Sold For $137,314
ALS in French, signed “Ch.,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 4 x 6.5, September 13, 1846. Handwritten letter to his close friend, the cellist Auguste Franchomme, about the publication of his music, referring especially to his Op. 61, 'Polonaise-Fantaisie.' In part (translated): "I am very annoyed that Brandus is absent and that Maho is not yet able to receive the manuscripts he so often requested from me this winter…Please be so kind as not to entrust my manuscripts to them without receiving the agreed-upon payment, and send me a five-hundred-franc note immediately in your letter…Keep your millions for another time."
In a postscript, he sends regards from himself and "Madame Sand"—his famous lover, the writer George Sand—to the Franchomme family, and asks to be remembered to his friend and student, the pianist Jane Stirling, and others: "If Mme. Stirling is in St. Germain, please remember me to her, as well as to Mme. Erskine." Finally, he provides further publishing instructions at the top: "Please add to the title of the Polonaise, 'dedicated to Madame A. Veyret.'" In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Chopin's own hand. Also includes an export certificate from the French Ministry of Culture.
Chopin writes during the final, fragile phase of his life, when declining health and financial anxiety increasingly shaped his daily concerns. By this point he was an internationally admired composer, but still dependent on advances and punctual payments from Parisian publishers such as Brandus. His irritation over delays and insistence on immediate payment reflect his precarious finances and his careful control over how—and when—his music entered the public sphere. The work he mentions most pointedly, the Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61, represents one of his most innovative late compositions, blending the rhythms of Polish national dance with free, introspective fantasy, and marking a stylistic culmination of his mature voice.
The letter also illuminates Chopin’s close personal and professional circle. Auguste Franchomme, the recipient, was his dearest friend and musical confidant, while the postscript greetings situate Chopin within a network of devoted supporters, including his companion George Sand and his Scottish pupil and patron Jane Stirling. Notably, the reference to Sand comes just a year before their famous breakup, lending some added poignancy. This letter passed by descent through the Franchomme family and was first offered at Sotheby's in 2011.
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