Henri TOMASI. Autograph musical manuscript... - Lot 141 - Ader

Lot 141
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3000 - 4000 EUR
Henri TOMASI. Autograph musical manuscript... - Lot 141 - Ader
Henri TOMASI. Autograph musical manuscript signed, Princesse Pauline, opéra-bouffe, 1960; [4]-201 pages in-fol. Complete working manuscript of this opera-bouffe about the love affairs of Pauline Borghese, Napoleon's sister. This opéra-bouffe in 2 acts and 7 tableaux, on a libretto by Francis Didelot, was first performed on January 11, 1962 at the Salle Gaveau, with the Orchestre radio-lyrique de l'ORTF, conducted by Serge Baudo, with Mady Mesplé in the title role, and then at the Opéra-Comique on June 22, 1962, conducted by Richard Blareau and directed by Robert Manuel. René Dumesnil wrote in Le Monde of January 16, 1962: "A great, legitimate success welcomed Henri Tomasi's opéra-bouffe in the Salle Gaveau, on a very amusing libretto by Francis Didelot, Princesse Pauline, freely inspired by the legendary adventures of Napoleon I's second sister. It was the musician's sixtieth birthday: in this mature work, Henri Tomasi shows himself to be younger than ever, and if he has chosen the opéra-bouffe (not the operetta) it is to give free rein to a fantasy that brings together a work of very modern spirit with the classical form, transposing reality into a realm close to the fairy tale. The author of Don Juan de Mañara knows how to laugh and make people laugh; he has all the qualities of a theatre musician, able to keep his audience on the edge of their seats. The action takes place in Nice, in the middle of the carnival of 1807 - a pretext for all kinds of madness under the mask"... The work features (we take up the indications of the introductory leaflet): Pauline (lyric soprano with vocals), Sidonie (lyric soprano, dynamic, Musette style), Zoé (dramatic soprano), Tine (soprano), Blangini (tenor (with vocals) as in the Barber), Massena (baritone), Corvino (bass, dark voice, with low register), Borghese (singing bass), the Four (Trials, 2 tenors, 1 baritone and a bass), Domingo (silent role, dancer), chorus and corps de ballet. The orchestra is composed of 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns (4th optional), 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba (optional), timpani, percussion, keyboards, harp, piano, strings. The manuscript, in black ink on 32-line paper, is dated at the end "Paris Carnaval February 1960". It contains numerous erasures and corrections, notably by scratching, blanks, annotations and pencil notes, as well as important cuts and strikethroughs, replacing sung passages with spoken parts, or deleting spoken dialogue. The title page shows the original title Notre-Dame des Colifichets crossed out and replaced by the final title; but it retains the indication "opéra-bouffe in 3 acts" (the first act has four tableaux, the second three).
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