Autograph Musical Quotation Signed And Dated 2 April 1952 From The Composer's Opera Martha, Oder Der Markt Zu Richmond Flotow, Friedrich Von 1812-1883 Autographs & Manuscripts,New Arrivals

4 measures of the vocal line and text from the final number of the third act, the quintet "Mag der Himmel Euch vergeben." Notated in brown ink on an album leaf 114 x 183 mm. On ivory paper with thin strip of brown mounting paper to edges of verso; very slightly soiled and foxed. Martha, a romantic comic opera in 4 acts to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese [de] based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, was first performed in Vienna at the Kärntnertortheater on 25 November 1847. "In Flotow's two most successful works, Alessandro Stradella and Martha, a balanced fusion of all stylistic elements is achieved. The former is perhaps the better work, but it was Martha that found its way into the hearts of the public. The reason for this lies not only in the quality of the text and the music, but also in the dramatic situations which keep the audience in a state of amused suspense." Peter Cohen in Grove Music Online ". up to about the middle of the last century Martha was one of the most frequently performed operas on the German stage - largely owing to the great tenor Enrico Caruso's acclaimed portrayal of Lyonel, a role which he repeated all over the world. The work is one of about 30 operas written by Friedrich von Flotow, and indeed it was through Martha that the German composer achieved lasting fame." Liner notes to "Brilliant Opera Collection," a 2-CD set of Martha issued in 2013.