An examination of the autograph manuscripts of "Lakme", by Leo Delibes

The primary objective of this study is to gain insight into the opera Lakme by Leo Delibes by examining his autograph manuscripts, currently in the Library of Congress. A comparison among the manuscripts and published editions reveals certain items that were eliminated prior to production or publication, a sense of chronology of composition as seen in the manuscripts, Delibes' adaptation of Lakme from the opera-comique tradition to grand opera, and discrepancies in published editions. Appendices provide a list of autograph manuscripts by Leo Delibes acquired by the Library of Congress, including unpublished works; a chronology of dates of composition of the Lakme manuscripts; facsimiles of selected unpublished portions from the autograph manuscripts of Lakme; and an errata list comparing the manuscripts to current performing editions.