Eric Sams   The Making of an Essay Letters on Schumann to and from Alan Walker

21. 

3rd April 1971

Dear Alan,

   thanks  for your letter and enclosure; and (not least!) postscript.

   I enclose the results of about half-an-hour's scribbling on the catalogue – just the piano works and songs. I think there's a fair bit of revision involved. I have some more recent or accurate sources than Grove V: eg the Abraham Symposium (not all the points I which got into Grove); a good Italian work La Musica (a sort of Italian Grove, but not as shady as than sounds); some material pub. By the Schumann-Gesellschaft in East Germany; some research of my own, and some correspondence with an East German specialist, about the songs; and some publications, photocopies etc that may be useful.

   But it shouldn't take long to chat and browse over, if you would like that; could you consider paying us a visit when we've got over our holidays (always so exhausting)? I think you've got a potentially rather valuable property here, only about 5% away from being the best and completest catalogue there is, anywhere. You might like later on to think about having the final version vetted by the Director of the Schumann-Museum in Zwickau, Martin Schloppe, whom I've always found very helpful, and with whom Brian will coo be in correspondence about some m/s material I've been discussing with him. After all, it's a State–supported organisation, and they might well just regard it as part of the job.

   It further occurs to me that a complete Schumann catalogue should come in very handy at this point is time – you ought to be able to sell it to Grove VI, since I'm sure it will be better than anything Abraham can currently muster. When I was last in touch with him he couldn't even remember where he'd found the famous (lost) Scherzino – which I see you've very sensibly lost again!

   yours ever

   Eric