Three autograph letters signed "V Capoul," most probably to composer Georges Rupé
- 1 page of a bifolium. Octavo. N.d. In black ink. In French. Creased at folds; light wear; minor foxing, especially to the second folio.
- 1 page of a bifolium. Octavo. N.d. In black ink. In French. Creased at folds; light soiling and wear; ink occasionally smeared, but legible; small stain to upper portion of first folio; minor foxing to second folio.
- 1 page. Octavo. N.d. In black ink. On stationery with a red bird holding a banner reading "Couac" ("Caw") at head. In French. Creased at folds; light wear; offsetting from the monogram to lower portion.
The letters generally concern social engagements, but in the third Capoul also mentions that he will depart for a new 6-month tour of America.
An "eloquent lyric" tenor, Victor Capoul made "his début with the Opéra-Comique in 1861 as Daniel (Adam’s Le chalet). Engaged by J. H. Mapleson in London, he appeared first in Faust at Drury Lane in 1871. He made his Covent Garden début as Fra Diavolo in 1877. His roles there included Almaviva, Ernesto, Elvino, and Paul in Massé’s Paul et Virginie, which he had created in Paris (1876). In the USA he made his début at the Academy of Music, New York, in 1871, and appeared in the opening season at the Metropolitan in 1883–4 as Wilhelm Meister and Alfredo; there he had to renounce the title role in Roméo et Juliette, in which he excelled, to Jean de Reszke and play Tybalt instead. Back in Paris he became director of the Opéra, lost his fortune through speculation and died in poverty." Elizabeth Forbes and J.B. Steane in Grove Music Online.
Item #23722
Price: $150.00 other currencies