8 autograph letters signed.
8vo and oblong 12mo. Together 12½ pp. on 4 bifolia and 4 single leaves. With 2 autograph envelopes, one of which mounted to the letter.
€ 1,800.00
About Malherbe's activities within his professional radius as archivist of the Paris opera: providing tickets and recommendations, archival issues, as well as on his achievements in the field of publications, musical arrangements, and compositions.
Three letters to a "Maître": a presentation letter to his just-published "Histoire de l’Opéra-Comique: la seconde salle Favart", and a reminder to reserve box seats for the dress rehearsal of Reyer's opera "Salammbô": "Vous m'avez promis une cinquième loge pour la répétition général de Salammbô, on ma demandant de vous le rappeler [...]" (8 May 1892). With congratulations on a promotion to a higher rank within the Légion d’honneur. Facetiously, Malherbe cites the famous caricaturist Amédée Noé's words on a similar occasion: "A l'un de ses amis qui dans la hiérarchie de la Légion d'Honneur passait de grade d'officier à celui de commandeur, Cham écrivait, dit-on: 'Je fait comme ta croix, Je te saute au cou!' [...]" (1 Jan. 1892). Further, Malherbe writes that he was unable to obtain a requested recommendation from General Édouard Hardÿ de Périni for a young lady. A reference from the theatre director Pedro Gailhard would be best, and the Ministry of Public Education, too, could easily obtain one from the Ministry of War. Also, Malherbe discusses autographs of Berlioz: "Il suffit que le ministère de l'Instruction publique le demande au ministère de la guerre: c'est un simple échange de bons procédés entre deux service administratifs [...]" (19 July, no year).
Three letters to the pianist Louise Filliaux-Tiger, about decorations awarded by the Légion d’honneur: "Il convient donc de n'en trier nulle vanité, et, en cette matière comme en bien d'autre, mieux être que paraître [...]" (30 March 1900). On the matter of how to correctly collect autographs in albums or volumes, with a contact to Malherbe's bookbinder. Malherbe asks for news of the Polish pianist Paderewski: "Vous savez que je n'ai toujours pas eu de nouvelles de Paderewski. Où cache-t-il? [...]" (21 Aug. 1902). Malherbe could not see the Madame personally, as he wanted to show her an arrangement he made for a tune of the soprano Delphine Ugalde: "Car entre nous l'harmonie et l'accompagnement en étaient pitoyables; j'ai repris la mélodie en le travaillant d'une manière un peu plus raffinée [...]" (21 July 1903).
To the Belgian musician Gaston Knosp, asking for an appointment in connection with Bizet's opera "Don Procopio", which shortly before had its first production in Malherbe's revised version at the Salle Garnier in Monte Carlo: "Votre lettre est arrivée à la Bibliothèque, alors que je me trouvais dans le midi, occupé à monter l'opéra de Bizet, Don Procopio [...]" (13 March 1906).
One letter to a friend, concerning opera tickets (24 June 1910).
One printed letterhead of the "Théâtre National de L'Opéra", one lettercard with printed vignette.
