Singers - Autograph Manuscripts

Moravian-born soprano and teacher (1853-?), autograph letter signed, 4 pages, written in Italian, sold untranslated. Each page is 5 x 8 inches, attractively embossed with her first name on the front page, in excellent condition.

Bohemian soprano/mezzo-soprano (1848-1928). Autograph letter signed as "Theresina Singer de Simens", no date. Written in two pages, in Italian, sold untranslated. Size is 4.5 x 7.25 inches, in excellent condition.

British soprano (1910-1999), autograph note signed, dated in 1957. 1 page, size is 6.25 x 8 inches, small crease on top left, otherwise in excellent condition. 

Swedish soprano (1927-2009), known for both opera and song recital.  Lot of 1 signed card, shown as Christine in Richard Strauss's Intermezzo, inscribed with sentiment on the inside page, and 1 unsigned photo shown in role in Janacek's Makropoulos Case.  Signed card is 4 x 5.75 inches, the other photo is 4.75 x 6.75 inches. Both in excellent condition, not sold separately. 

French baritone (1918-2004), regarded as one of the very finest interpreters of French art songs. Autograph note in French signed by him, dated probably in 1954, on Lydia Fournier's Guests Book. Size is 4.5 x 6.7 inches, 1 pages, overall rust tone, in very good condition.

British mezzo (1879-1969), autograph note signed, size is 5 x 6.5 inches, in excellent condition.

German contralto (1857-1893), often remembered for her performances of Johannes Brahms' works. Autograph letter in German signed by her, dated in Wiesbaden October 19, 1887, addressed to a gentleman, concerning her fees for singing in Lausanne: “…Ich erlaube mir Ihnen Ihre Anfrage vom 17 d. zu erwieden, dass Ihre Permuhlung ich sänge in mehreren Konzerten in Lausanne wahrscheinlich auf einem Irsthume beruht. Herr R. Spiess hat sich vor Kurzem an mich gewendet, ob ich gerne einmal in Lausanne sänge, worauf ich ihm besahend antwortete, und ihm meine Honorärbedingungen ein sandte…”. Translation: “…I take the liberty of replying to your inquiry of the 17th that your belief that I sing in several concerts in Lausanne is probably based on an error. Mr. R. Spiess recently asked me if I would like to sing in Lausanne, to which I replied and sent him my fee conditions…”. Size is 4.9 x 7.8 inches each page, 3 written pages in one folded sheet, folds, craeses, in overall very good condition.

German bass (1796-1832), who focused mostly on basso buffo roles, his career developed mostly in Berlin. Autograph receipt note signed, handwritten in German (sold untranslated), dated by him in Berlin in 1827. One page sized 8.25 x 9.5 inches. Top corners are damaged, overall rust tone, otherwise in good condition, rare.

Italian baritone (1888-1968), performed frequently at La Scala and other European houses.  Typed "LS" (signed and sealed) contract with La Scala, Milan, dated in 1934, 2 sided document, with Stabile's handwritten signature and  official stamp of La Scala Theatre director on verso. Size is 8.5 x 12 inches, in excellent condition.

Hungarian soprano (1911-1999), known for Mozart and other lyric soprano roles. Regular postcard signed by her with a short sentiment, dated in Zurich, October 10, 1950. Size is 5.8 x 4.1 inches, in excellent condition.

German baritone (1843-1905), later director of the Opera House in Konigsberg. Set of 2 presentation cards handwritten by him, one signed on verso as Max.

Austrian bass (1807-1861), prominent in the mid-nineteenth century with an active international career, especially in London.  Autograph musical quote signed in Liverpool, dated in 1847. Quote is on a well preserved 4.5 x 7-inch page, mounted on a larger album page of 7 x 11 inches, in excellent condition.

Austrian baritone (1850-1916), also known as "Josef" Staudigl, son of the Austrian Bass of the same name. Autograph note signed, dated in Vienna in 1905. 1 page, written in German, sold untranslated. Bold and clear handwriting and signature. Size is  5.25 x 6.75 inches, in excellent condition.

Italian soprano (1844-1915). Autograph letter signed, 2 pages of text on four-page folded document, written in Italian, sold untranslated, signed as "Elisa Donzelli". Each page is 5.25 x 8.25 inches, small page on the top right of back 2 pages (no text), otherwise in excellent condition.

Italian soprano, also known as Bina Steffanone or Steffenoni, (1825-1896), sang throughout Europe and in the United States between 1842-1862. Autograph letter signed, 3 pages of text on 4 sided folded document, embossed on the front page, composed in Italian, sold untranslated. Each page is 5.25 x 8 inches, very slight tear at top of last two pages, otherwise in excellent condition.

Hungarian tenor (1824-1911), great performer in operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and early Verdi. Autograph letter in Italian signed by him as “Fr. Stéger”, dated in Barcelona, Feb. 20, 1872, to his impresario Giuseppe Lamperti (1834-1898) in Milan, about his conditions for singing in Odessa: “...cinquemila franchi in oro mensili, ed una mezza serata netta di spese. Se potrai arrivare al viaggio [travel refund] mi farai cosa grata...”. This amount seems justified to him, as an impresario from Bucharest having offered him “...20.000 franchi per 5 mesi, con serata e viaggio da Pest 2 persone ; io ne volevo 25.000...”. Barcelona's musical season is looking good, despite a terrible organization,”...un caos da perdere la testa...”. He mentioned the success achieved in Valencia by the opera troupe led by Costantino Dall’Argine, etc. Size is 5.25 x 8.1 inches, 2 written pages in one sheet (front and back), creases, dust stains, in overall very good condition. Four lines of text below his signature, written by another unidentified hand, with signature.

American contralto (1850-1904), autograph letter signed, 1 page, 5 x 8 inches, in excellent condition.

American contralto (1841-1904). Autograph note signed, signed as "Antoinette Sterling MacKinlay", reflecting her 1874 marriage to John Mackinlay. 4-page folded document (each page is 3.5 x 4.5 inches, unfolded item is 3.5 x 8.75 inches) written in English, in excellent condition.

American contralto (1841-1904). Signature cut, written in English, size is 2.25 x 5.5 inches, in excellent condition.

Baritone (1847-?), signed album page, written in English at the American Opera Company, dated in 1886. Bold signature (signed as "A.E. Stoddard"). Size is 8 x 11 inches, vintage item in excellent condition.

French mezzo-soprano star of the Paris Opera (1815-1903), who appeared in the world premiere productions of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, and Donizetti's La Favorite among others. Autograph note signed, 1 page, composed in French, and sold untranslated. Size is 3.75 x 5.25 inches, small creases and folds, otherwise in very good condition.

French mezzo-soprano (1815-1903) who created prominent leading roles including Ascanio in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, Leonora in Donizetti's "La Favorita" and others. Beautiful autograph note in French (sold untranslated) signed by her. Size is 5.4 x 8.25 inches, folds, in excellent condition.  

French mezzo-soprano star of the Paris Opera (1815-1903), who appeared in the world premiere productions of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, Donizetti's La Favorite among others. Autograph letter signed, composed in French, and sold untranslated. 3 pages of a folded 4-page document, each page is 4 x 5 inches, small stains on the first 2 pages, slightly larger on final page, otherwise in very good condition.

French mezzo-soprano star of the Paris Opera (1815-1903), who appeared in the world premiere productions of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, Donizetti's La Favorite among others. Autograph letter signed, dated in 1852, composed in French, 3 pages of a folded 4-page document, each page 6 x 8.5 inches (unfolded item is 8.5 x 12 inches), embossed at top of the first page, slight tear on the back page otherwise in very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a handwritten English translation, written on both sides of 2 sheets with 4 pages of text in total, 6.5 x 8 inches, in excellent condition.

German tenor (1871-1940), autograph letter signed by him, dated in 1935, with nazi salutation at the end. One sheet, with two handwritten pages with his own letterhead, with signature on the second. In German, sold untranslated. Size is 8.25 x 11.75 inches, has folds, in excellent condition.

Italian soprano (1876-1945) who starred in the world premiere of operas by Puccini (as Madama Butterfly), Leoncavallo (as Zaza and Mimi in his La Boheme), Mascagni (as Lodoletta) and Giordano. Autograph letter signed, 3 pages, written in Italian, sold with a typed English translation. Size is 6.5 x 8.25 inches, some folds, otherwise in very good condition.

Italian soprano (1876-1945) who starred in the world premiere of operas by Puccini (as Madama Butterfly), Leoncavallo (as Zaza and Mimi in his La Boheme), Mascagni (as Lodoletta) and Giordano. Autograph letter signed, dated in July 1907, to a friend. In Italian, about some theater-related business, sold untranslated. One page, size is 5.25 x 8.25 inches. ALSO INCLUDED is a photo of her, 5 x 7 inches, all in excellent condition.

Italian soprano (1876-1945) who starred in the world premiere of operas by Puccini (as Madama Butterfly), Leoncavallo (as Zaza and Mimi in his La Boheme), Mascagni (as Lodoletta) and Giordano. Autograph letter signed, dated in 1935, 1 page, written in Italian, sold untranslated. Size is 8.5 x 10.75 inches, in very good condition.

Italian soprano (1876-1945) who starred in the world premiere of operas by Puccini (as Madama Butterfly), Leoncavallo (as Zaza and Mimi in his La Boheme), Mascagni (as Lodoletta) and Giordano. Set of 2 autograph letters signed, both dated in Buenos Aires in 1914, each are 2 pages, written in Italian, sold untranslated. Size of each is 5.5 x 8.75 inches, in very good condition. Not sold separately. 

Italian baritone (1875-1955), who had a very successful and prolonged career interpreting Italian operas. His most memorable roles were Figaro (by Rossini) and Rigoletto (by Verdi).  Signed contract with Teatro La Scala, detailing what operas he will sing, salary, conditions, an interesting document. This is a carbon copy of the contract, four pages, Stracciari signs at the end of page 4, each page is 8.25 x 11.75 inches, folds, in excellent condition.

Austrian-Swedish soprano (1868-1952). Autograph letter in French (untranslated) signed by her, dated in Lisbon, January 8, 1902, to the impresario Fano: “…je vous ai envoyé les journaux sur Lohengrin et mon père vous enverra ceux sur Fedora qui sont également magnifiques (…) Mon succès ici est immense au sensible et il n’ya a même pas de discussion quant à qui est la seule comme disent ici…”. Open size is 10.7 x 8.6 inches, four written pages in one folded sheet, printed letterhead, some rust stains, in very good condition.

Czech-born American impresario (1825-1887). Autograph note signed in English, including Maria Piccolomini’s handwritten text at the top, dated 1859. One page, sized 4.75 x 8 inches, in excellent condition.

Canadian soprano (b.1938), a major star of the Met Opera and other international houses from the 1960s to the 1990s, sang a very broad range of repertoire. Autograph letter in English signed by her, dated Dec 16/91, to professor Patricia Lee: “...sorry for the delay. This was the first weekend in seven weeks that we were not rehearsing...”.  Size is 6.2 x 8.9 inches, in excellent condition.

Siberian-born soprano (1920-1987), one of the most admired coloratura voices of the post-WWII period. Set of 2 typed letters signed by her, with the letter head from the Vienna State Opera and dated in 1967 and 1968, plus a smaller page with her signature. In German, sold untranslated, each one is 8.2 x 11.5 inches, smaller page is 8 x 7.6 inches. Crack on one of the letters, storage holes in the smaller signed page, otherwise in very good condition.

Autograph music quote signed by the Austrian tenor (1858-1937), who focused mostly on operetta. Music quote from The Gypsy Baron, signed by him. Streitmann wrote under the quote "Friendly memories from the 1000th representation of the Gypsy Baron", Vienna 1909. One page, 8 x 8 inches, dated in Vienna in 1909, in excellent condition.

Austrian tenor (1858-1937), who performed in the world-premieres of several operettas by Lehar, Johann Strauss and other composers. Signed card, dated in 1886. Bold handwriting and signature. Size is 3.5 x 4.5 inches, in excellent condition.

Austrian tenor (1858-1937), who world-premiere several operettas by Lehar, Johann Strauss and other composers. Autograph note signed, dated in 1888. Size is 4.5 x 7.25 inches, in excellent condition.

Italian soprano (1815-1897), second wife of the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Her original vintage visiting card with a short greeting in Italian written by her (probably addressed to pianist Ferdinand Hiller's wife). Size is 4.1 x 2.1 inches, mounting traces on the margins, in overall very good condition.

German soprano (1847-1927). Autograph letter signed, written in Berlin, dated in 1896. Item consists of 2 sets of 4 folded pages, text is on the first 5 of these 8 pages. Written in German, sold untranslated. Size is 5.25 x 5.75 inches, in excellent condition.

German soprano (1849-1927), signed card with textual quote from Wagner's Die Walkure, signed in Bayreuth, dated in 1896. Size is 3 x 4.5 inches, in excellent condition.

Signed album page containing multiple signatures - those of the British soprano Elsie Suddaby (1893-1980), English contralto Muriel Brunskill (1899-1980), the tenor John Adams, and the English bass-baritone Keith Falkner (1900-1994), dated from a performance of the Nottingham Sacred Harmonic Society in March, 1928. The album page is 3.75 x 4.25 inches mounted onto a larger page of 6 x 6.5 inches, in very good condition. 

Belgian soprano (1874-1940), autograph note signed with embossed seal on top left, 1 page written in French, sold untranslated. Size is 5.5 x 7 inches, small ink stain to the left of the text, otherwise in excellent condition.

Star Spanish mezzo-soprano (1895-1936), very popular in her time. Autograph letter in French (English translation included) signed by her, to a critic, thanking him for a favorable review. On one folded sheet, handwritten on two pages, signed as "Conchita S.". Total sheet size is 11 x 7.5 inches (unfolded), in very good condition.  Autographs of Supervia are extremely rare

Superstar Australian soprano (1926-2010), signed envelope with the embossed image and name of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London, one of her primary artistic homes. Size is 4.75 x 7.25 inches, attractive item in excellent condition. 

Italian soprano (1860-?). Autograph letter signed, written on a postcard, postmarked in 1895. Written in Italian, sold untranslated. Size is 3.5 x 5.5 inches, slight stain near the bottom, otherwise in very good condition.

Austrian tenor, actor, and director (1836-1901), associated with the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta, appeared in world premieres of operettas by Offenbach, Johan Strauss and Von Suppe. Signature cut, sized at 1.75 x 4.5 inches, vintage item in excellent condition!

French bass-baritone (1821-1900), and also a creator of songs, and a regular performer at the famous Theatre Italien in Paris. Set of 2 autograph letters signed, first of them is 1 page, size is 5.25 x 8.25 inches, some paper loss at bottom left and several bullet holes, otherwise in good condition. The second letter is 3 pages, 5.25 x 8.25 inches which also contains several bullet holes and tears but is otherwise in good condition. Both written in French and sold untranslated. Not sold separately. 

French bass-baritone (1821-1900), and also a creator of songs, and a regular performer at the famous Theatre Italien in Paris. Autograph letter signed, 1 page, written in French, sold untranslated. Each page is 4.5 x 7 inches, in excellent condition.