Hermann Goring, a leader of the Nazi Party and one of the primary architects of the Nazi police state in Germany. He was condemned to hang as a war criminal by the International Military Tribunal at Nurnberg in 1946 but took poison instead and died the night his execution was ordered.
The musical riches contained in this unique collection go way beyond the normal parameters of popular memorabilia. This is due entirely to the astute thinking of the noted 19th-century collector of Cremonese violins, Eugène de Cessole (1805–76), whose autograph album is the focus of this handsomely produced tome. His distinguished guest list reads like a veritable Who’s Who of Romantic music – violinists especially – who were not only asked to sign their moniker in the normal way, but also invited to add a handwritten musical souvenir. These range from tantalising musical fragments lasting just a few bars – in the case of celebrated tenor Jean-Alexandre de Talazac, simply his trademark high C, annotated to be sung ‘with a real chest voice’ – to complete pieces.