LONDON.- The autograph manuscript of Peter Warlock’s masterpiece The Curlew is to be auctioned at Bonhams Fine Books, Maps and Manuscripts sale in London on March 27th. It is estimated at £4,000-6,000. The Curlew, a setting of four poems by W B Yeats, is seen as his best work, a view shared by the composer – “for the first time in my life I really felt pleased with something I had written” as he told a friend after the premiere. Warlock had toyed with the composition for a number of years and one of his early – now lost – works – was a setting of the individual poem The Curlew written in 1916. His friend and mentor, Delius, heard the song and was moved to write to the aspiring composer, “Your song ‘The Curlew’ is lovely, and gave me the greatest pleasure. Turn to music, dear boy, that is where you will find the only real satisfaction” It took seven years and many false starts