Collection Summary
Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio Photographs
1927-1932
1927-1932
ML31.M89
Muzio, Claudia, 1889-1936
Perazzini, Sadie Molin
19 items
1 container
.25 linear feet
English
Collection material in English.
Music Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Claudia Muzio (1889-1936) was an Italian
operatic soprano who performed throughout the United States, Europe, and South America.
She sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the San Francisco Opera, and the Chicago
Civic Opera. Most of the photographs show Muzio in costume for operatic roles, and most
are inscribed. Sadie Molin Perazzini, a fan of Muzio, collected the
photographs.
Acquisition Information
Gift, Sadie Molin Perazzini, 1988
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing History
Shantel Lambert processed the Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio
Photographs in 2022. Lambert and Melissa Capozio Jones coded the finding aid in
2022.
Related Material
The [Glenn Dillard Gunn
Collection] contains a small quantity of materials related to Claudia Muzio's
career. The [Geraldine Farrar Papers]
contains correspondence with Claudia Muzio.
Copyright Status
Materials from the Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio Photographs are
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other
applicable international copyright laws.
Access and Restrictions
The Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio Photographs is open to research.
Researchers are advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to
determine whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Certain restrictions on using or copying materials may apply.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
[item, date, container], Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio Photographs,
Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Claudia Muzio was born Claudina Emilia Maria Muzio on February 7, 1889, in Pavia, Italy,
to Carlo Muzio and Giovanna Gavirati. Her father was an opera house stage manager and
her mother was an opera chorister. From about 1891 to 1908 their primary residence was
London, where both of her parents worked at Covent Garden. They also worked in New York
City at the Metropolitan Opera. Muzio began musical training while in London, studying
both harp and piano under the tutelage of her mother. She returned to Italy in 1908 to
live with family and continue her piano studies with mezzo-soprano Annetta Casaloni. At
Casaloni's insistence, Muzio began vocal studies. She studied briefly with soprano
Elettra Callery-Viviani in Milan, then pursued formal vocal training for a little more
than two years. Muzio made her official debut in 1910 at the Teatro Petrarca in Arezzo,
in the title role in Jules Massenet's
Manon
. She made her London debut at Covent Garden in 1914 and her United States debut
in December 1916 with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Immediately following the
1916-1917 season she began recording arias for Pathé, making more than thirty records.
Between 1920 and 1925 she made thirty recordings for the Edison Company. In 1922 she
began performing with the Chicago Civic Opera and performing alternate seasons with the
San Francisco Opera. For the next decade she toured throughout North America, South
America, and Italy. Her final U.S. performance was in January 1934 with the Metropolitan
Opera. She died on May 24, 1936, in Rome after experiencing poor health on a trip to
South America.
Bibliography
Barnes, Harold M., Jr.
Claudia Muzio: A Biographical Sketch and Discography.
Princeton, 1941.
Arnosi, Eduardo.
Claudia Muzio: La Ășunica.
Buenos Aires: Ars Lyrica, 1986.
Scope and Content Note
The Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio photographs spans the years 1927
to 1932 and consists of nineteen photographs. The majority of these feature Muzio in
costume for various operatic roles or posed in other settings. The collection includes
one photograph of Rosa Raisa in the title role of
Norma
. Most of the photographs are inscribed to Sadie Molin Perazzini. Perazzini was
an admirer of Muzio and Raisa and collected the photographs before donating them to the
Library of Congress.
Organization of the Sadie Molin Perazzini Collection of Claudia Muzio
Photographs
The collection is arranged in one series:
-
[Photographs, 1927-1932](CM01)
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Muzio, Claudia, 1889-1936.
Muzio, Claudia, 1889-1936.
Perazzini, Sadie Molin.
Raisa, Rosa, 1893-1963.
Subjects
Sopranos (Singers)--Italy--Photographs.
Titles
Sadie Molin Perazzini photograph collection relating to Claudia Muzio, 1927-1932
Form/Genre
Photographs.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/2016570575]
Container List
1
Photographs, 1927-1932
1927-1932
This series contains posed photographs of Claudia Muzio in various operatic roles
as well as in more general settings. There is one photograph of Rosa Raisa in the
title role of
Norma
. The majority of the photographs are inscribed by Muzio. One is inscribed
by Raisa.
Arranged by production or subject.
1/1
Muzio, as Violetta in La traviata, 1932
1932
Photography by Daguerre, Chicago
Note: Inscribed "To my dear Sadie Molin. With
love, Claudia Muzio, 1932"
1/1
Muzio, as Violetta in La traviata, undated
undated
Photography by Root, Chicago
1/1
Muzio, as Violetta in La traviata, undated
undated
Photography by Rosenfeld, San Paulo
1/1
Muzio, as Violetta in La traviata, undated
undated
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie. Love and kisses,
Claudia Muzio"
1/1
Muzio, as Violetta in La traviata, 1931
1931
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie. With love, Claudia,
1931"
1/1
Muzio, as Leonora in Il travatore, 1928
1928
Photography by Atwell, Chicago
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie Molin. Very sincerely,
Claudia Muzio, 1928"
1/1
Muzio, as Leonora in Il travatore, undated
undated
Photography by Van Riel
1/1
Muzio, as Desdemona in Otello, undated
undated
Note: Signed "Claudia Muzio"
1/1
Muzio, as Norma, 1928
1928
Photography by Van Riel
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie Molin, souvenir, Claudia
Muzio, 1928"
1/1
Muzio, as Norma, 1930
1930
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie Molin. Very sincerely,
Claudia Muzio, 1930"
1/2
Muzio, as Tosca, 1927
1927
Photography by Atwell, Chicago
Note: Inscribed "To my dear friend Sadie Molin.
Merry Exmass, Claudia Muzio, 1927"
1/2
Muzio, as Tosca,
undated
undated
Photography by Root, Chicago
Note: Signed "Claudia Muzio"
1/2
Muzio, headshot, 1927
1927
Photography by Rosenfeld, San Paulo
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie Molin. Sincerely,
Claudia Muzio, 1927"
1/2
Muzio, standing in garden,
undated
undated
Note: Inscribed "To dear Dorothy. Love,
Claudia"
1/2
Muzio, formal portrait with dog,
undated
undated
Photography by Root, Chicago
Note: Signed "Claudia Muzio"
1/2
Muzio, headshot, 1931-1932
1931-1932
Photography by Daguerre, Chicago
Note: Inscribed "To my dear Sadie Molin. With very
best wishes, Claudia Muzio, 1931-32"
1/2
Muzio, headshot,
undated
undated
Note: Inscribed "Sadie dear, remember. Claudia
Muzio"
1/2
Raisa, Rosa, as Norma,
undated
undated
Photography by Daguerre, Chicago
Note: Inscribed "To Sadie Molin, with best wishes.
Sincerely, Rosa Raisa"