Verdi manuscript goes to House of Music

(ANSA) - Parma, July 16 - An autograph music sheet signed by Giuseppe Verdi containing six bars of the composer's original version of the opera Simon Boccanegra has been donated to the House of Music in Parma, media have said. The manuscript, previously owned by Amerigo Galliccia and Maria Grazia Pavin, carries the date Genoa, March 10, 1860. "In accordance with a fairly strong tradition of the time, the sheet is dedicated to 'Elena Massa', 'highly distinct amateur' of music," said House of Music president professor Marco Capra, who took receipt of the manuscript at a formal ceremony Wednesday.
    "The singularity and rarity of the document is given by the fact that the piece of music transcribed refers to the first version of the opera, dating to 1857, and not to the definitive and commonly performed version of 1881," Capra continued. "We hope this gesture might stimulate others who possess other such historic documents to donate them to institutions such as the House of Music and, through this, to all enthusiasts," said Galliccia and Pavin.