Full opera score of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi with German libretto.
Scope and Contents
A score in three volumes, written in Germany with the libretto translated into German. The copy is the work of several copyists, none of whom has been identified.
The numbering of sections in the manuscript corresponds to the numbering found in Verdi's autograph rather than the printed editions of the opera.
The German translation is that of Ricordi's edition of 1852. First German-language performances of Rigoletto took place in 1853. Consistent with the handwriting, the manuscript may therefore date from ca. 1853 - or 1855, if the inscription in the first volume is to be read as a date.
Dates
- Creation: ca. 1855
Creator
- Verdi, Giuseppe, composer, 1813-1901 (Person)
- Theaterbibliothek Emil Richter, Hamburg (theatre hire library) (Former owner, Organization)
Extent
3 Volumes
Language of Materials
German
Custodial History
The title page in volume 1 records that the copy was written "für Hrn Jenter Hr [...] Vietzky 21/10 55 [...]olding." The manuscript afterwards belonged to Emil Richter's Theater-Leihbibliothek, a lending library for theatrical and musical performances based in Hamburg. All volumes bear the library's stamp ("Emil Richter Theater-Leihbibliothek Hamburg") and have a library information sheet pasted onto the front paste-down. The library operated from 1878 to after 1920, becoming more commonly known as Theaterbibliothek Emil Richter.
Performance annotations in the manuscript range from contemporary marks to the 20th century. The fact that these are occasionally cropped at the margins suggests that the set of volumes was re-bound at some early stage.
Genre / Form
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk