G. DONIZETTI, AUTOGRAPH LETTER TO THE LIBRETTIST FELICE ROMANI, 1831

acknowledging the debt he owes Romani for his libretto for Anna Bolena, and the international recognition he achieved through the opera, seeking to increase his indebtedness with their next collaboration, recalling that they had discussed an opera on the subject of Queen Christina of Sweden whilst at Giuditta Pasta’s house, now suggesting another based on the death of Queen Elizabeth, but leaving this to Romani’s best judgment, asking him to inform him of his choice, urging speed, conciseness and variety of poetic metre, which he will try to do justice to, promising to rewrite it should it fail to please, and reminding him that the public now expects a great deal from him and that his fate is in his hands (“...mi ricordo che una volta dalla Pasta, si parlò di Cristina di Svezia, ed ora io ti soggiungo La morte di Elisabetta tragedia d’Ancelot.  Lasciando però sempre a te la pienissima libertà di scartare, scegliere etc, e farmi inteso soltanto di ciò che ti garbizza…”) 1 page, 4to (25.7 x 20.9cm), autograph address-panel to verso, watermarked "Bondon" and "DC" monogram, [Milan], 8 November 1831, several holes repaired on verso, one affecting legibility, some staining

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Donizetti’s Anna Bolena at the Teatro Carcano, Milan in 1830 had marked a watershed in his career.  His next two collaborations with Romani in Milan were Ugo, conte di Parigi (La Scala, 13 March 1832) and one of his greatest successes, L’elisir d’amore (Teatro Canobbiana, 12 May 1832). Donizetti's leaving of the choice of subject matter ultimately to his celebrated librettist was typical of the period, although overturned by Verdi in the following decades.