ABSTRACT
These letters are between Gounod and Elisa Mols and her family, and are a testament to their friendship, which lasted for almost 30 years, up to Gounod’s death in 1893. Many of the letters are between the composer and Elisa’s daughter, Léonie, who married Ernest Osterrieth. According to the editorial introduction to these letters, many celebrities visited the Osterrieth family home in Anvers including Gounod, Liszt, Massenet, and Saint-Saëns. Ernest Osterrieth was a businessman of importance in Anvers. After his premature death, his wife, Léonie turned her attention to charity work and being a patroness of the arts. These letters are simple expressions of friendship, and one can see the very strong and tender affection between the composer and this family. This correspondence does not reveal any important biographical information on the composer, nor does it directly refer to any of Gounod’s compositions. Despite this, anyone who is serious about having a deeper understanding of the composer and his life should be familiar with this correspondence. A number of these letters were written in connection with Gounod’s many visits to the family’s summer home in Nieuport.
