MASSENET Jules (1842-1912)

autograph musical manuscript signed "J. Massenet ", Cossack War Song, 1886; 5 pages in-fol. (paginated 1-6 with one page 4/5) mounted on tabs and bound in a navy blue half-chagrin volume with corners (Ch. Maillet). Melody for song and piano, on a poem by Hélène VACARESCO : " Vierge, tes cheveux noirs dépassent ta ceinture "... In G major, it is marked All° quite animated. Written in black ink on Lard-Esnault paper with 24 lines, the manuscript presents corrections by scratching as well as erasures; it counts 57 measures, of which three are crossed out with a blue pencil. On the first and last pages, indications inform us about the genesis of this piece: " Étretat. Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1986. Continuous rain, cold. Juliette sick"; and "Étretat. Thursday, Sept. 23, 1986. Better weather. Juliette a little better ". This Cossack war song was collected in the book IV (n° 10) of Mélodies (Heugel 1896). At the bottom of the first page of the manuscript, Massenet wrote this letter: " J'offre ce manuscrit à mon ami Paul Émile Chevalier J. Massenet Paris 31 oct. 92 " (Chevalier was Henri Heugel's nephew and associate). PROVENANCE Heugel family archives and memorabilia (May 26, 2011, no. 104).