One page autographed letter by the French composer to his publisher Adolphe Catelin with a detached integral address panel and an I. Calzolari of Milan carte de visite photograph, July 20, 1840.

Kindly send me 8 copies of Cinq Mai, two complete of Romeo, and a score of Roi Lear.  I would be obliged to you for sending this as soon as possible.

Your devoted,

H. Berlioz

Catelin first published Berlioz’s works in 1836. In this letter, Berlioz requests copies of three of his newly published works. According to Cecil Hopkinson’s A Bibliography of the Musical and Literary Works of Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869, “Romeo et Juliette” was published in mid 1840 in a piano-vocal score by Catelin, a full orchestral score of “Overture — Roi Lear” also published in 1840 by Catelin, though the instrumental parts were available and advertised in the Fall of 1839 and “Cinq Mai” was published in 1840 as well in a piano-vocal score, though Hopkinson extends the availability of the edition through 1841.  Based upon our letter, it would appear that score was also published by the middle of 1840 as well.  Berlioz had apparently promised a score of “Romeo” to his friend Jean Jacques Humbert Ferrand in January of 1840, presumably the second copy was for him.

  Catelin ran a “fly-by-night” operation in Paris which moved constantly and Berlioz had at time difficulty finding him.  The company was finally bankrupt in 1843 and the firm of S. Richault who purchased the assets and became Berlioz’s publisher for many of his works, though Schlesinger and Choudens also published some of Berlioz’s works as well.

In excellent state, standard letter folds.

Harmonie Autographs and Music, Inc

Appraiser and Music Antiquarian

New York, NY

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