A handwritten letter by Richard Wagner, dated 1881, is due to be auctioned on October 24 at Barcelona auction house, La Suite. The signed letter was written by the famous composer in French to the editor of now defunct newspaper El Periódico Ilustrado Español and discusses thoughts about the character of Lohengrin - prompted, it is presumed, by the bicentenary of the death of the dramatist and poet Pedro Calderón de la Barca, which coincided with the 1881 premiere of Lohengrin in Madrid.

The letter was transcribed in the book Wagner’s Correspondence in Spain (1991), by Jordi Mota and María Infiesta and was formerly a part of the collection of music critic and friend of Wagner, Joaquin Marsillach, before being passed to Catalan architect César Martinell.

The original letter, written in blue ink on paper, is being auctioned with a starting price of €1,200. For full details visit La Suite.