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Maître Jean-Paul RENOUD-GRAPPIN

8 - Hector BERLIOZ (1803–1869). Autograph letter, Paris, 29 Dece…
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
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Description
Hector BERLIOZ (1803–1869). Autograph letter, Paris, 29 December 1830, to ROUGET DE LISLE at Choisy-le-Roi; one and a half pages, quarto, with address. A fine letter from Berlioz to the author of *La Marseillaise*. [In his *Memoirs* (chap. xxix), Berlioz explains that he arranged *La Marseillaise* ‘for two choirs and a full orchestra. ‘I dedicated my work to the author of this immortal anthem’; and he reproduces the letter sent to him by Rouget de Lisle on 20 December, inviting him to come and see him at Choisy.] He received Rouget de Lisle’s letter, but was leaving ‘in a few hours. I am obliged to make a trip to Italy so as not to lose the pension attached to the Institut’s grand prize; I shall therefore be deprived, until my return, of the honour of seeing you. I am deeply saddened by this unfortunate turn of events; one of my most cherished dreams has always been to meet the author of the Marseillaise in person, and the opportunity he has kindly offered me would be seized by me with the greatest eagerness were it not for this fateful journey. I can only curse all the more bitterly the despotism of routine which exiles me from France at a time when my presence in Paris could be so advantageous to me, and thank you, Sir, for the flattering letter with which you have been kind enough to honour me’... Former Bovet collection. General Correspondence, vol. I, no. 198.
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About the sale AUTOGRAPHS & MANUSCRIPTS – PENNED BY HISTORY’S GREAT FIGURES
Auction location
Auction time 09/18/2026 at 2:00 PM
Ref. : 226165 - 37
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