PIERSON, Henry Hugo (1815-1873). English composer resident in Germany.
Fine long Autograph Letter Signed in German to the director of the Royal Theatre in Darmstadt, 4 pages 4to, closely written, no place, no date With a full translation. Trying, in a perversely argumentative manner, to obtain a performance for his opera (probably Contarini, which had already been performed in Hamburg).
Pierson (originally Pearson) was a composer better appreciated in his adopted land than in England. He had been appointed Reid Professor of Music in Edinburgh in 1844 but returned to Germany, where he had studied, following a disagreement with the authorities. His compositions included two operas Leila (Hamburg, 1848) and Contarini (1872), music to Faust, and several oratorios.

'... Since, thank God, I am not a Kapellmeister, I followed Meyerbeer's advice who had told me shortly before his death: "Don't waste your time with German theatres; in any of them some composer will throw stones in your path, I know it; go to Paris" ...
'The Hamburg performance was very instructive for me, I could convince myself that my tunes were unusual and I also eliminated two numbers which only held up the flow of events.
'I frankly admit that it offended me at the time that you, according to Mr Schindelmeisser, Miss Stöger and others, supposedly advised Director Teschen to reject my opera whose staging he had already considered.
'... If you consider my opera to be good you will vote for its staging ... if you only like music such as Wagner and his imitators write you won't care for mine since Wagner fans have indeed reproached me for having too many melodies, arias and duets in my opera and too little recitative . ...'

[No: 22778]