Description
French composer and musician, best known for his operas, which included 'Manon' (1884) and 'Don Quixote' (1910).
ALS. 1p plus integral blank leaf. Paris. 29th June, 1889. To "Monsieur le Ministre".
Text in French to an unnamed French Minister. Massinet writes accepting with great pleasure an invitation to dinner for Saturday, 6th July.
8vo. Approx 6.75 x 4.25 inches. Mounting traces and slight mounting damage to verso of integral blank leaf. All else near fine.
Following the huge success of Manon in 1884, Massinet had followed this with Werther, which had met with mixed fortunes and did not have a public performance until some years later. He had met the American soprano, Sibyl Sanderson, for whom he had re-written Manon and with whom he was rumoured to be having an affair. In 1889, the year of this letter, he had completed his opera Esclarmonde, which he had written for Sibyl Sanderson. This opera revived his fortunes and he was, once again feted by society.
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