Autograph letter signed.
Sant'Agata in Villanova sull'Arda, 28. XII. 1873.
8vo. 1 p., with accompanying envelope. Written in ink.
€ 4.500,00
Verdi, hard at work on a composition, writes to Count Opprandino Arrivabene, "Io holavorato tutt'oggi alla messa", but that he wishes to "sospendo un momento per augurarti Salute, Buona amore", etc. The mass Verdi is composing in December 1873 may well be his Messa da Requiem, composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni who had died that spring, and which would be first performed in May 1874.
Opprandino Arrivabene (1807-87) and Verdi were lifelong friends, and kept up a warm correspondence on subjects of music, politics, and private life.
Letter gently creased along folds, envelope lightly soiled with its date noted in pencil in a modern hand.