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THE 14TH KNOWN LETTER FROM REYNALDO HAHN TO MARCEL PROUST

Lettre autographe signée inédite à Marcel Proust

170 x 120 mm

Very rare unpublished letter.

4 000 

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Description

"My dear Gentile
I wrote to Céleste twice. Tonight, or rather last night, I came home and found a message from her. But it's 1 o'clock in the morning! Every night I rehearse at the Opera!
I'll try to come on Wednesday. Phone me if you are at home.
Tenderness Reynaldo
Tel: Louvre 34-07".

To date, the The Known Correspondence of Marcel Proust with his best friend Reynaldo Hahn consists of 185 letters from Marcel Proust and only 13 from Reynaldo Hahn. While some of Proust's letters are particularly long and detailed, all of Hahn's surviving letters are simple notes of anecdotes, brief descriptions of social events or appointments. This unpublished letter, the 14th known to date and the 4th for 1921, is particularly revealing of the intimacy between the two men until Proust's death.

MARCEL PROUST AND REYNALDO HAHN. LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND DEATH 

Marcel Proust met Reynaldo Hahn in the spring of 1894, at the home of Madelaine Lemaire. Proust was 23 at the time, and the young composer Reynaldo Hahn, only 19, already had a very long career behind him. A prodigy worthy of Mozart, playing the piano at 5, composing at 10, befriending Fauré and Saint-Saëns at 14, he was famous at 16 for his melodies on texts by Hugo and Daudet. Proust was fascinated by Hahn and for two years a passion bound the two men together. In July 1896, Proust wrote to him: "I'll be very happy too, ah! My dear little one, very happy when I can kiss you, you really are the person I love best in the world, along with Mummy".. But then Lucien Daudet entered Proust's life, distancing Hahn from his love while at the same time making him a confidant and faithful friend, probably his closest. "[...] Of all of Mr Proust's friends, Reynaldo Hahn was the only one who was received when he came, if Mr Proust was awake". (Celeste Albaret, Mr Proust).

Until Proust's death, Reynaldo was the only one, along with Céleste Albaret, to be able to enter the writer's bedroom without restriction, in his intimacy, in that sacred space that he had spent so many years patiently and resolutely creating for himself, for the work to be done. Just one year after this missive, Marcel Proust died; Hahn, who had been watching his agony, telephoned and wrote to warn friends, staying up all night.

Patricia Mante-Proust's collection, Sotheby's 31 May 2016, included a typescript letter and two consignments from Hahn to Proust, but no autograph letter.

PRECIOUS AND MOVING TESTIMONY.

170 x 120 mm,1 leaflet folded in half.

Blue ink.

Bio

Reynaldo Hahn

(born in Caracas on August 9, 18741, and died in Paris on January 28, 1947)

French composer of Venezuelan origin, conductor, singer and music critic.

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Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust, born in Paris on July 10, 1871 and died in Paris on November 18, 1922.

See The Works