Alfred CORTOT (1877–1962). Autograph letter signed “Fred,” London, May 13, 1931, to Jacques Thibaud, his “dear Jacquot,” in Saint-Jean-de-Luz; 1¼ pages, small quarto, on Park Lane Hotel stationery, Piccadilly, with envelope. Death of Eugène Ysaÿe, who passed away the day before. “I know that the death of our great and dear Eugène Ysaÿe will be a true loss for you and that it strikes at the very heart of your fondest and most enthusiastic memories. For me, who knew him far less well than you did, the passing of this great figure leaves a deep void in the image of the past that I loved to recall. You were truly, through so many ties and so many happy events from the early days of your career, connected to the memory I will cherish of this great, childlike and generous soul of a great artist—that it is to you, more than to anyone else, that I feel the need to express how deeply I share in your grief”…