IMPORTANT MUSICAL SALE ATTRACTS BUYERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
A mixture of online bidders, telephone buyers and in-room bidders made for a busy auction today (Thursday 6th April) at Keys Fine Art Auctioneers Sir Malcolm Arnold Collection sale, which took place at the Assembly Rooms in Norwich.
The collection, comprising items from his lifetime collection and work including original manuscripts, musical instruments, awards, pictures and memorabilia, saw just over 200 lots go under the hammer.
Highlights of the sale included (hammer prices, excluding buyer’s premium):
- There was brisk bidding for autograph full scores of his orchestral works, including those of the 4th Symphony (Opus 71), which sold for £6,000; the 1st Symphony (Opus 22), which sold for £3,500; and the 8th Symphony (Opus 124), which sold for £2,600.
- Interest was high in a number of autograph sketches of his work, including those for his Fantasy on a Theme of John Field (Opus 116), which sold for £1,500; for The Three Musketeers, which sold for £1,200; and for the Tempest, which sold for £2,000.
- Two of the composer’s trumpets, including one which he used as Principal Trumpet in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, sold for £850 each.
- Arnold’s two Ivor Novello Awards sold for £1,200 and £1,000.
- There was brisk bidding for many of Arnold’s collection of pictures, with top price being achieved for ‘A Trout Stream’ by British artist Algernon Newton, which sold for £5,200.
Keys director and general manager Kevin Lines commented, “This was an important sale which attracted bidders from all over the world, with particularly busy online bidding. The huge variety of lots on offer meant that there was something for everyone, from serious institutional collectors bidding on original scores, to amateur collectors and musicians bidding for memorabilia related to one of the UK’s leading composers.”