Santa Cruz y Montalvo, María de las Mercedes, Countess of Merlin, Cuban writer and singer (1789-1852). Autograph letter signed ("Mme Merlin").

[Paris, 1839 or 1843].

8vo. 2¼ pp. on bifolium.

 350,00

Asking the recipient to participate in a charity concert for Martinique, devastated by major earthquakes on 11 January 1839 and 8 February 1843. The countess explains that "a great number of amateurs", including herself, are uniting to give a concert for the benefit of the island's "miserable inhabitants" and will be supported for the occasion by professional musicians. She hopes that the recipient will join the ranks of these professionals, which would also afford her the pleasure of "hearing and applauding" him "from greater proximity": "Un grand nombre d’amateurs, dont je fais partie, se sont réunis pour donner un concert en faveur des malheureux habitants de la Martinique : plusieurs artistes se sont grouppés [!] autour d’eux, pour les aider et les soutenir : seriez vous assez bon pour vouloir bien vous joindre à eux ? Je n’en doute pas, Monsieur, car j’ai toujours trouvé de l’élévation et de la générosité dans les causes des artistes français. Quant à moi, Monsieur, je serai charmée de proffiter [!] de cette occasion, pour vous entendre et vous applaudir de plus près".

In a postscript the countess adds that she has contacted the composer Fromental Halévy to secure a permission, probably occasioned by Halévy's role as chorus master at the Paris Opéra: "J'écris un mot à Mr. Halévy pour qu'il obtienne une permission avec son obligeance accoutumée! Mais, je suppose que si votre volonté est pour nous, on ne vous refusera pas [...]".

María Santa Cruz is considered one of the first important female Cuban writers. She left her native Havana with her parents at the age of 14 to complete her education in Madrid. In 1810 she married the French general Antoine Christophe Merlin and accompanied him to Paris in 1813, shortly before the defeat of the French occupation force in Spain. There she established herself as a salonnière of first rank, hosting some of the most important artists of her time, including George Sand, Balzac (who dedicated a novel to the Countess of Merlin), Chateaubriand, Chopin, and Berlioz. In 1840 Santa Cruz returned to Havana to settle family affairs, subsequently returning to Paris in 1842. Her most important works are "Mis doce primeros anos" (Paris, 1833), "Mémoires d'une Créole" (1835), "L'esclavage aux colonies Espagnoles" (1840), and "La Havane" (1842).

On stationery with embossed arms. Traces of folds, insignificant foxing, browning and minor tears.

Art.-Nr.: BN#56767 Schlagwörter: , , ,