G. Puccini, early autograph letter, substantially unpublished, about "Le Villi" and the death of his mother, 1884

PUCCINI, GIACOMO

Early autograph letter, substantially unpublished, about his first opera "Le Villi", and the death of his mother, 11 August 1884 

written to Eugenio Tornaghi, secretary and factotum of his publisher Ricordi, beseeching him to pay him his monthly allowance as usual and allow him to postpone repaying the advance he received in July; he explains that he had hoped that the 200 lire that he had requested (so that he could visit his dying mother in Lucca) could be considered part payment for the musical additions he was composing for his opera Le Villi, admitting that that dealing with the death of his mother has left him completely penniless now that he is back in Milan, despite living extremely modestly ("...Quando prevedando la catastrofe, mi permisi incomodarla chiedendo le 200 lire per recarmi a casa, io speravo che questo straordinario potesse essermi conteggiato all’ atto della consegna delle aggiunte all’ opera cioè sulle £700...")

4 pages, 8vo (c.16.5 x 10.5cm), mourning paper with black margins, annotated by the recipient, Piazza Beccaria 13, Milan, 11 August 1884, creasing along central fold, some light foxing

This revealing letter shows the improvident composer at the start of his important and long relationship with the publisher Ricordi (two earlier letters are known only from transcripts). Giulio Ricordi had quickly recognized Puccini's potential after the premiere of his one-act opera Le Villi on 31 May 1884 and granted him a monthly stipend of two hundred lire to expand it into a two-act work, eventually staged in Turin on 26 December. Puccini uses mourning paper in honour of his mother, Albina Puccini, who died in Lucca on 17 July 1884. His grief at the bereavement ("la catastrofe"; "la disgrazia avuta" etc) are apparent throughout this letter. 

LITERATURE:

Giacomo Puccini, Epistolario, I, edited by G. Ravenni and D. Schickling (2015), no.70; only the first page is published, transcribed from the catalogue illustration for the sale in our rooms on 22 May 1987, lot 632.