[Joseph Joachim and his wife Amalie.] Eleven Autograph Letters Signed from Joachim (seven in English and four in German) and three more from his wife (all in German), to the English composer Clara Angela Macirone, with Joachim's calling card.

An interesting sidelight into a neglected area of Joachim scholarship, the 'Joseph Joachim - biography and research' website containing no references at all to Macirone. Joachim's acquaintance with England (where his elder brother Henry settled) had begun while he was still a child, when his teacher Felix Mendelson (himself a prodigy) had brought him to the country, where his playing caused a sensation. 14 letters, in fair condition, on aged and worn paper. The combined letters total 34pp. in 8vo and 12mo, with Joseph Joachim's eleven letters consisting of 25pp. of this amount, of which 15pp. are in German; and his wife's three letters consisting of 9pp. One envelope present, with Hanover and London postmarks, addressed by Amalie Joachim to 'Miss C. A. Macirone | 5 Park village West | Regents Park. N.W. | London'. The envelope contains a letter from Amalie Joachim, with her husband's calling card, in the bottom left-hand corner of which he has written 'P. P. C'. Ten of Joachim's eleven letters are signed 'Joseph Joachim', with the eleventh (and presumably earliest) written in the third person (from 40 St James's Place [London], on 7 April [no year]), and declining 'the engagement for the 20th of May, having promised to play in Liverpool on the day named'. The other six of Joachim's seven English letters (one ending in German) are addressed to 'Dear Miss Macirone'. Joachim's wife's three letters, are all in German, and are all signed 'Amalie Joachim'. One letter (4pp., 8vo) by Joachim is dated from 'Hanover 9th of Febry', and in it he writes that his brother (Henry Joachim (1824-1897), a merchant based in London) has sent him Macirone's 'kind note', and that, although he has been 'so very busy this last month', he is 'quite ashamed to have needed to be reminded of what I ought to have done before now!' He explains that he will write his 'most sincere whishes [sic]' in German, 'since you have allowed me to speak my own language to so good a german scholar!' The rest of the letter, in German, contains a reference to Italy, and to a Beethoven sonata, a few bars of which he writes out. In another case letters by both husband and wife are present on the same bifolium, with Joachim writing (1p, 8vo) that he 'wanted my wife to write to you herself and to show you in the most effective manner how much her health has been improved. We should all look forward with great pleasure to our trip if it would not be so warlike everywhere; those are anxious times indeed!' He hopes that she will send her 'promised Romanza for the Violin before we start; you may be sure of a hearty welcome for it and a sincere wish to find it very beautiful!' His wife's accompanying letter (3pp., 8vo) is dated from Hanover, 28 May [1866]. In an early undated letter ('Tuesday') from 40 Pall Mall [London], Joachim writes that 'Certainly I had proposed myself to call and fix an evening with you for next week - but alas, this gigantic London will not allways [sic] allow us to carry out our best intentions! Will Tuesday next suit you your Mama and sister? If so I shall have the greatest pleasure to come, and hear some more Music, and see some new Sketches!' As his brother is 'going to Yorkshire for some time', he will be 'deprived to make use of your Mamas amiable permission to come also'. On 18 July [1862] he thanks her 'for the ticket you have kindly sent me, and of which I hope soon to make use. My brother, I am afraid will not be able to come with me on Wednesday, since he intends going to the Country for some days next week [...] I shall be with you at 8, and look forward with great pleasure to hear you play at last.' In another undated letter he writes that it would have 'interested me very much to see the University-boat-race, in fact I hoped that would be able to do so this year at last, but alas! I must go to Liverpool the very day. So you see how much I am the slave of Music.' He thanks her for the invitation, exclaiming: 'What beautiful violets, fresh from the country, the best "Grass" I could send home!' Another undated letter, reads: 'Dear Miss Macirone | Excuse my sending you the leaf of my Note:Book; I think I was correct. | In great haste | Joseph Joachim'. The German part of the Joachim's correspondence includes references to Messrs Chappell, a trip to Lancashire and the Monday Popular Concerts.