Brahms Institute acquires letter to Zurich singer
The Brahms Institute at the Lübeck University of Music has acquired a previously unpublished Brahms letter to the Zurich singer Maria Schmidt. The previous owner was an American antiquarian bookshop.
The then 35-year-old Brahms wrote this three-page letter to the renowned Zurich singer Maria Schmidt on October 14, 1868. In it, he congratulates her on her marriage to the composer and pianist Theodor Kirchner. Brahms was not uninvolved in the marriage of the artist couple: He had introduced the prima donna of the Zurich theater to Kirchner.
However, the letter did not reach the singer and was sent back to Brahms. Four months later, in February 1869, the composer sent his letter to Zurich again, adding further lines to his husband Theodor Kirchner, with whom he was on friendly terms. Kirchner became engaged to the young and beautiful singer in June 1868, surprising Brahms and many of his friends.
Through Theodor Kirchner's last pupil Conrad Hanns, a significant part of Kirchner's estate came into the Hofmann Collection and thus into the collection of the Lübeck Brahms Institute in 1991. This includes 36 music autographs, several hundred sketch sheets and drafts, the extensive collection of first and early prints of his works as well as numerous written documents and personal papers. The extensive materials on Kirchner's life and work are available in digital form on the Institute's website at www.brahms-institut.de available.
