No photo.
- Profession: Violoncellist, impresario.
- Residences: Budapest, Hamburg, Vienna.
- Relation to Mahler:
- Correspondence with Mahler: Yes.
- 00-00-0000, Year
- Born: 1868 Austria.
- Died: 1935
- Buried: Unknown.
Norbert Salter was a cellist who played under Mahler in both Budapest and Hamburg (1891 – 1897). After Mahler left Hamburg for Vienna, in a letter of 25 May 1898, Mahler described Salter – presumably a candidate for a position in Vienna Hofoper, as “an average cellist, who (unfortunately) would only play a mediocre role in our orchestra.”
Brahms’s arrangements for cello and piano are from a selection of his Lieder. They were prepared by Norbert Salter. Better known as an impresario Salter, a cellist, had played in the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra under the young Mahler. Brahms would probably have known of these Salter arrangements as they were first published during his lifetime in 1896 by Simrock.
The present letter seems to have be written some years later, when Mahler was again in contact with Salter, in his new capacity as the business manager of the Hamburg orchestra. After giving up the life of a performing musician, Salter expanded his interests to become a successful international musical and theatrical agent, eventually becoming the European representative of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
Autograph letter, signed “Mahler.” 1 page, on illustrated letterhead of the Palast Hotel, Berlin. [no date]. Addressed to Norbert Salter (1868-1935), in German. Translated in full:
“Dear Salter, Last night I forgot to invite you to my evening tonight. I am enclosing two tickets. But if you have already committed to other plans for the evening, please pass the tickets on to someone else so that the seats will not remain empty. Prehaps you can come by backstage to say hello. Best wishes, Mahler.”