Rossini, Gioachino

containing the closing ensemble to the Act 2 duet for Pamyra and Mahomet--but named here in Italian, as "Anna" and "Maometto"--accompanied by Omar (bass) and chorus "La fete d'Hymenée nous assemble en ce lieux", the full score notated on sixteen staves per page, with erasures and alterations, and some cues marked, including all the solo and choral parts, with a note to the copyist advising that some parts are written on a separate leaf ("Trombone Timpani, Gran Cassa e Bassi in fine"), comprising a continuous passage of sixty-one bars in full score, the orchestration for the final three pages not written out

8 pages, large oblong 4to (c.24.5 x 33.5cm), 16-stave paper, cockatrice watermark, the leaves on guards, archival sleeve, modern green folding box, gilt titles to spine and cover (overall size: c.33 x 43cm), [Paris, 1826], one cue and a few system-braces trimmed by the binder

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Autograph material for Le siège de Corinthe is of the utmost rarity: apart from the famous Ouverture, only a few sections and fragments exist in libraries and we have no record of any appearing at auction.  When, in 1826, Rossini adapted his Italian opera Maometto II (1820) for this, his first grand opera for Paris, he only wrote out some of the newly-composed sections.  He never wrote a complete autograph: "obviously, only fragmentary autograph material exists for Le siège de Corinthe" (Gossett, p.478).

Apart from the present manuscript, the few surviving autograph numbers and fragments for Le siège de Corinthe are: 1) The new Ouverture (now in the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris); 2) a 19-bar recitative for the Trio 'Disgrace horrible' in Act one (in the Casa Rossini, Pesaro); 3) a 37-bar passage for the closing Allegro to the opening number in Act 2 'Du séjour de la lumière' (in Paris); 4) a single sketchleaf for the present duet (in the Biblioteca comunale, Forlì); 5) the complete 73-bar hymn 'Divin prophête' in Act 2 (in Paris); and 6) the complete aria for Neoclès from Act 2 (now in the Stiftelsen Musikkulturens Främjande in Stockholm).  Rossini also made some alterations for Le siège de Corinthe in the autograph score of Maometto II (located in Pesaro). 

Maometto II, written for Naples in 1820, was one of Rossini's most flamboyant and structurally advanced operas.  Although Le siège de Corinthe has essentially the same plot as the original, the protagonists, originally called Anna and Maometto, were changed to Pamyra and Mahomet.   However, Rossini still keeps to the original names, not only here in this manuscript, but also in the fragments and alterations he wrote into his autograph manuscript for Maometto II, suggesting that this is one of the earliest independent manuscripts of his revision.   Act 2 begins in Mahomet's tent, where the Turkish Sultan finds Pamyra in turmoil about whether to marry him against her father's wishes; his attempts to assuage her concerns (No.7, 'Scène, duo et choeur') culminate in this choral finale.  The passage is found on pages 252-263 of the contemporary full score by Troupenas of Paris.  The present autograph shows that there are some minor errors in the first edition of the score, which were corrected in later vocal scores.  There are twenty staves to a page in the engraved full score; here Rossini relegates the trombone, percussion and double-bass parts to a separate leaf, which is not present here.  Rossini does not include the eight-bar introduction found in the printed editions.

We are most grateful to Maria Birbili, the editor of the forthcoming complete edition of Le siege de Corinthe, for her assistance in our cataloguing of this lot.