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ALS in German, signed “Ihr, B,” one page, 4.75 x 7.75, no date but likely circa 1817–1818. Handwritten letter by Ludwig van Beethoven to the father of child prodigy pianist Leopoldine Blahetka. In full (translated): "As I know that you will be at home in the afternoon anyway, I will definitely come to you around 5 o'clock this afternoon—in the meantime, farewell, my dear B[lahetka]." Addressed on the integral leaf in Beethoven's own hand, "an Seine Wohlgebohrn H: v. Blahetka." In fine condition, with a small area of seal-related paper loss to the adjoining sheet.
Beethoven was reportedly impressed by the skill of the young Leopoldine Blahetka, then just eight or nine years old, and assigned some practice exercises to her (see: 'Ludwig van Beethoven, seine Schüler und Interpreten' by Anna Gertrud Huber, p. 36). He also played a role in arranging for her tutelage by Joseph Czerny, who also taught music to Beethoven's nephew, Karl. The youngster made her first public concert appearance at age nine, and was praised by the Viennese press as a 'child prodigy.' She began creating her own compositions at age eleven, incorporating them into her regular performances. During the 1820s, Blahetka mounted concert tours of Europe that brought her to Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, the Hague, and London. Robert Schumann, who heard her on her concert tour in Germany, judged her playing to be 'a truly feminine one, delicate, prudent and elaborate.'
Provenance: Dr. Hering, London, 14 August 1832 (with presentation inscription in the upper margin of the address leaf); Parke-Bernet, 19 March 1963, lot 53; Stargardt, 1 December 1988, lot 703; Stargardt, 5 April 1991, lot 1018; Stargardt, 19 September 1992, lot 431; Christie's, 9 July 2025, lot 31.
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