Autograph letter signed to Monsieur Génio at the Opéra Comique in Paris
3 pp. Small quarto. Dated December 23, 1934. On mourning stationery. In French (with translation). Together with autograph envelope.
Escalaïs sends his best wishes for 1935 to Génio and his mother, mentions a role in "Mon Ami Pierrot" which "Sacha Guitry very much wanted" him to get, and a meeting with the director of the Opéra Comique and the composer Barlow.
"Let us hope ... that you will succeed at last in getting a role which would permit you to make good use of your pretty voice and your many qualities ... I almost became your comrade: I was expected to create a small role in Mon ami Pierrot ... but, for reasons which I will explain to you when I have the pleasure of seeing you, it was not possible for me to accept."
Very slightly worn; creased at folds.
A French tenor, Escalaïs "had a big, heroic voice and was in great demand for such operas as Il trovatore and L’Africaine, and also La Juive, in which he appeared at La Scala. In 1892 he left Paris for Lyons, where he became director, returning to the capital to great acclaim in 1908. He also enjoyed a spectacular success at the French Opera in New Orleans. His powerful voice and ringing high notes are well demonstrated in recordings made in 1905 and 1906, which show a skilled technician ..." J.B. Steane in Grove Music Online.
Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (1885-1957) was a noted French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.
The composer referred to in the letter is most probably the French composer of English and Alsatian origin Fred Barlow (1881-1951).
Item #21850
Price: $225.00 other currencies