Georges BIZET Autographed letter signed The Pretty Girl of Perth

  

Georges BIZET (1838 - 1875), French composer. Autographed letter signed to the music publisher Antoine de Choudens. (circa 1863); 1 ½ pages in-8°. Bizet informs his publisher that he had to revise the quartet for the new transposition of the piece.

“Coco, I have to be at the Français at 8 o'clock for the premiere of Pailleron. Now, what should we do?

Dine at your place and leave you at 8 o'clock? Or postpone the pleasure of spending a few hours with you to another day? Give your answer to the messenger who will deliver everything I have for you. I had to redo the quartet for the transposed piece, as the double and triple strings are no longer possible in the new key (. The time should not be marked (.

This modification likely pertains to his opera Les Pêcheurs de perles published by Choudens in 1863. On a commission from Léon Carvalho.

It is a three-act opera first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris on September 30, 1863, followed by eighteen performances. The libretto is continuously revised throughout its creation, including during rehearsals.

Despite a good reception from the audience, the critics are rather hostile and disdainful, with the exception of Berlioz, who notes in the Journal des Débats: “a considerable number of beautiful expressive pieces full of fire and rich color.