GOUNOD CHARLES: (1818-1893) French Composer. An excellent musical content A.L.S, `Ch. ...

GOUNOD CHARLES: (1818-1893) French Composer. An excellent musical content A.L.S, `Ch. Gounod´, three pages, 8vo, n.p., Thursday 14th September 1881, to Alfred, in French. Gounod refers to his work Redemption and to its premiere, stating in part `Un mot seulement, en hâte, pour vous dire que j´ai vu hier Carvalho, et qu´il est tout disposé à se joindre à Vaucorbeil pour "Redemption" au Trocadero. Voila donc le terrain de fusion préparé, et un beau noyau musical auquel il n´y aura plus à ajouter que quelques choristes pour avoir une masse convenable... Je crois que nous avons là une si belle chance de consacrer le succès à Paris...´ (Translation: "Only a word, hastily, to tell you that I met yesterday Carvalho, and that he is willing to join Vaucorbeil for `Redemption´ at the Trocadero. Here we have therefore the fusion project ready, as wekll as a good musical core to which we will only have to add a few choristers for a suitable mass... I think that we have now such a good chance of consecrating the success in Paris...") Further, Gounod explains to his correspondent that he intends to spend twenty days in Normandy and that he will write to him as soon as he is back. To a postscriptum Gounod adds `Redemption serait pour la Semaine Sainte; il faudrait prévoir de la donner au moins 2 fois, et peut-être 3´ (Translation: "Redemption would be ready for the Holy Week; it should be performed at least twice or perhaps three times") Accompanied by a 7 x 11 attractive and unusual engraving of Gounod. VG

Léon Carvalho (1825-1897) French Impresario and Stage Director. Carvalho opened the doors of the Theatre Lyrique to new French composers turned down by the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, such as Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet or Saint-Saens.

Auguste Vaucorbeil (1821-1884) French Composer and theatre Manager. He was the director of the Paris Opera from 1879 until 1884.

La Rédemption ("The Redemption") is an oratorio in three parts by Gounod (1882). The Redemption was first performed at the Birmingham Festival in 1882. The oratorio was a huge popular success and cemented Gounod's position in England.