From Russia with love

ROYAL MAIL
Stowmarket Telegraph Office

44 1449 613388 Paid

K. Briton
Onehouse,
Stowmarket,
Suffolk

18th April 1900

Boarded @ Repino in snowstorm. Train journey tedious. Company of OR refreshing. Introduced to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, gentleman, naval officer retired. Operas like train journey. Will send music by mail. OR is interested in ancient (early) music!
X:23 % number
T:Packington's Pound % title
C:Francis Cutting % composer O:http://members.home.nl/mark.erna/pdf_docs/packingtons_pound_anoniem_cutting.pdf % origin.
M:3/4 % meter
L:1/8 % length of shortest note
Q:180 % tempo
V:1 name="lute" sname="Lt" clef=treble
V:2 clef=treble merge K:C % key %============2============3=========4===========5=========6
[V:1]A3 B c2 | B6 | A3 B c2 | B4 cd | e3 f e2 |
[V:2][E6A,6] | ^G2 E2 E,2 | [E6A,6] | ^G2 E2 z2 | C6 |
%
%==============7===============8========9=========10
[V:1] d2 B2 G2 | A2 c2 [B2^G2] | [A6E6] | A^GAB c2 |
[V:2] G,4 z2 | [E4A,4] E,2 | [A,6] | A,6 |
%
%===============11========12===========13=======14=========15
[V:1] B6 | ABcd c2 | [B4E,4] z2 | efedec | d2 B2 G2 |
[V:2] ^G2 E2 E,2 | A,6 | G2 E2 cd | C6 | G,4 z2 |
%
%==================16========17================18========19
[V:1] AB c2 [B2^G2] | A6 | e2 g2 ^f2 | [e6E,6] |
[V:2] [E4A,4] E,2 | [E6A,6] | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | B4 B2 |
%
%====================20=======21================22================23
[V:1] e2 g2 ^f2 | [e6B6] | e2 g2 ^f2 | e2 g2 ^f2 |
[V:2] [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | E,6 | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] |
%
%====================24========25================26========27
[V:1] e2 g2 ^f2 | [e6E,6] | e^f g2 f2 | [e6E,6] |
[V:2] [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | B4 B2 | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | B4 B2 |
%
%====================28=======29================30================31
[V:1] e^f g2 f2 | [e6B6] | e^fge f2 | e^fge f2 |
[V:2] [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | E,6 | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | [B4E,4] [B2B,2] |
%
%====================32========33========34=========35========36
[V:1] e^f g2 a2 | [e6E,6] | e3 f e2 | d2 B2 G2 | c3 d c2 |
[V:2] [B4E,4] [B2B,2] | B4 B2 | C6 | G,4 z2 | A,6 |
%
%===============37========38=========39==============40=======41
[V:1] B6 | e3 f e2 | d2 B2 G2 | A2 c2 [B2^G2] | [A6E6] |
[V:2] ^G2 E2 E,2 | C6 | G,4 z2 | [E4A,4] E,2 | A,6 |
%
%============42=========43========44===========45========46
[V:1] edef e2 | d2 B2 G2 | cBcd c2 | B6 | edef e2 |
[V:2] C6 | G,4 z2 | A,6 | ^G2 E2 E,2 | C6 |
%
%=============47==============48=======49===================50
[V:1] d2 B2 G2 | AB c2 [B2^G2] | [A6E6] |[K:F] d3 e f2 |
[V:2] G,4 z2 | [E4A,4] E,2 | A,6 |[K:F] [A4D4] [A2D2] |
%
%==============51==============52==========53========54=========55
[V:1] e2 ^c2 A2 | d3 e f2 | e2 ^c2 A2 | a3 b a2 | g2 e2 c2 |
[V:2] A,6 | [A4D4] [A2D2] | A,6 | F4 F2 | C4 E2 |
%
%===================56========57=============58====59===========60
[V:1] d2 f2 [e2^c2] | [d6A6] :||: a2 c'2 =b2 | a6 | a2 c'2 =b2 |
[V:2] [A4D4] [A2A,2] | D2 D4 :||: A,4 E,2 | A,6 | A,4 E,2 |
%
%========61===========62==========63===========64=====65==
[V:1] a6 | a=b c'2 b2 | a=bc'a b2 | a=bc'd' b2 | a6 :||:
[V:2] A,6 | A,4 E,2 | A,4 E,2 | A,4 E,2 | A,6 :||:
%
%=============66=========67==============68============
[V:1] a3 =b a2 | g2 e2 c2 | d3 e f2 | e2 ^c2 A2 |
[V:2] F4 F2 | C4 E2 | [A4D4] [A2D2] | A,6 |
%
%==============69==========70==========71=============
[V:1] a3 =b c'2 | =b2 g2 e2 | z2 d2 ^c2 | [d6A6^F6] :|
[V:2] F3 z A2 | E2 z^F G2 | A4 [A2A,2]| D2 D4 :|

Dear Papa
I hope you have received my telegram from St.Petersburg.
If the streets of the city are drear with melting slush, the shops and theatres are warm and full of sparkle, and everyone is looking forward to the Pascha feast (Easter) with anticipation.
Signor Ottorino Respighi has proven a most chivalrous host, entrusting me to the care of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov whom I have learned to address as Nikolai Andreyevich. While my grasp of the Russian language is feeble, we make ourselves understood in French, the second language of the better classes. I feel a little guilty about distracting him from his composition of opera music and preparation of studies for his conservatory students, but he insists on entertaining me on the few occasions when his wife, Nadezhda, is otherwise occupied.
With Nikolai Andreyevich as guide, Nadezhda, Signor Respighi and myself have been guided to some of the best venues in the city and introduced to friends of Nikolai Andreyevich. One of the most wonderful jewellers is the Maison Fabergé: it seems that every year, the Czar commissions a new jewelled easter-egg for the Czarina Maria Feodorovna, and one of the precious toys from a previous year was displayed in a place of honour in the store. It is a tiny mauve-enamelled egg with perfect miniature portraits of the Royal children! In our discussions of music, Signor Respighi has been telling me some of the things he was exploring under the tutelage of Luigi Torchi before he was offered the position with the Imperial Opera Orchestra, and from one of his manuscripts, I have transcribed "Packington's Pound". A tune which was later adapted for inclusion in John Gay's "Beggar's Opera".
With all my love,
your daughter, K.

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].