph envelopes, 1921-1922; 1 letter to his father, 6 pages, Munich, 1915; 2 letters to his parents jointly, 16 pages, autograph envelopes, Munich, 1915; c.70 letters and postcards to Wilhelmine (“Minni”) Funk, later his second wife (also addressed as "Mimi"), autograph envelopes, with three telegrams, Venice, Munich, Rome and elsewhere, c.220 pages, various sizes, 1911-1944; 1 letter to his son Fritz, concerning a dispute over a goblet, 1 page, Munich, 5 June 1926; c.24 letters (3 of which typed) to his cousin Emilie Wolf, c.42 pages, with autograph envelopes, 1929-1943; 7 letters to Berta Funk, about personal matters ("...ich bin ein recht tiefer Brunnen, mit Heilwasser darin..."), c.16 pages, Zürich, 1917-1918, 9 letters to Margarete Funk, c.22 pages, autograph envelopes, 1914-1926; 3 autograph letters signed to Cesare Ferrari, 8 pages, Planegg and Bad Aussee, 1931-1946; 3 autograph letters signed by his father August Wolf (1842-1915), one to Ermanno, 9 pages in all, Venice, 1910-1915, where indicated; three autograph letters by Emilia Wolf-Ferrari to her son Ermanno, 11 pages, Venice, 1923-1926; one autograph and and one typed letter signed by Teodoro Wolf-Ferrari (1878-1945), one to his brother Ermanno, 3 pages, with a typed envelope, 1910-1915, and two autograph letters signed by Ermanno to Teodoro, 16 pages, 22-24 February 1915; over 30 autograph and typed letters signed by Wilhelmine (“Mimi”) Wolf-Ferrari to Ermanno, c.55 pages, Ottobrunn and elsewhere, 1925-1926, and over 30 autograph letters and postcards signed and one typed letter signed by Mimi to other correspondents, including many to her sister Berta Rieger (née Funk), c.60 pages, various sizes, one on a visiting card of ‘La famiglia Wolf-Ferrari’, one of the letters with a printed announcement of the death of Wolf-Ferrari, Venice and elsewhere, c.1931-1963, a few small tears; one autograph postcard signed by Wilhelmine Wolf-Ferrari to her mother-in-law, reporting on the premiere of Il Campiello, 13 February 1936; together with 9 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, CARDS AND NOTES SIGNED BY GUILA BUSTABO, the dedicatee of Wolf-Ferrari's Violin Concerto op.26, 7 OF WHICH TO WOLF-FERRARI, one highly intimate in nature and also discussing 'her' concerto ("...Mio povero babino...io vorrei sedere all tuo lato, in letto, e te prendere nelle miei braccie...La concerto a me é piú importanta che tu immagini...È il climax di tutto nostro amicizia..."), c.10 pages, one note on the reverse of a note by Willem Mengelberg, two autograph envelopes, Chicago and elsewhere, 1943-1947, where indicated, and one autograph letter by Guila's mother Blanche to Wolf-Ferrari, 2 pages, Chicago, 21 January 1948; together with a number of letters to Wolf-Ferrari by various correspondents, including a typed contract signed from Mario Ghisalberti concerning the libretto of Madamigella Figaro (9 October 1942), and a 4-page typed letter signed by Edward Dent (8 June 1946); and also 3 letters to Wilhelmine Wolf-Ferrari, including one by Willi Schramm, 1950-1952
...Du weisst ich liebe dich und ich verlasse dich nicht: aber ich will wissen was ich von deiner Liebe halten soll. Ist irgend etwas vorbei?...Du hast keine Pflicht mich zu lieben; geliebt werden wollen ist ja die grösste Anmassung. Aber du hast die Pflicht gegen mich ehrlich und wahr zu sein, weil ich dich nicht nur liebe sondern auch gegen dich immer offen wie gegen mich selbst war. Sage die Wahrheit, nicht zu mir, sondern zu dir selber. Wenn du die alte bleibst, so zeigst du es mir mehr durch Thaten als durch Worte: die Zeit beweist! Wenn ich Worte will brauche ich nur den prachtvollen Brief mit dem Schwur (Entschluss) zu lesen. Das klingt so lieb und wahr!! Aber Thaten, die müssen jetzt kommen, wie die immer kamen, so lange du mir noch gut warst! Fühlst du anders zu mir, so will ich wieder Onkel sein, ganz schlicht. Du kannst meine Treue Onkelschaft immer brauchen. Halte dich an mich, wenn du nicht anders kannst, als Nichte, wie im Anfang, als ich glücklich war...
together with THREE AUTOGRAPH DIARIES, covering the years 1917, 1918, and 1939-1942, very closely written, describing in great detail his dreams ("Ueber eine Kürzlich gehabten Conversation mit D.r Jung erinnere ich mich Folgendes..."), discussing his compositions, referring to other composers, reporting on his students and recording the conversations, events and subject matter of his teaching classes, 4to, c.165 pages, cloth-backed boards and cloth covers, some leaves loose; FIVE AUTOGRAPH SCHOOL EXERCISE BOOKS, including three 'libri di scrittura' (writing exercise books) with coloured printed wrappers, around 160 pages in all, various sizes, Venice, c.1883-1886; an AUTOGRAPH DRAFT LETTER TO MUSSOLINI, outlining the state of Italian music and proposing his suggestions for a renaissance of Italian music, inscribed and signed on the title 'Al Duce d’Italia animato dalla sua parola “Per me sola” questa memoria per una rinascita della Musica Italiana Ermanno Wolf Ferrari con fede devotamente offre…', 21 pages, 4to, including an autograph musical quotation from Verdi’s , La Traviata, unbound, no date; a fragment (?) of a manuscript commonplace album, 13 pages, 1885-1889; and three later-published books relating to Wolf-Ferrari, including a study of the composer by Alexandra Carola Grisson (1958), with annotations by Wolf-Ferrari's second wife ...28 [1939], 5-8 Uhr. D.r Birkmeier. Erste Stunde mit diesem Unglücksmenschen: scheint ein hoffnungsloser Fall zu sein. Völlig verwirrt in "äusserlich" wissenschaftlicher Perspektive, fern dem "Kunstblick". Keine Tonart, grau in grau: gemacht, wichtig, "Kühn" ohne Grund. Verpul[v]ert alle "Mittel" innerhalb der ersten Takte und so immer fort...Er hat Ausdrücke, dass einem jede Hoffnung schwindet. Er sagte z.B: Wenn Mozart sich mehr angesträngt hatte (!)...Ein erstaunlicher Nachmittag. Bei D.r B. zeigte sich schon eine Wandlung!...Endlich eine menschlichere Musik. Noch sehr herb, ja oft wirklich sauer, aber gefühlt, und tonartlich (wenn auch mit Gewaltsamkeiten!) einheitlich...Kurz: ob er Talent hat, kann man noch nicht sagen, aber nun habe ich etwas Hoffnung, dass er zu retten sei...
3. COLLECTION OF OVER 800 DRAWINGS, PAINTINGS AND SKETCHES BY WOLF-FERRARI, including:
over 400 drawings from Wolf-Ferrari’s childhood and schooldays, in pencil, pen and watercolour, some signed, on paper, mostly laid down on over 80 leaves, contemporary folder labelled “Zeichnungen aus der Kinder-u. Schulzeit Ermanno’s”, Venice, Florence and elsewhere, c.1879-1887; c.33 mostly pencil drawings, on paper, from Wolf-Ferrari’s first Florence visit, 8vo, cut down from larger leaves, August-September 1891; a notebook containing c.10 leaves of drawings and sketches, including of Wolf-Ferrari’s father, mostly pencil, oblong 4to, wrappers, no date; c.100 mostly portraits and caricatures, in pencil or ink, including of Wagner, Richter, Mottl and characters from Parsifal, modern spiral folder, mostly c.1890-1895; SERIES OF PEN PORTRAIT SKETCHES OF VERDI, inscribed 'Disegni fatti di memoria dopo la visita a Giuseppe Verdi Milano' contained on a libretto fragment bifolium, c.1896(?); c.160 NUDE SKETCHES, mostly pencil, some in pen and ink, mostly folio, August 1917-August 1918; a portfolio of c.30 mostly self-portraits and portraits of family members and others, in pencil or crayon, c.1917-1918, with one oil portrait on card apparently of August Wolf and some earlier pencil and watercolour drawings; a fine self-portrait in red crayon, heightened with white, mounted on card, overall size 36 x 28cm, Epiphany 1892; a sketchbook of c.30 studies, in crayon, pencil or ink, containing portraits, nudes and landscapes, including a self-portrait in crayon, canvas-covered stiff wrappers, no date, light staining to covers; together with two large photographic portraits, of Wolf-Ferrari’s father August Wolf, and of August Wolf and Wolf-Ferrari, by F. Scattola, Venice, overall sizes 39 x 28cm and 35.5 x 43cm, the first dated 1898, dust-staining to mounts; and a large photograph portrait of Wagner, by Hanf Staengl, overall size 50 x 36cm, damp-staining
THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF WOLF-FERRARI MATERIAL TO APPEAR AT AUCTION SINCE THE SALE OF THE BULK OF HIS MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS OVER 20 YEARS AGO (SALE IN THESE ROOMS, 8 DECEMBER 2000, LOT 265).
IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING REMARKABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE GENESIS OF MANY OF WOLF-FERRARI'S OPERAS, THIS EXTRAORDINARY ARCHIVE ALSO SHEDS NEW AND REVEALING LIGHT ON THE COMPOSER'S CHARACTER AND PERSONAL LIFE. A famously reclusive man, Wolf-Ferrari rarely revealed anything of his private life beyond details of his childhood and adolescence as they related to his artistic development. The roughly 120 highly detailed and personal autograph letters in the archive, as well as over 80 letters by family members and others, and also the three remarkable, closely written, diaries, represent a wholly new and untapped source of biographical information.
A substantial part of the archive is formed by the over 800 drawings, which reveal the young Wolf-Ferrari as an artist of some talent, who might well have followed in the footsteps of his painter father August Wolf (1842-1915). Of exceptional interest here are the many family portraits, including of himself, as well as some drawings of Verdi, made from memory after a meeting in the 1890s.