747 - GOUNOD, Charles 10 letters to “Dear Friend,” “My dear Léon,” “Dear good [and excellent] friends” [Léon and Claire Bérardi, née Piérard]. London, Brussels, Paris, Saint-Cloud, Antwerp 1872–1883. 1 to 4 pp., double-leaf in-12 sheets, one bearing his monogram, another monogrammed “A.S.,” a third bearing the "Tavistock House" letterhead, signed "Ch. Gounod" (slight creases from mailing). A lovely collection of friendly correspondence reflecting more than a decade of close relations between Gounod and the Bérardis. Two letters from 1872 were sent from Tavistock House, where Gounod was staying at the time with the opera singer Georgina Weldon (and where Charles Dickens had previously lived). The letter also attests to her connection with Claire Bérardi: Gounod conveys his affection and announces that she will write to her personally. He thanks Claire Bérardi for her “dear, warm hospitality”; “I do not want this year—which has brought me the joy of knowing you and of receiving your affection as well as that of your dear husband—to end without sending you both my most affectionate regards [...]”. The letters also provide insight into his musical and theatrical activities. In November 1872, he announced *Les deux reines*, a drama by Ernest Legouvé for which he composed incidental music, which “is scheduled to run from the 11th to the 15th [of November]” in Paris (the premiere would ultimately take place on November 27). On March 13, 1876, he mentions a “play” for which he is waiting to learn the premiere date so that he can conduct the final two rehearsals—perhaps the new two-act version of “Philémon et Baucis,” which would be performed at the Opéra-Comique on the following May 16. Other letters allude to “Polyeucte,” a performance given by “la Patti,” and the “beautiful article” that “Félix” [Coveliers] wrote about “Mors et Vita.” Over the years, their friendship took on an almost familial character. Gounod confides in Claire about his wife Jeanne and their children, offers sincere sympathy upon the death of her mother, and arranges his stays in Brussels with the Bérardis. In his letters, their home becomes the “dear little dovecote up there,” then the “nice little pigeon coop”: “This is just between us, and I beg you not to breathe a word of it. Would you be so kind as to let me know if I might drop by your place on Sunday evening, the 24th [...] and stay under your roof [...] until Tuesday morning, the 26th?” ; forced on another occasion to stay elsewhere: “Alas! My dear Claire, the good little dovecote will not, this time, be the nest of your old friend! [...] But next time?.. Ah! By all means, it will be the turn of the dear little dovecote and the dear pigeons! Yours, with a thousand affectionate regards [...]". Claire Piérard, wife of Léon Bérardi (1817–1897), a French journalist based in Brussels and editor of the newspaper *L’Indépendance belge*, hosted a salon for the Brussels elite. The couple maintained numerous connections in the literary and artistic circles of Belgium and France. This collection of letters vividly illustrates Gounod’s close relationship with the Bérardis, and especially with Claire, blending private confidences, travel plans, and updates on his musical career. Enclosed: a visiting-card-sized photographic portrait of Gounod. No place, no date. Albumen print mounted on original white cardboard, unmarked (slight pinholes and minor water stains on the margins slightly affecting the image; handwritten notes on the reverse). (11 items)