Description
Autograph Letter Signed, to Charles Santley, the famous baritone, discussing the “failure in effect” of a song, reminiscing about occasions when failed ballads unexpectedly achieved popularity. 4 pp. 7 x 4½ inches, fine. Dalston, 29 January 1875. A good letter by Henry Phillips (1801–1876), singer. Phillips’s career illustrates that of the major nineteenth-century English professional singer. He depended on seasonal tours incorporating operatic, oratorio, and concert work, and was especially reliant on ballads for maintaining his position and income. He was the author of Musical and Personal Recollections during Half a Century (2 vols., 1864), Hints on Declamation (1848) and The True Enjoyment of Angling (1843).