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famed conductor

Ripley presents famed British conductor’s estate Jan. 16

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
famed conductor
Beyond his music genius, Raymond Leppard’s warm character, generous heart and good humor endeared him to the likes of Queen Elizabeth, who made him a Commander of the British Empire in 1983. Ripley Auctions image

INDIANAPOLIS – Items from the estate of the legendary British conductor and composer Raymond Leppard (1927-2019), a Grammy-winning recording artist and scholarly revivalist of 16th and 17th century baroque operas, will come up for bid in an auction on Saturday, Jan. 16, by Ripley Auctions. The 315-lot sale will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

 The maestro’s personal collection includes a rare and notable library of more than 100 books, featuring orchestral, choral and operatic scores, historical reference material and music theory volumes, many dating from the 17th through the 19th century. Highlights include works by Bach, Rossini, Mozart, Handel, Schubert, Wagner, Tartini, Stamitz, Burney, Britten, Elgar and Stanley.

famed conductor
‘Six Concertos for the Harpsicord or Organ compos’d by Mr. Handel,’ London, Printed for I. Walsh in Chatherine Street in the Strand, circa 1738. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Ripley Auctions image

“In addition to his musical genius, Raymond Leppard was known for his warm character, generous heart and good humor. This endeared him to the likes of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Benjamin Britten, Frederica Von Stade, Dame Janet Baker and members of the infamous Bloomsbury group, among others,” said Kristen Hein, vice president of development for Ripley Auctions.

Most of the lots in the auction are from the Leppard estate, which also features many of his personal effects, artworks and decorative accessories. The balance of the catalog consists of fine items pulled from prominent estates and collections in the Indianapolis area. Notably, Raymond Leppard served as music conductor for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1987-2001.

Multi-volume sets will include the three-volume Mémoires ou Essais sur la Musique, Tome Premier, Duxieme, Troisieme, Par le C. en. Grétry, published by de l’Imprimerie de la République, A Paris, 1797 (est. $800-$1,200); and the four-volume General History of Music from the Earliest Ages to the Present Period by Charles Burney, printed for the author, with three first editions, 1732 and 1739 (est. $1,500-$2,500).

famed conductor
Four Volumes: ‘General History of Music from the Earliest Ages to the Present Period’ by Charles Burney, printed for the author, with three first editions, 1732 & 1739. Estate: $1,500-$2,500. Ripley Auctions image

Charles Villiers Stanford’s hand-written and scored Cushendall, An Irish Song Cycles, The poems by John Stevenson, OP 118, signed on interior and last page, July 18, 1910, has an estimate of $500-$700; while Forty Select Anthems in Score, Composed for 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8 Voices; by Dr. Maurice Greene, organist and composer His Majesty’s Chapels Royal, MDCCXLIII, should realize $800-$1,200.

Six Concertos for the Harpsicord or Organ composed by Handel, London, Printed for I. Walsh in Chatherine Street in the Strand, circa 1738; Amphion Anglicus A Work of Many Compositions, For One, Two Three and Four Voices: Instrumental Music, Organ, Harpsichord or Theorboe-Lute by Dr. John Blow, London, 1700; and L’Allegro il Pensieroso , ed il Moderato, The Words from Milton, The Musick Composed in 1739 by G. F. Handel, all have estimates of $800-$1,200.

famed conductor
‘Amphion Anglicus A Work of Many Compositions, For One, Two Three and Four Voices: Instrumental Music, Organ, Harpsichord or Theorboe-Lute’ by Dr. John Blow, London, 1700. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Ripley Auctions image

Franz Schubert, Sinfonie in H-Moll “Die Unvolledete“; Musik Verlag Emil Katzbichler, London, printed by T.N. for Henry Herringman, 1673, should change hands for $3,000-$5,000; while Four Volume facsimile Musique de Gluck Operas, Publiee par M-elle F. Pelletan et B. Damcke, Paris, Simon Rechault, Editor: Alceste, Iphigenie en Tauride, Armide, Iphigenie en Aulide, has an estimate of $1,500-$2,000.

famed conductor
Four Volume facsimile ‘Musique de Gluck Operas,’ Publiee par M-elle F. Pelletan et B. Damcke, Paris, Simon Rechault, Editor: Alceste, Iphigenie en Tauride, Armide, Iphigenie en Aulide. Estimate $1,500-$2,000. Ripley Auctions image

L’Italiana in Algeri, Opera Comica in due Atti, M. Gioacchino Rossini, B. Schott figli, Magonza, first edition, before 1820, is expected to command $600-$900. Also, Benjamin Britten’s signed musical score for Overture The Building of the House, with the composer’s hand-written notes, 1967, carries a modest estimate of $500-$700.

Eight Concerto’s in Seven Parts, Compos’d By Michael Christian Festing. Opera Quinta, London, printed by William Smith, at Corelli’s Head, M.DCC.XXXIX, 1739, is estimated to knock down for $400-$600; and Maestro Raymond Leppard’s personal score of Claudio Monteverdi Il Ritorno D’Ulisse in Patrinia in two volumes & two acts, with Leppard’s personal notes, Faber Music Ltd, London, should garner $500-$700.

Raymond Leppard studied harpsichord and viola at Trinity College, Cambridge, and conducted regularly before making his professional debut at Wigmore Hall in London in 1953, conducting his own group, the Leppard Chamber Orchestra. He soon became known for his performances of Baroque and Classical music, often conducting, in period style, from the harpsichord.

famed conductor
Franz Schubert, Sinfonie in H-Moll ‘Die Unvolledete’; Musik Verlag Emil Katzbichler, London, printed by T.N. for Henry Herringman, 1673. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Ripley Auctions image

He also started writing musical scores to accompany performances of Shakespearean plays and staged productions of Handel’s opera Samson, Monteverdi’s landmark opera L’Incoronazione di Poppea and operas by the Italian Baroque composer Francesco Cavalli. Through his work, Leppard became a champion of music that had gone dormant for three centuries and revived it for contemporary audiences.

He was a modern artist as well, conducting music for several films, including Lord of the Flies in 1963. He also conducted 20th century works by other composers, including Benjamin Britten, Virgil Thompson and Nicholas Maw. In 1976, Leppard moved to the United States, where he served as music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and as principal guest conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra between 1984 and 1990.

Leppard made some 200 recordings for such labels as EMI, Decca and CBS, including one of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’s seminal album, Baroque Music for Trumpets. It would be one of two Grammy Awards Leppard would earn in collaboration with Marsalis. In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II made Leppard a Commander of the British Empire.

Previews will be held by appointment only, the week before the auction. To schedule an appointment, call 317-251-5635. To inquire about consigning an item, an estate or collection, contact Ripley Auctions at 317-251-5635 or sales@ripleyauctions.com.

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famed conductor