You are bidding on one handwritten, signed letter of the classical philologist Rudolf Westphal (1826-1892).

On the same sheet (with embossed letterhead of music publisher FEC Leuckart, Breslau) there is a handwritten letter from the owner of this publisher, Johann Carl Wilhelm Sander.

Concerns works by Rudolf Westphal, which were published by FEC Leuckart in Breslau:

-History of ancient and medieval music, 1. Division (1864) and 3. Section "Plutarch on Music" (1866).

-Catullus' poems translated and explained in their historical context (1867)

addressed to an unnamed reviewer.

DatedWroclaw, 14. May 1866.

Transcription: "Dear Sir! I've just come to Herr Sander, who sent me your letter of the 8th submitted in May. You can now see for yourself that I am not in England (where did this myth come from?), but at home in Breslau, which I have been for over 2 years now, counting a trip of a few days at the end of the summer before last, for didn't leave for a moment. It will be my great pleasure if you publish the review of the first part of the history of ancient and medieval music very soon. As I wrote to you a year ago, the first part is followed by a small edition of Plutarch de musica. It is now completed and will be issued in a few days. Mr. Sander received the order from me to send you a copy immediately. A note on the cover of the little book gives the reasons why the second part of the music history could not yet appear. I have the honor of signing your goodwill, Yours sincerely and devotedly, Rudolf Westphal."

Below that attribution to the author, probably in the hand of the recipient: "Westphal, Philologe, Verf. the story of Greek music" (signature underneath illegible).

Then on the second sheet Letter from the publisher Carl Sander, dated Breslau, 13. May 1866 (So ​​he wrote this part first and then gave it to Rudolf Westphal, which also explains the publisher's stationery).

Transcription: "Dear Sir! your wth. [=valuable] letter from 8th. I have H.Dr. R Westphal here and you will find the reply to it below. – The ones as 3. dept. i.e. Plutarch's work on music, published in the history of music, has been printed. Only the envelope is missing. Because of the impending war, I am delaying sending it until a second work by R Westphal: 'Catullus Poems in their histor. Connections' finished printing. Hopefully the currently very cloudy political situation will clear up by then. Horizon. Totally devoted to C. Sander."

Scope:2 of 4 pages written (22.5 x 14.3 cm).

Without envelope.

Note: With the mentioned "threatening war" the German war or (German) brother war, also German-German war or Prussian-Austrian war (14. June 1866 – 23 August 1866) meant.

Condition: letter folded. Paper browned and somewhat creased, ins. Well. BPlease also note the pictures!

Internal note: Eschweiler Autograph Autograph

About Rudolf Westphal and FEC Leuckart Verlag (source: wikipedia):

Rudolf Georg Hermann Westphal (* 3. July 1826 in Obernkirchen; † 10 July 1892 in Stadthagen) was a German classical philologist. He dealt with comparative linguistics, ancient metrics, grammar and music theory.

Life: Rudolf Westphal, the son of a Markscheider, came from a family of scholars and pastors in Schaumburg. After his first lessons with his father and elementary school, he attended the princely grammar school in Bückeburg from 1841. From his teachers there he received decisive suggestions for his further career. But since his Bückeburg school-leaving certificate would not have been recognized in Kurhessen, he moved to the Ernestinum in Rinteln. After graduating (Easter 1845) he went to the University of Marburg and studied theology at the request of his parents. During his studies he became a member of the Alemannia Marburg fraternity in 1845.

From theology, Westphal came to the languages ​​of the Orient through the lectures of the Old Testament scholar and linguist Johann Gildemeister. He learned Arabic and Sanskrit, as well as Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, Celtic and Slavic languages ​​from Franz Dietrich. Westphal only concentrated his studies on classical philology in 1846, when he met fellow student August Rossbach (1823–1898). Both dealt with ancient music and comparative linguistics, especially with the metric of the Avesta, which Westphal was the first to explain systematically.

Westphal and Rossbach both pursued academic careers. In 1851 they went together to the University of Tübingen, where they received their doctorate and habilitation in quick succession in 1852. Her publications in the following years were eagerly discussed in the professional world. Westphal's discovery of the final law in Gothic was confirmed by Jacob Grimm, among others. In 1854, the University of Tübingen awarded Westphal the title of extraordinary professor.

When August Rossbach was appointed full professor of philology and archeology at the University of Breslau in 1856, Westphal followed him. He held lectures as a private lecturer and was appointed associate professor at the end of 1857. Westphal was popular with the students. His theses remained controversial in the professional world and there was no sign of Westphal being appointed to a chair.

For financial reasons, Westphal left the university in 1862 and returned to his parents' house in Obernkirchen. For a few years he lived as a private scholar and devoted himself exclusively to his research. He later moved to Halle an der Saale, where there was a large university library. Here he met the philologist Wilhelm Studemund (1843–1889) and the writer Fritz Reuter, with whom he had been in close contact and exchange ever since. In 1868 Westphal moved to Jena, where he met the philology professors Conrad Bursian and Moriz Schmidt. In 1872, this gave Westphal a position as a high school teacher at the Fellin School in Livonia. A year later, Westphal went to the grammar school in Goldingen (Livonia), where he was able to continue his research work alongside his teaching.

In 1874 Westphal was transferred to the academic department of the Imperial Lyceum in Moscow, where he taught Greek grammar and comparative linguistics. Here, for the first time since leaving Jena, he found himself in a cultural and academic environment that was stimulating for him. It was during this period that he arrived at his final thesis, in which he combined his views on ancient meter and music with the modern and related to his principle of rhythm. In doing so, he provoked numerous contradictions in public, especially from musicians such as Anton Rubinstein and Franz Liszt.

As his health suffered greatly from the Russian climate, Westphal made every effort to return to Germany. This succeeded in 1881, when his mother was able to pay a pension for her son thanks to a large inheritance. Westphal took his leave in Moscow and moved to Leipzig as a private scholar, where his publishers were based – and a large university library. Here Westphal concentrated on his last major work on the music theorist Aristoxenos of Taranto, the first volume of which was published in 1883. After a minor stroke in the fall of 1883, Westphal decided to move back to his homeland and be closer to his family. In October 1884 he moved to Bückeburg, and a few years later to neighboring Stadthagen. Here he died after a long illness on 10. July 1892.

Fonts (selection)

with August Rossbach: Metrics of the Greek playwrights and poets together with the accompanying musical arts. 3 parts in 4 volumes, Leipzig 1854-1865.

2. Edition under the title: Metrics of the Greeks in association with the other musical arts. 2 volumes, Leipzig 1867-1868.

3. Edition under the title: Theory of the musical arts of the Hellenes. 3 parts in 4 volumes, Leipzig 1885-1889. Reprint Hildesheim 1966.

The fragments and theorems of the Greek rhythmists. Leipzig 1861.

History of ancient and medieval music. Wroclaw 1865.

system of ancient rhythm. Wroclaw 1865.

Scriptores Metrici Graeci. 1 volume (no longer published), Leipzig 1866.

Catullus' poems translated and explained in their historical context. Wroclaw 1867.

Humorous poetry of classical antiquity. Hall 1868.

Philosophical-historical grammar of the German language. Jena 1869.

Prolegomena to Aeschylus Tragedies. Leipzig 1869.

Methodological grammar of the Greek language. 2 parts in 3 departments, Jena 1870-1872.

Theory of the New High German metric. Jena 1870.

Comparative grammar of the Indo-European languages, one volume (more not published). Jena 1873.

General theory of musical rhythm since JS Bach on the basis of the ancient and with reference to its historical connection to the medieval with special consideration of Bach's fugues and Beethoven's sonatas. Leipzig 1880. Reprint Wiesbaden 1968.

The Music of Ancient Greece. Leipzig 1883.

Aristoxenus of Taranto. Music and rhythm of classical Hellenism. 2 volumes, Leipzig 1883-1893. Reprint Hildesheim 1963.

Catullus' Book of Songs. Leipzig 1884.

General metrics of the Indo-European and Semitic peoples based on comparative linguistics. Berlin 1892.

The FEC Leuckart publishing house is a Munich-based music publisher. The publishing house was founded in 1782 as a music store in Breslau by Franz Ernst Christoph Leuckart (1748–1817). After his death in 1817, his widow continued the business. After the unmarried son Karl August Ferdinand Leuckart died, the daughter Auguste Henriette Leuckart took over the publishing house together with her husband Johann Carl Wilhelm Sander. Since then it has been owned by the Sander family, most recently Marco Sander since 1983.

The publishing house moved to Leipzig in 1870 and was destroyed in World War II during the air raids on Leipzig.

In 1941, the owner at the time, Horst Sander, acquired the Ernst Eulenburg music publishing house as part of an “Aryanization”. After Sander's death in captivity, his family left Leipzig at the end of May/beginning of June 1945 - according to their own statements on the advice of the American occupying power at the time - and moved to Munich. After Eulenburg-Verlag was transferred back to the original owner Kurt Eulenburg and Leipzig-based Horst Sander KG, under which Eulenburg-Verlag operated, was dissolved, Leuckart-Verlag received a US publishing license in December 1948.