Autograph letter signed "Marietta Alboni Pepoli" to an unidentified male correspondent, possibly Monsieur Guillen.
2 pp. Octavo. Dated Paris, October 8, 1856. In French (with translation).
Alboni asks her correspondent to help Briggi, a cornet player, who has just arrived in Paris on his way to concertize in London. "I dare to hope that you would use your influence to be useful to M. Briggi who, by all reports, is well worthy of the interest of all true artists." She asks that he give her regards to Madame Guillen.
From the collection of Marilyn Horne (b. 1934).
Slightly worn and browned; creased at folds with very small splits.
Marietta Alboni appeared at La Scala, Vienna, Covent Garden, the Théâtre Italien, the Paris Opéra, and other important European opera houses. Rossini coached her in the principal contralto roles in his operas. Her voice "was considered a true contralto, rich and even from g to c‴, though she also sang several soprano roles, including Anna Bolena, Norina in Don Pasquale and Amina in La sonnambula. Her singing was thought by some to lack fire; nevertheless, the beauty of her voice and the perfection of her technique made her one of the great representatives of classical Italian bel canto." Elizabeth Forbes in Grove Music Online.
A distinguished American mezzo-soprano, "Horne had a voice of extraordinary range, rich and tangy in timbre, with a stentorian chest register and an exciting top... In concert she once achieved the feat of singing in a single programme Rossini arias and Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene, proof of her exceptional versatility. Throughout her lengthy career she was an admired recitalist, singing lieder, mélodies, Spanish and American songs with equal aplomb." Alan Blyth in Grove Music Online.
Item #30390
Price: $185.00 other currencies