"I am tempted to take my pension and go hide in a village where no one will find me": François-Joseph Fétis struggling to answer "123 letters"
Autograph letter signed ("Fétis").
8vo. 2 pp. In French.
€ 1,500.00
Charming and insightful letter to a female friend and singer, informing her about his efforts to find engagements in Ghent or Bruges for her. Fétis wrote to the director of the casino in Ghent, who informed him that Henri Herz had been engaged for an upcoming concert but no other "foreign artists", as "the singers had already been engaged". There was, however, an offer to hire her after the concerts of the carnival-season. From Bruges, there was no reply yet, which "astonished" Fétis as he knew of an upcoming concert of the "Société de la Grande Harmonie", again after the ball season.
In the second part of the letter, Fétis complains bitterly about his workload, especially the many letters that reach him. He asks the recipient to let Mr. Debain, presumably the inventor of the harmonium Alexandre-François Debain, know that he has received his letter and will "respond as soon as possible". However, he has "currently 123 letters" on his desk that reached him "in the past ten days from all parts of the world" and he doesn't know "which one to start with for the responses", lamenting: "In reality, this correspondence kills me, and this for things that concern only those who write to me. In such moments of despair, I am tempted to take my pension and go and hide in a village where no one will find me".
With minimal tears to the folds. Well preserved.
