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Italian Opera Images -
Alterocca - Terni
Opera was so popular in Italy at
the turn of the century that the publishing companies of Alterocca-Terni,
Ricordi, and C.A. Pini recognized the financial value of mass producing black
and white cards of the popular and new operas. These postcard sets often
contained bars of music from the operas. Some of the characters featured on the
cards were actors, some were cartoonish characters and if you're lucky, some
were legitimate stars. What to look for? Look for the postcards in the Zaza
set (original cast), individual postcards without music featuring stars such as
Mary Garden, the Manon set featuring Gemma Bellincioni, the Cavalleria
Rusticana and Santa Lucia sets featuring Gemma Bellincioni and her
husband Roberto Stagno, and the Chopin set (original cast).
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