Letter 3486a
Tchaikovsky Research
Small text
| Date | 28 January/9 February 1888 |
|---|---|
| Addressed to | Aline Friede [1] |
| Where written | Berlin |
| Language | French |
| Autograph Location | unknown [2] |
| Publication | Tchaikovsky Research Bulletin No. 1 (February 2011), p. 61 (with English translation, p. 62) |
Text and Translation
As published in Stargardt's 1988 auction catalogue [3], which may contain differences in formatting and content from Tchaikovsky's original letter.
| French text (original) |
English translation By Luis Sundkvist |
| J'ai été on ne peut plus content de ce que Mademoiselle Aline Friede ait eû la bonté de vouloir bien prendre part au Concert de la Philharmonie que j'ai conduit. Cette cantatrice charmante, pleine de goût et de sentiment a été, certes, le plus belévénement du concert. Je suis heureux de pouvoir le lui dire. | I could not be happier that Mademoiselle Aline Friede was so kind as to agree to take part in the Philharmonic Society concert which I conducted. This charming singer, so full of taste and feeling, was undoubtedly the highlight of the concert. I am delighted to be able to tell her so. |
Notes and References
- ↑ This 'letter' was not actually addressed as such to the German mezzo-soprano Aline Friede (1856–1946); rather, Tchaikovsky wrote this 'certificate' attesting to her artistic qualities evidently with a view to providing her with a general letter of endorsement that she could show to opera-house managers and impresarios. Tchaikovsky wrote his certificate in Berlin on 28 January/9 February 1888, the day after the successful concert he had conducted at the city's Philharmonic Society which, among other things, had featured four of his songs performed by the young mezzo-soprano.
- ↑ The autograph was auctioned in 1988 by J. A. Stargardt, Marburg.
- ↑ J. A. Stargardt, Autographen aus allen Gebieten (Marburg, 1988), p. 292.
