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Luigi Cherubini Correspondence

A description of his correspondence at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: LMD
Date: 27 January 2010

Revision history:

Biographical History

Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) was an Italian composer and music instructor. He was a child music prodigy who went on to write many popular operas as an adult. He moved to France in 1785, where he continued to live and work, successfully surviving the tumultuous regime changes of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. After the end of the eighteenth century, Cherubini's operatic work was less successful and so he began composing church music. In 1822, he became director of the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Luigi Cherubini Correspondence contains three letters by Cherubini. The first letter, written in Italian, is dated 31 March 1806 and is addressed to Sig. Minassi. In this letter, Cherubini discusses a work by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.

The second letter, written in French, is dated 22 March 1815. It was sent by Cherubini from London to his wife, Anne Cécile Tourette, who remained in France. During this period, Cherubini had been invited to England by the London Philharmonic Society, which commissioned him to write and perform a number of musical pieces.

The last item is undated and written in French. It appears to have been written later in Cherubini's life. At the top of this letter, which is in essay format, Cherubini describes himself as the "directeur du Conservatoire de Musique," a position he took in 1822. He discusses the technique of contrepoint rigoureux (counterpoint) in this essay, suggesting that it was written around the same time Cherubini was working on his textbook, Cours de contrepoint et de fugue, published in 1835.

Arrangement of the Collection

Items are in chronological order.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Cherubini, Luigi, 1760-1842.

Subjects

Composers -- France -- Correspondence.
Counterpoint.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Occupations

Composers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Luigi Cherubini Correspondence,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 1969.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory