E. F. Carry (1868–1932) as a respondent and a recipient: from the correspondence of the early 20th century

Abstract

The name of the singer E. F. Carry, a participant in emblematic performances in the Moscow Bolshoi theatre at the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries has been quite rarely noticed by researchers. Meanwhile, the voice of the singer was recorded, and this distinguishes her from many contemporaries, the art of which is known only from the reviews and memoirs. The archive of the actress, especially its epistolary part of 1902–1929 years, is of a considerable historical value. The range of problems discussed by correspondents is very broad. Here are the music, the literature, the politics, the life of the provincial scene of the early 20th century, the capital’s theatrical realities and others. Leaving the stage, Curry has settled in Moscow and actively attended the premiere in Opera and drama, especially in the Moscow art theatre: Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, her half-brother, was a director there. The variety of subjects and themes, covered in letters, set several methodological and literature problems before the historian should he attempt to publish them as a unified set of documents. Refs 6.