Elgar, Edward. (1857-1934)
Autograph Letter
Autograph letter signed from the important English composer to a Miss Rosa Burley, offering to arrange tickets to his rehearsals in London and mentioning his daughter Carice's scarlet fever. September 23, 1909. 3 pp. on Plas Gwyn, Hereford letterhead, with original envelope. Folding creases and light wear; overall in fine condition. 7 x 9 inches (17.8 x 22.9 cm).Text, in full: "Dear Miss Burley: I am not conducting at Birmingham so I may not have any tickets for the rehearsals held in B. I have my own to [offer] for those held in London. Carice has had scarlet fever which upset everybody's plans - she is going on very well indeed, is isolated, of course, but a very robust appetite both for food & books. I have a telephone line in to her room so I can converse almost anytime. If you can get to rehearsals would you send me a line to the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, & I will get a ticket for you. [...] Yours sincerely, Edward Elgar."
Rosa Burley was a family friend of Elgar's and the headmistress of a school in Malvern where the composer had taught violin in the early 1890's. She was the author of the memoir Edward Elgar: The Record of a Friendship, published in 1972. According to several historians, Elgar had an attraction to her, and may have even considered her a muse. (14930)
Autograph Letter Classical Music