OFFENBACH Jacques (1819 - 1880) - Lot 144

Lot 144
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OFFENBACH Jacques (1819 - 1880) - Lot 144
OFFENBACH Jacques (1819 - 1880) AUTOGRAPHIC MUSICAL MANUSCRIPT, Les Brigands, [1869]; 430 oblong pages in-fol. (a few blank pages), in leaves in titled and numbered folders, in three green morocco slipcases with gilt titles (a few small marginal tears, a few title leaves dusted and torn). Important working manuscript of the orchestral score of the opera-bouff e Les Brigands, presenting important variants with the published score and unpublished passages. Les Brigands, opéra-bouff e in 3 acts on a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Variétés on December 10, 1869, with Zulma Bouff ar, José Dupuis and Mlle Aimée in the main roles. Off enbach's last great success under the Second Empire, it was quickly revived throughout Europe and America. In 1878, Off enbach elaborated a new version with an added tableau in the last act, given at the Gaîté on December 25, 1878. Times are hard for the band of brigands led by Falsacappa, and his fi lle Fragoletta has scruples; she even lets a rich traveler escape; for love of her, the young farmer Fragoletto (a transvestite role, played by Zulma Bouff ar) joins the band, during a ceremony barely disturbed by the carabinieri who arrive "always too late". Falsacappa sets up a stratagem to capture in an inn the embassy of Granada that leads the princess to her fiancée the duke of Mantua, against a dowry of three millions, of which Falsacappa intends to seize; the brigands take the place of the ambassadors, and Fiorella will play the role of the princess. At the arrival of the false embassy in Mantua, the cashier of the duke has to confess that he has eaten the box; the new embassy arrives; the robbers are arrested, they are going to be hanged, when Fiorella recognizes in the duke (the Prince) the traveller to whom she had saved the life, and obtains their grace: the robbers will become honest people. The manuscript is written in brown ink on oblong sheets of paper Lard-Esnault with 24 lines, of which Off enbach sometimes uses all 24 staves, in order to note the parts of the singing, the chorus and the orchestra. Each number is filed under a music paper folder with title and number ("Les Brigands 1er acte n° 1"); renumbering of the title pages testifies to successive reorganizations of the opera; some of these folders bear annotations (Off enbach seems to have reused some sheets from La Princesse de Trébizonde (1869), on which he was working at the same time). This manuscript contains numerous deletions, revisions, modifications, erasures and corrections, including to the lyrics, passages crossed out, some passages revised with glue or parts of sheets sewn or pinned to the score; the sections to be repeated are generally indicated by numbers, signs or letters, sometimes with notes from the composer to the copyist ("Je prie le copiste d'écrire le chant dans la partie de Clarinettes")... One also notes indications for the song or the staging, interventions of instruments (in particular percussions). There are about fifty pages of music not included in the vocal score published in 1870 (the orchestral score of this opera remains unpublished). It is worth noting that in some numbers the name of Ginevra, who will become Fiorella, is mentioned. The end is disjointed and incomplete, perhaps as a result of the reworking of the last act in 1878. The manuscript includes the following 24 numbers (we do not count the title-covers; we put in right brackets the numbers of the edition with possibly their title): Overture, marked at the beginning All° maestoso then Allto (11 pages); at the end "Curtain". Act I. "N° 1", [1 Introduction], marked at the beginning Moderato, beginning with Domino's aria ("playing the horn") : "Le cor dans la montagne"... (the 2nd horn being noted "on the stage in the wings"), followed by the chorus of brigands, etc. (36 pages). "N° 2", [2 Couplets of Fiorella] : "In the hat I wear an aigrette"..., in A major with the indication to the copyist "transposed in A ?" (what the edition does) (6 pages). "N° 3", [3 Ensemble piece], chorus: "We took this little man"... (14 pages), with important corrections. "N° 4 Couplets" [4] of Fragoletto : "When you give me the honor of visiting me"... (4 pages). "N° 4 bis" (ex 5 bis), [Exit chorus] reprise of "We took this little man"... (2 pages). "N° 5" (ex 6), [5 Rondo] of Fiorella : "After having taken to the right"... (14 pages, with pinned cut at the beginning). "N° 6" (ex 7), beginning with the chorus "This little one is a real luron"..., followed by [6 Saltarelle] of Fragoletto : "Falsacappa here is my catch It is a cabinet mail"... (19 pages). "Final" [7 Final], beginning with the [Reception chorus] : "For this
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