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THE STARGARDT AUCTION OFFERED TWO BEETHOVEN ITEMS WITH TOTALLY DIFFERENT OUTCOMES. Estimated to go for around 25,000, the first was a brief note to Gustav Dollinger (1774-1835) that apologized for a late arrival of a book due to health problems ("Forgive the late arrival of the book, for a considerable time my health has been in an almost critical state, this is the reason for the delay"). It bears the Anderson letter number 1249 and the Brandenburg number 1040. Emily Anderson, who was not able to see the autograph, dated it from 1823, while Sieghard Brandenburg places it in the period 1816/17. The twenty-five words in the body of the letter sold for 34,000 plus the premium, amounting to $45,350, or $1,814 per word. Not many personalities command such a rate! The fate of the second lot was in stark contrast. It consisted of a contemporary copyist's score of the violin and pianoforte parts for the first movement and the pianoforte part for the third movement of the Violin Sonata in D Major, Opus 12, no. 1. With a modest estimate of 250, no one was tempted and it was bought in.
Stargardt's auction served as a prelude to Sotheby's in London on May 22. Eight Beethoven lots were offered, and the first one completely overshadowed all others. It was a rare full score...