70 - CORTOT (Alfred). (1877–1962). French pianist, conductor, and teacher.

CORTOT (Alfred). (1877–1962). French pianist, conductor, and teacher. TYPED DOCUMENT RELATING TO AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER BY CLAUDE DEBUSSY PRESERVED IN THE ALFRED CORTOT COLLECTION. Lausanne, November 8, 1956. 1 page, quarto size, typewritten, addressed to 3 Chemin de Chandolin. Document prepared in the name of Paul Hooreman, addressed to the secretary of Éditions de la Grange-Batelière. Handwritten annotation in black ink in the upper left margin. An interesting document relating to Alfred Cortot’s collection of musical autographs and the preparation of a book dedicated to Claude Debussy. Paul Hooreman, acting at the request of Alfred Cortot—who was away from Lausanne at the time—sent the publisher a photographic reproduction of a letter from Claude Debussy belonging to the famous pianist: “Mr. Alfred Cortot, who is currently away from Lausanne, forwarded your letter of October 18 to me and asked me to have a letter by Debussy in his possession photographed and to send you a proof. Here it is. ” He specifies the dimensions of the original as 157 × 136 mm and requests confirmation of receipt. A handwritten note in the margin appears to concern the reproduction and its editorial use. This document attests to the circulation of Claude Debussy’s autographs and their use as reference material within 20th-century music collections. The sheet shows creases, some wrinkles, and tears in the lower right corner, with no significant damage to the typewritten text.