EN
Dresden played no role in Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf ’s life. But history made this city one of the most significant places regarding preserved sources of his works. In the Department of Special Collections (German: Sondersammlungen) of the Sächsische Landesbibliothek—Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek in Dresden (English: Saxon State and University Library Dresden, abbr.: SLUB), there are, among others, more than thirty archival sources containing Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf’s symphonies. That makes third richest collection of symphonic works by this composer. The majority of sources comes from the court’s theatre of Duke Frederic August Braunschweig-Oels in Oels (Öls, Polish: Oleśnica). It is one of the most representative collections of Dittersdorf ’s symphonies of all known archives. There are several composer’s autographs, partial autographs, a large variety of works of all compositional periods, a few unique copies of symphonies. A minor body of Dittersdorf ’s symphonies comes from two different sources, until recently unknown. One group is the set of partbooks (from the time of Dittersdorf) including—apart from Dittersdorf’s works—several dozen movements of serenades, symphonies, string quartets etc. of G.B. Sammartini, J.G. Graun, J.Ph. Rameau, the Stamitz family and J. Haydn, apparently performed on the occasion of court activities, not in concerts. The second, from 1860s, is the set of scores prepared by C. Mehner.