Maria Malibran

he diaries and correspondence of Ferdinand de Beaufort  (1797–1868) provide a unique insight into the experience of opera goers in the nineteenth century. Initially, De Beaufort mainly kept track of the works he saw during his travels in Germany, France, and England, but in later years he increasingly focused on the qualities of the soloists, especially the female ones. His observations fit the concept of music tourism (the large number of first-class opera soloists performing in London constituted his primary motivation to visit the city on a yearly basis) but also of early fandom. Especially the latter aspect comes to the fore in his impassioned and highly partial reports on the (alleged) rivalry between Giulia Grisi and Jenny Lind.

La critica alle parole scadenti delle canzoni precede di poco la produzione, da parte di Busi, di parole per canzoni. Nel 1997, ispirato da una delle sue ultime esperienze sanremesi, lo Scrittore pubblica L’amore trasparente, canzoniere che raccoglie i testi di venticinque canzoni in cerca di interpreti desiderosi e soprattutto capaci di prestar loro voce. La sfida è raccolta dal gruppo dei Timoria, che nel 1998 musicano e incidono i versi della canzone intitolata “L’amore è un drago dormiente”.

The diaries and correspondence of Ferdinand de Beaufort (1797–1868) provide a unique insight into the experience of opera goers in the nineteenth century. Initially, De Beaufort mainly kept track of the works he saw during his travels in Germany, France, and England, but in later years he increasingly focused on the qualities of the soloists, especially the female ones. His observations fit the concept of music tourism (the large number of first-class opera soloists performing in London constituted his primary motivation to visit the city on a yearly basis) but also of early fandom. Especially the latter aspect comes to the fore in his impassioned and highly partial reports on the (alleged) rivalry between Giulia Grisi and Jenny Lind.