Music under the hammer

In these financially challenging times, one might expect sales of musical memorabilia to the tune of many thousands of pounds to dwindle. However, during March, two important items were put under the hammer, with both auctioneers confident that the buyers are still out there.

The first was a rare handwritten letter from Beethoven to his friend and publisher Tobias Haslinger. Dating from January 1817, the letter discusses the composer's Eighth Symphony in preparation for its initial publication and asks "whether you could come and see me tomorrow morning concerning the correction of the symphony. They [the corrections] should be done by then and it is necessary to discuss certain things, as there are still several inconsistencies". With an estimate of $20,000 from American house RRAuction in New Hampshire (although some experts had predicted a figure in the region of $80,000) the document eventually sold for a healthy $33,764. Also on sale was Bernard Herrmann's original manuscript for the soundtrack of Psycho. Given the Hitchcock film's iconic status, it was expected to sell for as much as £40,000 when bidding took place on March 24 at London auctioneer Bonhams. "It will be very popular given the almost mythical nature of the movie," said a spokesman.