80 - KARAJAN, Herbert von (1908–1989).

KARAJAN, Herbert von (1908–1989). 14 letters, signed “Herbert” or “Heribert,” dated 1915–1916 and undated, to his parents; 13 pages in-8, and 4 pages in-4; in German. Beautiful family correspondence. Description: These tender and affectionate letters are addressed to his parents, Ernst von Karajan (1868–1951) and Martha von Karajan, née Kosmac. The first 13 letters date from Karajan’s early childhood, written in 1915 while on vacation at his grandfather’s home in Grundlsee, and one from Salzburg in August 1916. In handwriting that is still childlike yet careful, he expresses his affection for “Lieber Papa”; one letter in French is addressed to his “chere maman”: “How are you? Did you receive my first two letters? Papa has already written to us this month too! Pauline sent me a postcard from Callenberg. Yesterday we went Schinackerl fahren—a thousand kisses, your Herbert.” On August 18, 1915, he recounts that he went to the movies to see *Life in the Desert* and *The Mysterious Villa*: “We went to the movies—it was *Life in the Desert* and *The Mysterious Villa*,” and that they were going to the Emperor’s Festival (“ins Kaiserfest”). One letter was co-written with his brother Wolfgang…. The last letter dates from the war years, on letterhead reading “Generalmusikdirektor Herbert von Karajan, Staatsoper Berlin.” He sends birthday wishes to his father and mentions a bombing that prevented him from traveling to Salzburg after Vienna; he is back in Berlin and will return to Vienna with his orchestra in February… Enclosed are a handwritten letter from his brother Wolfgang (Salzburg, April 1915); a telegram from 1936; and a printed communiqué on the letterhead of the Städtische Musikdirektion Aachen (April 1937).