PAULINE VIARDOT (1821-1910) Autograph manuscript of the Spanish song ‘La calesera’, dedicated to the singer Caroline Unger, signed «Pauline».

No place or date. 2 pages, oblong folio. Annotated in Spanish, in brown ink, on six systems of three staves each, with some alterations and corrections, Inscription of dedication to the contralto Caroline Unger (1803-1877): “… A ce soir, Chère Caroline - je compte bien vous embrasser après le 4ème acte. Pauline” [«... See you tonight, Dear Caroline - I look forward to kissing you after the 4th act. Pauline»] Some tears and foxing in the margins, repaired on the verso with translucent tape, folds. Pauline Garcia, known as épouse Viardot, a Spanish-born French singer and composer, daughter of Manuel Garcia and sister of Maria Malibran, was arguably the greatest mezzo-soprano of the 19th century. One of her greatest roles was that of Fidès in Meyerbeer’s five-act opera Le prophète (1849), which she sang over two hundred times. Literature: Dr. Christin Heitmann (Musicologist, author and lecturer in music and literature) Pauline Viardot. Catalogue raisonné bibliographique systématique (VWV 6257), Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, since 2012.