An autograph note from the great conductor to the impresario and Columbia Artists manager André Mertens, thanking him for his telegram on Walter's 85th birthday. Translated from the German: "Dear Mr. Mertens, I'm sorry that I am so late in thanking you for your telegram of kind thoughts on my 85th birthday. But countless congratulations are still lying unanswered on my desk. I send you all my good wishes for your health and all the best. Yours, Bruno Walter." He dates: Beverly Hills, October 14, 1961. In blue ink on a small white card, in very fine condition. 5.75 x 5 inches (14.5 x 12.4 cm).

The important musical manager André Mertens began his career as the directory of the State Ministry of Fine Arts in Germany, before fleeing to the USA in 1933. There he became the founder of Columbia Artists Management and played an important role in developing the careers of artists such as Leontyne Price and Renata Tebaldi. In the post-war years, he also served as a link between the musical worlds of the USA and Europe, facilitating American tours for European orchestras under Karajan, Walter, Bernstein, and others, and recommending young American artists for European opera houses. After his death in 1963, his work was continued by his wife Clara, who also made several generous institutional bequests in his name, including the André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.