Signed Cabinet Photograph

Signed cabinet photograph of the important castrato, the director of the Sistine Chapel choir in the late nineteenth century and a renowned teacher and composer. He has inscribed the photograph to his colleague Innocenza Pasquali (translated from the Italian): "To my dear colleague D. Innocenza Pasquali as a sign of benevolence. D. Mustafà in the fiftieth year of his [work] at the Cappella Sistina. March 1898." Photographed by Federicis of Rome.  10.5 x 16 cm. Fine. 

Domenico Mustafà was admitted to the Cappella Sistina in Rome as a chorister in 1848, became the Direttore dei Concertisti in 1861, and was appointed Direttore Perpetuo in 1878. Admired for his soprano voice, he was also a respected composer and teacher; his students included the French soprano Emma Calvé, whom he taught to reach into a very high falsetto "fourth voice." Innocenzo Pasquali, also a distinguished composer and an an alto soloist at the Sistine Chapel, seems to have represented a threat to Mustafà's dominance within the Cappella: in 1881, he prevented Mustafà from attending auditions for prospective new choristers, and openly challenged the validity of his position as director. However, it appears that by Mustafà's fiftieth anniversary with the choir, they had mended ties. (14978)

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Signed Photograph

Classical Music

Opera

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