274 - QUICHERAT (Louis). (1799–1884). French historian, archaeologist, and scholar; member of the Institut.

QUICHERAT (Louis). (1799–1884). French historian, archaeologist, and scholar; member of the Institut. Autograph letter signed “L. Quicherat,” addressed to a correspondent. Paris, May 25, 1865. 2 pages, in-8 format, in brown ink, with autograph strikethroughs and corrections. Address “16, rue de Savoie” at the bottom of the letter. An interesting letter concerning the opera singer Maria Malibran and the biographical research devoted to this leading figure of Romantic opera. Quicherat refers to a work in which he wrote favorably about Madame Malibran and requests additional information regarding the circumstances of her fall from a horse in London in 1836. In particular, he questions the chronology of this accident, which occurred shortly before the famous singer’s death, and compares various biographical sources to clarify the circumstances. He thanks his correspondent for the attention given to his research and asks him to clarify several points, particularly regarding the early period of Malibran’s career, as described in the *Biographie universelle des musiciens*. “I would be grateful, sir, if you could shed some light on this matter.” This letter is of interest to the history of music and 19th-century scholarly research on Maria Malibran, one of the most famous opera singers of her time.