155 - FÉVRIER (Henry) (1875–1957), French composer and opera writer, best known for *Monna Vanna*, based on a work by Maurice Maeterlinck.

FÉVRIER (Henry) (1875–1957), French composer and opera writer, best known for *Monna Vanna*, based on a work by Maurice Maeterlinck. Autograph musical fragment signed “Henry Février,” taken from the first act of his opera *Monna Vanna*. July 1937. 1 page, in-4 format, in violet ink on music paper. A beautiful autograph musical fragment accompanied by the lyrics of a passage from the opera *Monna Vanna*. The composer has notated several lines of music with expression marks and lyrics: “This is the moment, my son, when words are cruel and powerful...” The fragment continues with a new musical phrase evoking the fate of the work’s characters. Monna Vanna, a lyric drama based on a work by Maurice Maeterlinck, premiered on January 13, 1909, at the Paris Opera. The work, which was a major success, remains one of Henry Février’s most significant operatic compositions. This manuscript bears witness to the composer’s creative activity and his devotion to his work, a passage of which he revisits here nearly thirty years after its premiere. An interesting musical piece, entirely in the composer’s own hand, featuring several staves, lyrics, and handwritten musical instructions.