Directors, Impresarios, Librettists & Editors ($100 - $250)

English theater manager and opera librettist (1796-1860), who wrote librettos for several of Michael Balfe's operas including The Bohemian Girl and The Maid of Artois. Autograph letter signed, 1 page, size is 4.25 x 7 inches, slight wear on edges, otherwise in excellent condition.

Italian librettist, writer and journalist (1853-1941), wrote librettos for Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz and Giordano's Mala Vita as well as a biography of the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso published in 1938. Autograph letter signed, 2 pages, written on both sides of a 8.5 x 11 inch document, dated in Naples in 1922 and sent to the author of another Caruso biography congratulating him on his work. Composed in Italian and sold with a 2 page typed English translation, 8.25 x 11.75 inches, both documents in excellent condition. Rare historic item!

Lithuanian-born ballet impresario (1888-1951), very important for running a ballet company with many former members from the Ballet Russes. Typed letter with his letterhead and signed by him, thanking a donor, dated in Covent Garden, October 9, 1937. Size is 8.4 x 10.75 inches, in excellent condition.

Famous Italian opera impresario (1869-1940), who was the manager of La Scala (1898-1908) and the Met Opera for 27 years! (1908-1935). Signed photo, dated by him the year he retired from the Met Opera, 6.9 x 10.9 inches, in very good condition.

French opera director and musicologist (1819-1896), Director of the Paris Opera (1871-79). Group of 5 autograph notes and letters signed by him, 4 of them with the letterhead of the Theatre National de L`Opera, all addressed to French actor Eugene Ritt (1817-1898), who later became Director of the same theater (1885-1892). Letters are dated from 1873-1883, in French, sold untranslated, one or two pages in a single sheet each, letters with letterhead are 5.25 x 8 inches, a smaller letter dated in 1883 is 4.3 x 5.25 inches, all in very good condition. SOLD ONLY AS A LOT, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

French author and playwright (1834-1908) who worked for Bizet and Offenbach writing the librettos of some of their operas. Autograph note on a card signed by him, written in French (sold untranslated).  Size is 4.5 x 3.5 inches, pencil markings over the upper-left corner, in very good condition.

Austro-Hungarian librettist (1858-1940), who was very popular in his time, and died tragically of starvation while hiding from Nazi forces.  Autograph letter with his letterhead written in German (sold untranslated) and signed by him, dated in Vienna, July 6, 1919.  Size is 6.1 x 7.7 inches, 3 written pages in 2 sheets, in excellent condition.

English opera impresario (1811-1875), one fo the greatest world opera impresarios. Premiered many important operas by Verdi & Donizetti and commissioned I Masnadieri from Verdi. Autograph note signed and dated in 1874, 1 page. Size is 5.1 x 8 inches, mounting traces on verso and rust stains on borders, otherwise in very good condition.

French dramatist (1830-1897), and opera librettist. Meilhac wrote the libretto for Bizet’s Carmen and also for Offenbach and Massenet. Autograph note signed, in French, sold untranslated. One page, sized 4.4 x 7 inches, in excellent condition.

French theatre director and impresario (1814-1885). Set of two autograph letters signed, both signed in Paris, one in 1868, the other undated. Each has one written page on a document of four folded pages, written in French, sold untranslated. Each letter is 5.25 x 8 inches, both are in excellent condition. 

French art and music patron (1862-1957), and director of the Académie Nationale de Musique et de Danse.  Set of 2 typed letters signed, with his letterhead, dated on 1920 and 1921.  Each one's size is 5.25 x 7.25 inches, in very good condition.

Gustav R. Sellner, German actor-dramaturg and regisseur (1905-1990), Egon Seefehlner, Austrian opera intendant (1912-1997) and Boleslav Barlog, German Regisseur and Theater Intendant (1906-1999), collection of letters from the archives of German soprano Irma Beilke (1904-1989). Lot includes 10 handwritten cards (most are 4 x 5.8 inches) and 2 handwritten 1-page letters (each 8.25 x 11.5 inches) by Boleslav Barlog, 4 signed cards (mostly 8.25 x 7.8 inches), 10 one-page typed letters signed (8.2 x 11.6 inches, with letterhead of the Deutsche Oper Berlin), and 2 autograph letters signed (8.2 x 11.75 inches, one is 2 pages, one is 1 page long) all by Gustav R. Sellner, and 1 typed letter (8.25 x 11.6 inches, with letterhead of the Deutsche Oper Berlin) and 1 handwritten note (8.25 x 4.1 inches, 1 page) by Egon H. Seefehlner. A total of 27 items, all in excellent condition, see scans. Not sold separately.

Italian Choral conductor (1869-1938) who served as chorus master in Italy, Cairo, Cologne and Buenos Aires prior to be engaged as chorus master of the Metropolitan Opera in 1908.   Wonderful photograph, signed by him, inscribed and dated in 1913. Blind stamped on the lower right corner by photographer Mishkin, New York, and also ink-stamped by him on verso. Size is 6 x 8 inches, silvering around edges, in very good condition.

Czech impresario and musician (1825-1887), very successful in the United States later in his life, also coach and manager of star soprano Adelina Patti at the beginning of her career.  Autograph letter signed by him, 4 pages in 2 sheets, in English, about business matters. Each page is 7.25 x 4.25 inches, in very good condition.

American singer (1902-1993), music promoter, and patron of the arts. Autograph letter in French signed by her, to the French actor Georges Wagué (1874-1965), dated 1938.  Size is 5.5 x 7.8 inches, 1 page written on soft cardboard, in excellent condition.

French opera administrator and writer (1745-1819), head of the Paris Opera. Autograph letter signed, in french, 1 page, sold untranslated. Size is 7.4 x 9 inches, in excellent condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a written envelope, size 4.6 x 3.9 inches, in excellent condition.

Official program for the Mourning Ceremony of Wieland Wagner (who died October 17th , 1966). Bayreuth Festival House 21st october 1966. Also included is a Season’s greetings card inscribed and signed by Winifred Wagner (1897-1980), wife of Siegfried Wagner.