Entertainment memorabilia auction house Prifiles in History this week announced that the personal correspondence of several famous musicians will be up for auction on December 18 in Los Angeles. 300 of the “most important” items from a collection of over 3,000 items will be up for sale. Some of the most interesting letters in the collection include letters from Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and John Lennon.
The Lennon letter is particularly interesting because of its context. The letter is from Lennon to Eric Clapton, and is dated September 29, 1971. It shows that Lennon was hoping to collaborate with Clapton in the years following the break-up of The Beatles. From the letter:
Both of us have been thru the same kind of shit/pain that I know you’ve had—and I know we could help each other in that area—but mainly Eric – I know I can bring out something great – in fact greater in you that had been so far evident in your music, I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us – which I know will happen if/when we get together.
At the time of the letter, Clapton had already played with Lennon as a part of the Plastic Ono Band. Clapton also played on the White Album track “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” written by George Harrison. The Lennon letter is expected to sell for $20,000 to $30,000.
The Ludwig von Beethoven letter is signed and features a “disgruntled tone.” It is expected to sell for $40,000 to $60,000. The Tchaikovsky letter is also signed, and is expected to sell for $10,000 to $15,000. Other letters in the collection not expected to fetch as high a price include letters from the early 1930s from Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter.