G. PUCCINI. FOUR AUTOGRAPH LETTERS AND A SHORT NOTE SIGNED, TO SYBIL SELIGMAN, PARIS 1906-1907

About his visit to Paris for the first French production of Madama Butterfly, also discussing Conchita and Enrico Caruso (including a musical notation of his singing top B (“..ahi! Qual colpo in mezzo al cor!...”); Puccini repeatedly expresses his disgust at Mme Carré singing the role of Butterfly (“...mi sembra una vomitatrice che non può farlo! Povera Butterfly...Toujours faible e antipatica appena appena mi saluta! E chi se ne frega!...”), reports talks about a possible opera based on Pierre Louys’s Conchita, complaining that "Inouï" (Louys) will not leave him alone and nor will Madame Stern, who is going to make him listen to the French tenor Albert Saléza, who might sing in the opera, describing his nocturnal visits the "Forum Antoine" ("...Iersera fui da antoine a esporgli Sevilla (!!!) mi dette dei buoni consigli per la mise en scene..."), possibly referring to Conchita, reveals his growing disaffection with Paris and anticipation of his journey to New York, telling her that he has received a letter of credit to present to the Seligman bank there, asking her to extend best wishes to her husband David, Tosti, Bethe and Alfredo Angeli

14 pages, 8vo, together with an autograph note by Puccini written on the back of the envelope to a letter by Carlo Carignani to Sybil, 6 items in all, printed stationery of the “Grand Hotel de Londres”, a few editorial markings in red crayon to the last letter, Paris, 6 December 1906 to 8 January 1907

Vincent Seligman, Puccini Among Friends, (1938), pp.101-103; two letters are published largely complete, and two only in part: the editor has omitted certain passages referring to Stern, Caruso and “Antoine”.

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Sybil Seligman (1868-1936) was Puccini’s greatest female friend from 1904 until his death, and arguably his most influential advisor after Ricordi.  He was attending the first French production of Madama Butterfly in Paris with his wife Elvira and their son Tonio. Despite his severe misgivings about prima donna Marguerite Carré (the wife of the impresario), the production was a total triumph.