BACH, Carl Philipp Emanuel 1714-1788
Oblong folio. Marbled wrappers with oval manuscript title label to upper. 1f. (recto title within decorative woodcut border, verso blank), [i] ("Sonata I"), 2-36 pp. Typeset. Occasional fingerings in pencil; faint annotation in ink to upper right margin of p. 13 "A B C E." Wrappers worn, with minor loss to spine and small tear to lower joint of upper repaired with archival tape to verso, with "Oldernhausen" in ink to upper margin. Moderate browning; minor foxing; occasional soiling; verso of upper leaf reinforced at upper margin. First Edition. Wotquenne 53. Helm 162, 180-82, 163, 183 (p. 264). BUC p. 73. RISM B81 (2 copies in the U.S., at Sibley Music Library and the Library of Congress). These six "Leichte" (easy) sonatas were intended for domestic music-making and geared toward amateur keyboard players of instruments including the clavichord, harpsichord, and fortepiano. The texture is minimal throughout, generally limited to two or three parts. The left hand is almost always accompanimental and slower than the right, except in passages where the hands share arpeggios. Any rapid passagework has strategic points of repose built in, thus not demanding too much exertion on the part of the player. The sonatas occasionally contain Bach's own fingerings, indicated above noteheads, lending the music a pedagogical as well as a recreational character. Although Bach has made a clear effort to minimize technical challenges, he balances the "Leichte" element of these sonatas with an appealing variety of textures, motives, and harmonies. The opening "Allegretto ed arioso" (p. 2) of Sonata I takes on the character of a vocal duet with paired thirds and sixths at its section endings. The "Andantino con Tenerezza" that follows (p. 4) recapitulates similar duet-like material in its B section with the added attraction of intimate, almost cadenza-like 32nd note runs. In Sonata II, the opening "Allegro" (p. 7) offers rapid (and, at times syncopated) arpeggios disposed between the hands, adding a sense of sparkle and vigor to the music. A similar character, perhaps more pronounced, is found in the "Allegro assai" (p. 15) of Sonata III, with yet sharper syncopation, daring pivots of the hand, and violinistic bariolage. The "Largo e tenero" of Sonata IV (p. 20) features some subtle harmonic shading, with pedal points and momentary forays from the home key of D major into B minor and F-sharp minor, creating an attractive chiaroscuro effect. Perhaps the most striking opening occurs in the "Andantino" of Sonata VI, which begins boldly on an unprepared diminished seventh chord. Further expressive devices in this movement include chromatic melodies, sweetly dissonant sequences of ninths, and a notably more rhapsodic final ten bars. The closing bars of the piece, still measured, yet almost in the manner of an unmeasured free fantasia, could serve the purpose of preparing a relatively advanced student for one of Bach's more complex pieces in the fantasia genre. The first edition of Bach's 1766 keyboard sonatas, vigorous yet technically accessible to amateur keyboard players.
BACH, Johann Sebastian 1685-1750
Oblong folio. Modern half maroon leather with dark pink cloth boards, raised bands on spine in compartments gilt, titling gilt, marbled endpapers. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [ii] (blank), 2-97, [i] (blank); 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [i] (blank), 2-83, [i] (blank) pp. Engraved throughout. Binding very slightly worn and bumped; very small stain to upper. Light to moderate browning; minor foxing; occasional small stains, primarily marginal; occasional showthrough. Probable First Editions of the first and second books of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Rare. Schmeider 2, p. 655. Fuld p. 118. Schneider p. 100. Hoboken I, 94 and 97. Hirsch III, 57. Stuttgart Catalogue 66. RISM B 497 and B498 (no copies recorded in the U.S., Great Britain, or France). Hoboken and RISM give precedence to the present Simrock edition, of which Fuld records three issues; the present copy is the first issue, with "Ecrit par Sampier" to foot of title. Bach's original title for the first part of his "WTC" was "The Well-Tempered Clavier; or Preludes and Fugues in all the keys, composed for the use of inquisitive musical youth, as well as the amusement of those who are already versed in this art." The second part of the WTC, which also contains 24 preludes and 24 fugues in all the keys, was composed later. "It consists, from the beginning to the end, entirely of masterpieces." David, Mendel and Wolff: The New Bach Reader p. 467. "The bibliographic history of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier has been well reported, three editions, each in two parts, having appeared at about the same time in 1801. One of the three editions was published by Hans Georg Nägeli, in Zurich, entitled Das Wohltemperirte Clavier. . The second of the three editions was published by Hoffmeister & Comp., at Leipzig, at the Bureau de Musique, under the title Le Clavecin Bien Tempéré. . The third publisher, N. Simrock, at Bonn, printed at least three early editions under the French title. . In what is said to be the earliest, the words "Écrit par Sampier" appear on the title page." Fuld pp. 117-118. "Nicolaus Simrock of Bonn (founded in 1793) is one of the first publishers who engraved and marketed Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. One of the most notable features of his edition was that his WTC II volume (plate number 138) appeared before WTC I (p/n 166), effectively swapping the volumes. The WTC II volume presumably appeared between February and 6 June 1801 (judging from the advertisements published in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, Beylage of the Leipziger Zeitung as well as Nägeli's letter to Breikopf in which he commented on the Simrock edition as reproduced by Refardt). Neither Nägeli nor Forkel appears to have managed to have published their respective editions by this time. This makes Simrock's WTC II the first edition". Yo Tomita in "The Simrock Edition of the Well-Tempered Clavier II," first published online in April 2005, last revised 25 November 2017. mu.qub.ac.uk/tomita/essay/simrock/ The publisher appears to have taken considerable care to avoid page turns and keep each prelude and fugue on a maximum of two pages in most cases. Thus, shorter pieces may appear on pages with as few as three staves and longer pieces may appear on as many as six staves (with the sizes of the staves and notation adjusted accordingly). One of the monuments of early keyboard literature.
BACH, Johann Sebastian 1695-1750
Oblong folio. Dark brown 19th century leather-backed paper boards with titling gilt to upper. 1f. (recto aquatint series title "Musikalische Kunstwerke im Strengen style von J.S. Bach u. andern Meistern" incorporating winged angels and architectural motifs, verso blank), 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [i] (blank), 2-109, [i] (blank), 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [i] (blank), 2-123, [i] (blank) pp. Engraved. Binding worn, rubbed, and bumped, with some abrasions and scrapes. Slightly worn; minor foxing throughout, mostly to margins; occasional stains and soiling; series title slightly dampstained at edges; Vol. 1 with moderate dampstaining to lower inner portion of approximately 18 leaves and upper inner margin of approximately 5 leaves; slightly heavier dampstaining to final approximately 30 leaves; Vol. 2 with dampstaining to inner margin of final approximately 30 leaves. Quite a good copy overall, with strong and clear impression. Rare early editions of both books of the Well-Tempered Clavier, one of three editions of which precedence has not been firmly established. Fuld 5, p. 118. Schmieder 2, p. 655. Schneider p. 100. Hoboken I, 95 and 98. Hirsch III, 60. Stuttgart catalogue 84. RISM B499. "The bibliographic history of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier has been well reported, three editions, each in two parts, having appeared at about the same time in 1801. One of the three editions was published by Hans Georg Nägeli, in Zurich, entitled Das Wohltemperirte Clavier. . The second of the three editions was published by Hoffmeister & Comp., at Leipzig, at the Bureau de Musique. . The third publisher, N. Simrock, at Bonn, printed at least three early editions ." Fuld 5, p. 118. " 'The Well-Tempered Clavier; or Preludes and Fugues in all the keys, composed for the use of inquisitive musical youth, as well as the amusement of those who are already versed in this art. Part I. 1722.' [Bach's original title for the first part]. The second part of [The Well-Tempered Clavier], which also contains 24 preludes and 24 fugues in all the keys, was composed at a later period. It consists, from the beginning to the end, entirely of masterpieces." David, Mendel & Wolff: The New Bach Reader, p. 467. One of the monuments of early keyboard literature.
VERDI, Giuseppe 1813-1901
Large octavo. Quarter dark blue morocco with marbled boards, raised bands on spine with titling gilt. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 1f. (recto contents, verso blank), [5]-7 (text), [i] (blank), 229, [i] (blank) pp. With text in Latin. With attractive polychrome title page printed in red, blue, and gold on tinted ground, Parisian musicseller's handstamp (Durand Schoenewerk & Cie.) to lower right corner. Embosssed Escudier blindstamp to lower outer corner of p. [3] (table of contents). Binding slightly worn, rubbed, and bumped; endpapers browned. Minor foxing; small stain to lower outer margin of last four leaves; publisher's blindstamp very slightly trimmed at outer edge. An attractive copy overall. First French edition. Hopkinson 3B. Published in the same year as the first Italian edition published by Ricordi in Milan. First performed in Milan at S Marco on 22 May 1874. "The Requiem is at once a monument to Italian genius as Verdi perceived it in Rossini and Manzoni, an affirmation of his belief in an Italian music where the orchestra is very important but the sung word is paramount, and the climax of all those scenes, some tender, some terrifying, in which he sought to express his vision of suffering, suppliant humanity." Porter: TNG Vol. 19, p. 655.
SEVERI, Francesco ca. 1595-1630
Oblong octavo. Contemporary limp ivory vellum with blindstamped edges and spine gilt, contemporary manuscript note to upper. 1f. (recto title, verso dedication), 1f. ("Ai Lettori"), 75 (music), [i] ("Tavola") pp. Engraved throughout. First two leaves with text within triple-ruled borders. With decorative publisher's device to title and fine decorative devices throughout. Contains: Dixit Dominus Primo tuono, p. 1 Confitebor tibi Domine Secondo tuono, p. 8 Beatus vir Terzo tuono, p. 15 Laudate pueri Quarto tuono, p. 22 Laudate Dominum omnes gentes Quinto tuono, p. 29 Magnificat Sesto tuono, p. 33 Nisi Dominus Settimo tuono, p. 41 In conuertendo ottavo tuono, p. 47 In exitu Misto tuono, p. 54 Miserere mei Deus, p. 61 Contemporary manuscript annotations to front free endpaper ". Libro di Canto figurato 1660" and rear endpapers. Binding worn, soiled, and stained, with small holes to outer corner of upper; gilt faded; endpapers worn and stained with minor loss, free front endpaper with small circular dampstain and resulting hole to lower blank margin. Slightly worn and soiled; some margins slightly browned and foxed; light staining to lower portion of title and following several leaves, not affecting legibility. Margins very slightly trimmed, occasionally within platemark and just touching part identification or page numbers to upper margins in several instances. First Edition. BUC p. 941. Gaspari II, p. 311. Lesure p. 576. RISM S2847 (9 copies in total, only one of which is in the U.S.). "Salmi passaggiati, Severi's first and most important publication, is one of the most valuable documents for the performance of early 17th-century vocal music, and shows that he was a leading exponent of the florid style of ornamentation favoured in Rome at the time. It contains verset settings, mostly for solo voice and organ, of eight vesper psalms, the Magnificat and the Miserere. The voice part consists of elaborate divisions on falsobordone, which in the Miserere was composed by Fabrizio Dentice and in the other items is based on the psalm tones. Detailed instructions on performance are found in Severi's preface, which says that such embellishments were normally improvised and that his psalms are typical of the Roman style, which was cultivated especially by the castratos of the papal choir and is echoed in the toccatas of Frescobaldi." Colin Timms in Grove Music Online.
THOMSON, Virgil 1896-1989
1 leaf. Folio (354 x 287 mm) in piano-vocal score, being the opening 13 measures of the Prologue of the work, set for "Chorus I" and keyboard reduction. Notated on 16-stave Aztec music paper in light black ink on one side of the leaf only, with "an opera to be sung libretto by Gertrude Stein music by Virgil Thomson" to head. A presentation leaf, signed twice by the composer, with "for the Metropolitan Opera greetings 1975 Virgil Thomson" in red ink to upper outer corner and the autograph signature of the composer to lower right corner. Provenance Ex the Virgil Thomson Collections at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, with their circular embossed stamp with central embossed initials "VT" to outer margin. Creased at corners; narrow band of text to blank lower margin inked over in black; verso with minor remnants of former mount to blank upper margin and small stain to blank lower margin. Thomson met Gertrude Stein in Paris in 1926 and she soon became his close friend and collaborator. Four Saints in Three Acts, Thomson's groundbreaking opera, is set to a libretto by Stein; the two also collaborated on Thomson's opera The Mother of Us All, first performed in 1947. "The first performance [of "Saints"], on 8 February 1934 at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, was presented not by an established opera company but by an organization called the Friends and Enemies of Modern Music. There was an all-black cast, stage direction and movement by Frederick Ashton and John Houseman and cellophane décor by Florine Stettheimer. The same production was presented that year on Broadway and in Chicago, for a run of more than 60 performances." John Rockwell in Grove Music Online "The premiere attracted the smart set of art patrons, fanciers of the avant garde and the curious. After the triumphant Hartford run, the production moved to Broadway where it played for six weeks at first one then another theater, a breakthrough for an opera. This was a year before Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, which was also conducted by Alexander Smallens and featured a black cast. Decades later, Philip Glass would cite Four Saints as the most important model that he and Robert Wilson had when they embarked on writing avant-garde operas. "[Thomson] produced a sizeable catalog of stylistically diverse compositions characterized by expressive directness and textural transparency, written in a language that drew from hymnbook harmony, popular song, and dance idioms of the late 19th century, and utilizing plain-spoken tonal procedures but also diatonic dissonance and polytonal elements. In his many vocal works, and his two path-breaking operatic collaborations with Gertrude Stein, Thomson demonstrated a mastery of prosody. . The wit, vitality, and descriptive precision of his writing, which demystified the complexities of music for lay readers, made him among the most influential and lasting critics of the 20th century." Anthony Tommasini and Richard Jackson in Grove Music Online.
VERDONCK, Cornelis 1563-1625
Oblong quarto. 1 leaf (ca. 05 x 288 mm). A representation of the Magnificat, with the Virgin Mary in the center surrounded by four angels playing viols, a flute, and a cornetto, with two additional singing angels on either side holding large carelles (erasable slate tablets) on which are printed the complete five-voice setting (text and music) of Verdonck's Magnificat, with the altus and bassus part on the left carelle, the superius and tenor canon in diapason on the right. With "Luce. 1. vers. 46" and text from psalm 147; "M.d.Vos. in" and "C. Visscher execu." and "5" printed to lower margin. Trimmed to inside plate impression. Browned at upper margin with faint red lines to extreme margins. A reverse of Sadeler's 1586 engraving. RISM V1239 (the 1585 printing). Vignau-Wilberg: Music and Dance in 16th Century Prints, no. 63 (the 1585 printing), illustrated on p. 170. OCLC 271822365 (the present printing). Verdonck, a Flemish composer and singer, "became a pupil in Antwerp of Séverin Cornet, who included one work of the younger composer in each of his three publications of 1581. . Two sacred works, appearing in copper engravings of the Virgin by Marten de Vos, are predominantly imitative; one of these, a Magnificat for five voices, features a strict canon derived from the tenor. . Along with his mentor Séverin Cornet, Verdonck is an important exponent of the madrigal in the north." R.B. Lenaerts, revised by Kristine Forney and Nathalie Vanballenberghe in Grove Music Online "These engravings, sometimes known as 'picture-motets', show angels or biblical figures singing and playing from partbooks and may have been published in support of the Counter-Reformation. . The composers, artists and engravers were all Flemish and these fine engravings, with the music complete and legible, bear witness to the thriving artistic life in Antwerp at the end of the 16th century. . They are important in their own right as particularly beautiful and unusual examples of early music engraving." Susan Bain in Grove Music Online A highly attractive image of one of the earliest examples of engraved music.
CAMPRA, Andre 1660-1744
Large oblong octavo. Contemporary dark brown mottled calf with raised bands on spine in decorative compartments gilt. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [iii] ("Table"), [i] ("Airs a jouer"), [i] ("Airs a chanter"), [i] ("Memoire des oeuvres de Monsieur Campra"), [i] (blank), [i] (a second, more extensive "Memoire des oeuvres de Monsieur Campra"), xlix (prologue), l ("Cet air se chante aprés le Sarabande du Troisiéme Acte page 166"), 291, [i] (privilege), 4 (an alternate section to be performed at the end of Act V) pp. With attractive decorative woodcut headpieces to head of each act. Binding worn, rubbed, and bumped; title label lacking; free endpapers lacking, pastedowns worn and stained. Occasional soiling and staining, primarily to margins; several small edge tears; some signatures partially detached; minor loss to lower margin of p. 251 affecting clef of lowermost staff but with all music intact; early paper restoration to upper outer corner of pp. 282/283 and 284/285. Quite a good copy overall, with strong impression. First Edition. Lesure p. 97. BUC p. 158. RISM C745. Tancrede, in five acts and a prologue to a libretto by Antoine Danchet after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme Liberate, was first performed in Paris at the Académie Royale de Musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal under the direction of Marin Marais on 7 November 1702. Considered a 'chef-d'oeuvre' by Rameau, the work, Campra's best-known lyric tragedy, was performed regularly until 1764. It marks the first appearance of a contralto on the French lyric stage.
RUTHERFORD, John fl. ca. 1771-1784
Octavo. Attractively bound in 20th century dark brown mottled calf with double-rule gilt to edges, raised bands on spine in compartments gilt, black leather titles gilt, all edges gilt. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [ii] (index), [i] (blank), 57, [i] (blank) pp. Provenance Noted violinmaker and collector Arthur F. Hill, with his decoratively engraved bookplate to front pastedown incorporating floral motifs, a violin, and the motto "Alive I was a silent thing But dead divinest themes I sing" and with Hill's annotation in ink to front free endpaper "David Rutherford carried on his music business at 'The Violin and German Flute' as early as 1745. He was succeeded by his son, John, and most of their publications consisted of Country Dances. A.F.H." Several leaves with manuscript pagination in a contemporary hand. Very occasional soiling. First Edition. Rare. BUC p. 909. RISM R3254 (one copy only in the U.S., at the Library of Congress). These minuets, many of which bear the names of Ladies, Lords, aristocrats, dignitaries, and other individuals, bear vivid musical traces of their original social settings.
1f. Oblong quarto (210 x 284 mm). Four measures in keyboard score from the duet between Lucia and Edgardo in Act I, Scene IV, set to the words "A' miei voti in vovo il cielo" (From all danger be guarded for ever). Notated in ink at the blank lower margin of an original accomplished drawing depicting a male and female figure in costume, presumably the characters Lucy and Edgardo in Donizetti's opera. Signed and dated by the artist in ink: "Clelia de Vera d'Aragona fece 14 Luglio 1838." In pen, watercolor, and brown wash with highlights in light gray gouache. Slightly worn; quite browned; offsetting from contact with another leaf of textual manuscript creating a slightly bleached appearance; small binding holes and fraying to left edge. Partial watermark, most probably of the English paper maker J. Whatman. Provenance Christie's Rome, 13 December 2001, Lot 337. Lucia di Lammermoor, with a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, was first performed in Naples at the Teatro San Carlo on 26 September 1835. "Lucia . very quickly became one of the most universally popular operas of the nineteenth century. . Donizetti himself, writing to Ricordi three days after the première, was in a rare state of excited exaltation: 'Lucia di Lammermoor went on . It pleased, and it pleased very much, if I am to believe in the applause and the compliments I received. I was called out many times, the singers even more often. . Its title role has been impersonated by almost every soprano since 1835 who has supposed herself (or has been supposed by others) to have sufficient agility and enough dependable very high tones; the role of Edgardo has been favored by most of the non-Wagnerian tenors . The opera's second-act sextet, 'Chi mi frena in tal momento,' achieved an almost unique universal familiarity . The 'Mad Scene' became the chosen proving ground and applause-gatherer for an apparently unending succession of prima donnas. . With Rossini operatically inactive and Bellini dead, Lucia di Lammermoor went far toward establishing Donizetti as the most eagerly sought-for of living Italian composers of opera - and therefore of all Italian composers - for the rest of his active life." Weinstock: Donizetti, pp. 110-111. The artist was presumably a member of the historic Italian family, De Vera d'Aragona of Naples. A unique and attractive document, despite defects as noted.
29 volumes. Large octavo. Original publisher's dark blue cloth with title panel and volume number in mid blue to spines. Includes appendixes and index. In fine condition throughout. The premiere encyclopedic work on music in all its aspects in the English language with contributions by the world's leading authorities in their respective fields. "Few writers about music would argue with Charles Rosen, himself one of the best, introducing his recent collection of essays, ''Critical Entertainments: Music Old and New'': ''Of all the arts that have developed something like a complex expressive language, music is one of the most difficult to write about.'' The second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, to be published by Grove's Dictionaries on Jan. 30, must therefore stand in its sheer bulk as a monument to the indomitable human spirit. The facts and figures are astounding: 29,500 articles, 6,000 contributors, 25 million words. For the print version, 29 volumes, 119 pounds, 5,000 illustrations, a purchase price of $4,850. And a complete version online, to be updated regularly. None of which might matter much without the expectation of quality raised by Grove dictionaries over more than a century, since George Grove first published his Dictionary of Music and Musicians in installments from 1878 to 1890, and in particular by The New Grove, edited by Stanley Sadie in 1980. At a mere 20 volumes, up 10 from the fifth and last edition of the old Grove (Eric Blom's in 1954), and thoroughly infused with modern scholarship, The New Grove was already overwhelming in its size and scope." James R. Oestreich review in the NY Times, January 21, 2001.
Four volumes. Folio. Quarter black calf with matching marbled blue paper boards. Music and text typeset throughout. Decorative woodcut device to titles. With pencilled signature of H. T. Ware to front pastedown of each volume. Violino primo: 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 1f. (dedication to His Grace Charles Duke of Somerset), 48 pp. Violino secundo: 1f. (trecto title, verso blank), 48 pp. Tennor[!]: 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 40 pp. Bassus: 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 40 pp. Bindings worn, rubbed and split at spines; heads and tails of spine chipped. Some signs of wear, soiling, and small tears; occasional pencil markings. Violino Primo with lower inner corner of first three leaves lacking, replaced with new paper with small area of missing text and music completed in manuscript; pp.37-40 misnumbered. Violino Secundo with 2" tear to lower portion of pp. 31/32 repaired. First Edition of this collection. Zimmerman catalogue 1697a. BUC p. 859. RISM P5977. Contains instrumental music from the semi-operas Dioclesian, King Arthur, The Indian Queen, and The Fairy Queen, and incidental music from the plays The Married Beau, The Old Bachelor, Amphitryon, The Double Dealer, Distressed Inocency of the Princess of Persia, The Gordian Knot Untyed, Abdelazor, Bonduca, and The Virtuous Wife. The Zimmerman catalogue lists 43 plays with incidental music and songs composed at least in part by Purcell, in addition to the five semi-operas and the opera Dido and Aeneas; of these, only seven had been published before Purcell's death in 1695. "It was no doubt Dryden's patronage that stimulated Purcell's work for the theatre in the last five years of his life. Not all his dramatic music can be dated exactly, but it is certain that the greater part of it was written between 1690 and 1695." TNG Vol. 15 p. 460. "The posthumous publication A Collection of Ayres, Compos'd for the Theatre, and upon Other Occasions (London, 1697) presents thirteen suites of instrumental movements from dramatic works in a form suitable for domestic use, with the overtures placed at the start (in the theatre the dances making up the introductory first and second music would have come first) and with wind parts omitted. The majority of the movements are in fact complete as they stand in four string parts, without continuo; there are no continuo parts, no figures in the bass, and little sign that the music was played with a chordal instrument, in the theatre at least." Peter Holman and Robert Thompson in Grove Music Online.
Quarto. Early carta rustica with contemporary manuscript titling to upper. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [1] (text "D'Incerto"), 2-[21], [i] (index) pp. With printer's device to title. Large decorative woodcut initials. Typeset music in diamond-head notation. Early ownership annotation to title. Partially split at spine. Some very minor browning and staining. Rare. RISM M3495 (4 copies of the basso part only, all in Italian libraries, suggesting that the present printing of 1622 was limited to the basso part only). "The seventh book of madrigals marks a watershed in Monteverdi's published output of secular music. Although he had included concertato settings in his fifth and sixth books, these were published alongside madrigals cast in the traditional a cappella mould, and all were for five voices. All the settings in the seventh book, on the other hand, require continuo accompaniment, and the majority are scored for the newly fashionable small vocal ensembles of two, three and four voices, or for solo voice. The collection itself is a large and heterogeneous one, including not only madrigals but also 'altri generi de canti', among them several strophic arias and at least one ballet. In view of this., the eye-catching title that Monteverdi chose - Concerto - may have been intended as a rather elegant pun, suggesting not only that all the settings required instrumental accompaniment but also that the volume brought together 'in concert' various different kinds of music." John Whenham in The New Monteverdi Companion edited by Denis Arnold and Nigel Fortune, p. 216.
Quarto. Bound in early vellum manuscript leaf, upper with manuscript note to lower margin in an early hand "Bassus Continus Claudio Monteverdi: 2 Theil Wolfgang Getzman." [i] (title), 30, [i] ("D'Incerto") pp., with contents to foot of final leaf of music. Woodcut printer's device to title; small decorative woodcut initial to first page of music and woodcut tailpiece. Typeset music in diamond-head notation. Early owner's manuscript annotation to title "Thomas Sellinsep possessor . - 6 Libros." Slightly worn, soiled, and browned; several old paper repairs; tear to portion of title with minor loss of music to first page. Rare. RISM M3492 (no holdings in U.S. libraries). Bound with: Concerto. Settimo Libro de Madrigali a 1. 2. 3. 4. & Sei voci, con altri generi de Canti . Dedicato Alla Serenissima Madama Caterina Medici Gonzaga Duchessa di Mantoua di Monferato etc. Basso Continuo [part only]. Stampa del Gardano. In Venetia, 1619. Appresso Bartholomeo Magni. 1f. (recto title, verso dedication), [1] ("D'Incerto"), 2-69, [i] (index) pp. Woodcut printer's device to title. Large decorative woodcut initial and small decorative woodcut device to dedication. Typeset music in diamond-head notation. Several early manuscript annotations and corrections; measure numbers added in very light pencil. Some minor browning and foxing; stamp to lower margin of title erased. First Edition. Rare. RISM M3494 (no holdings in either the U.S. or U.K. libraries and one complete copy only at the Biblioteca Musicale G. B. Martini in Bologna). Small blank label with decorative border printed in blue to upper margin of front pastedown. Binding worn and soiled; remnants of ties to both boards; spine reinforced with old blue paper; cracking to inner portion of front pastedown. The sixth book of madrigals was first published in Venice by Ricciardo Amadino in 1614; a corrected edition was issued by this same publisher in the following year. "Monteverdi's first publication after his appointment at Venice was the sixth book of madrigals SV107-16, which appeared in 1614; two of the pieces in this book survive also in earlier versions (Misero Alceo, dal caro albergo fore SV114a, with a simpler middle section for tenor; Presso a un fiume tranquillo SV116a, with alternative transitions between the sections. . The collection no doubt preserves a repertory written at the end of Monteverdi's Mantuan period: pride of place in it is given to the extended lament from Arianna, in a version (SV107) for five voices, and Monteverdi is known to have been working in 1610 on the other major work in this collection (also a lament) the sestina Lagrime d'amante al sepolcro dell'amata SV111. Besides these there are several settings of verse by Marino, such as Presso a un fiume tranquillo, structured in concertato fashion by setting closed sections in near-homophonic choral declamation (for the narration) against sections for solo voices or duets in which the pastoral characters speak in the first person; these may be the newest works in the volume, though, like the other works in the sixth book, none of them requires independent instrumental parts other than the continuo line . In 1619 the seventh book of madrigals SV117-45 was published, with the general title 'Concerto'; this volume significantly contains few monodies in the true sense (with the notable exception of the two 'love letters', both described as being in genere rapresentativo (in other words to be 'acted' as well as sung), Se i languidi miei sguardi and Se pur destina e vole). Monteverdi alluded to monody in his own ways, however: Con che soavità, labbra adorate, to a text by Guarini, for example, is an extensive solo for soprano alone accompanied by, and alternating with, three instrumental choruses of unparalleled sonorous splendour. But this piece bears out Tomlinson's point (D1987) that Marinist aesthetics still dominate in this volume: even when Monteverdi returns here to setting Guarini he is interested mainly in following moment-by-moment imagery rather than in constructing affective conclusions to madrigals, as he had in the Guarini settings in the fourth book of madrigals. This is less the case in Interrotte speranze, eterna fede, a setting of a sonnet (also by Guarini), another piece that (despite being a duet for two tenors) seems to be effectively an elaboration of a monody: the final sestet of the sonnet is given a musically expansive setting, with imitative polyphony, which well matches the acumen of the ending, particularly since the octave of the sonnet is set in a manner that is highly unified tonally and restrained from the mimetic point of view. Nevertheless, rather than monodies the volume overwhelmingly favours chamber duets, some requiring considerable virtuosity from the singers, and also larger works with contrasting successive sections for full ensemble (some also with instrumental groupings) and solos or duets. And the best known of the works in the seventh book are duets that combine clear tonal structure with the principle of continuous strophic variation, and it is their structure that makes them effective, whether in the repetitive bass pattern of the romanesca Ohimé, dov'è il mio ben, dov'è il mio core?, over which the two high voices weave expressive dissonances within tightly unified minor-mode tonality, or in the cheerful major-mode Chiome d'oro. The latter is equally unified tonally, being a canzonet to which a threefold ritornello is added (the three ritornellos themselves being interrelated), with each stanza a variation over the bass line; it was reworked with highly interesting further variations as a Vesper psalm, the first Beatus vir SV268, in the Selva morale e spirituale of 1641." Geoffrey Chew in Grove Music Online First and early editions of Monteverdi's works are rare to the market.
307 x 184 mm to plate mark, sheet size 370 x 247 mm. A strong impression on laid paper. A mythological scene depicting a group of women representing various forms of learning including music, theater, literature, and painting. The print incorporates a female lutenist holding an open book of music, horn and triangle players, and a central figure playing a lyre. From Giglio Gregorio Giraldi's Opera Omnia, Vol. I, p. 555. Margins slightly worn and soiled; lower blank right corner torn with minor loss. A strong impression on laid paper. Giglio Gregorio Giraldi (Lilius Gregorius Gyraldus or Giraldus), 1479-1552, was an Italian scholar and poet.
2 pp. of a bifolium (323 x 208 mm). Manuscript document dated 14 November 1836 on letterhead of the Societé Royale de la Grande Harmonie de Bruxelles with logo of a lyre within a laurel. Watermark of a knight and crowned lion with text "Pro Patria," countermark of papermaker "De Liagre & Cie." Slightly worn and browned; creased at folds, with short splits; two small holes and minor stain to blank pp. 3/4. Rossini was a member of the Societé Royale de la Grande Harmonie de Bruxelles, presenting concerts under its auspices. The present letter of recommendation was sent to Rossini to draw his attention to the artistry of an up-and-coming Belgian clarinet player, Arnold Joseph Blaes (1814-1892), 22 years old at the time. Blaes, the son of an amateur clarinettist, "was orphaned at ten. His guardian discouraged the child's passion for music and sent him out to work as a clerk at the Ministry of Finance when only 13. A few years later relatives overcame the guardian's scruples and the boy was allowed to buy a clarinet. While still earning his living, Blaes enrolled at the Brussels Conservatory as a pupil of Georges Chrétien Bachmann and won first prize in 1834. On his coming of age he rejected commerce for the life of a clarinettist. His career was brilliant, for besides great expressive ability he had a panache which enabled him to hold his own in partnership with performers such as Liszt and Rubinstein. Weber's Grand Duo Concertant (J204) was his favourite showpiece, but he was assiduous in performing new works by his compatriots. He had a delicate, impressive style of playing and was particularly noted for his pianissimo. Blaes went to Paris in 1839 and 1846, and the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire struck a medal in his honour on the first visit. He also visited London in 1841 and 1845. His greatest successes were in Russia in 1842 and 1847; on the first visit he was made director of the Imperial Guard music and remained in the country two years. Many of his appearances as soloist in St Petersburg and Moscow were shared by the soprano Elisa Meerti, whom he married in 1843. . The Brussels Conservatory awarded Blaes an honorary post in 1837 and in 1844 he was appointed to the professorship there. . Blaes wrote a Méthode, which was successful only in his own country. He used 14-key clarinets, with Janssen-type rollers made by Bachmann; one was of boxwood, the other ebony. His autobiography is interesting and animatedly written." Pamela Weston in Grove Music Online.
Quarto (193 x 270 mm). 4 pp. of a bifolium. In black ink. Watermark of two keys arranged in a cross below parasol and text "ROMA 1823." Manuscript document in several hands certifying the details of Rossini's birth, secured by the composer in application for a pension from the French government. In Italian, Latin, and French, with various official handstamps from relevant governmental authorities in Pesaro and the French embassy in Rome. Slightly worn; creased at folds; some showthrough. Page 1 Stating Rossini's parents' names and date of his baptism, 17 February, 1792. Dated 21 April 1836. Text in Italian and Latin in several hands. With four distinct handstamps from the city of Pesaro, with text "Bat 10," "Sign. Paroc. Ecl. Cat. Pisau. S. T. N. P.," "Curia Vescovile di Pesaro," and "Comunità di Pesaro.". Page 2 Annotation in Italian to upper portion of document "Legazione Aplica d'Urbino" dated 21 April 1836, and signed by the legate, "J Card. Riario Sforza," certifying the signature of Signor Conte Gordiano, appearing on the recto. Two annotations in French, in separate hands, the first certifying Sforza's signature, and the second affirming that the document had been viewed by the secretary of the embassy. Handstamps with text reading "[?]Apos[toli]ca d'Urbino e Pesaro" and "D De Sanctis Notaire Royale de l'Ambassade de France a Rome." Page 3 blank Page 4 Annotation in French "né à paris (etats de l'Eglise) baptisé le 29 fevrier 1792." In 1836, Rossini, then living in Paris, requested his birth certificate be sent by the local authorities of Pesaro, his birthplace, to the French Embassy in Rome, from where it was to be sent to Paris. This documentation was required in order for Rossini to receive a pension from the French government for his work at the Théâtre Italien and Académie Royale de Musique between the years 1824-1829, a period that culminated in his celebrated opera Guillaume Tell. The history of the present document can be traced in the extant correspondence between Rossini and his family. Rossini wrote to his father Giuseppe twice, on 9 and 20 April, 1836 (360409/360420, I-Nragni) requesting that his father procure the document in question from the authorities, emphasizing that he would be unable to leave Paris until he received the document. While Rossini's second letter to his father was en route from Paris to Bologna, the authorities issued this certification from Pesaro. On 29 April 1836, Giuseppe wrote to his brother-in-law Francesco Maris Guidarini (360429, I-PESr) that the Pesaro document had been certified and that an associate of the composer, Severini, had just arrived in Bologna to pick up the document. On 11 May 1836, Rossini wrote to his father to report that he was finally in possession of this important document, thanking him for his efforts (360511, I-Nragni). "By 1 August 1824 Rossini was in Paris. His contract with the French government had been signed in London on 27 February, at the home of the French ambassador. In it he agreed to remain in France for a year, writing new operas for the Théâtre Italien and the Opéra, as well as producing his older operas. The first work to be produced under his direction in Paris was La donna del lago at the Théâtre Italien on 7 September 1824. It achieved a great success . Shortly thereafter Rossini returned to Bologna for a visit home, perhaps with the aim of finding singers for the Théâtre Italien. By the beginning of November Rossini and Isabella had returned to Paris, where they were to live together for almost five years. . Although as early as 12 November 1824 the administration of the Opéra had offered Rossini a libretto in French by Jouy, Le vieux de la montagne, for the composer's consideration, Rossini moved slowly. He first concentrated his attention on the Théâtre Italien, where he became directeur de la musique et de la scène according to a new contract signed on 25 November. As director of the theatre, Rossini introduced to Paris the finest Italian singers in first-rate performances of his most advanced Neapolitan operas, including Zelmira (14 March 1826) and Semiramide (8 December 1825), supervising the productions and often making significant revisions. . Rossini's goal, however, was to compose operas in French for the Académie Royale de Musique. Having to learn French and master the intricacies of its declamation, Rossini approached his new task gingerly. He reserved two Neapolitan works for adaptation to the French stage, withholding them from production at the Théâtre Italien during his tenure. Thus Maometto II became Le siège de Corinthe on 9 October 1826 and Mosè in Egitto, on 26 March 1827, became Moïse. The success of Le siège de Corinthe was such that by 17 October 1826 the Vicomte de La Rochefoucauld, who was in charge of the Royal Theatres, suggested to the king that Rossini be relieved of most of his formal duties at the Théâtre Italien, permitting him to devote his energy to composition for the Opéra." Philip Gossett in Grove Music Online An interesting document relating to the composer's period of employment in France, of scholarly importance to Rossini studies.
Oblong quarto (222 x 267 mm). 1f. (recto manuscript music, verso blank). Notated in ink on 12-stave rastrum-ruled 19th century French laid paper. In black ink and pencil in multiple hands. Contains two groups of small cadenza passages, numbered 1-6 and 1-2, from Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." The first group, 1-6, is labeled "Aria" and consists of ornamentation on the words "einepianse,epiangeancor," "troverainelmiosignor" (Act I Scene 3), and "mille morti apporterà" (Act I Scene 1, Romeo). The second group of ornaments, labeled "Duetto," decorates passages from Act I, Scene 2, on the words "ben che il cor desia" and "amor terrà" (Romeo, Giulietta). With a cadenza fragment (untexted, approximately one bar) notated in pencil following the two groups of passages. With annotations in a separate hand, "Passi de capuletti" above uppermost line, and the incorrect assertion under the lowermost line that the manuscript is "autographe de Rossini. Pièce inédite de lui et de sa main." Creased at folds; a few small stains. Cut from a larger sheet. Together with: A bust-length lithographic portrait of Rossini by L. Ghémar 1841 printed by Degobert and published by Chs. Hen. in Bruxelles and related 20th century autograph letters from two French booksellers, Librairie Pierre Cornuau dated Paris, 9 April 1948, and Marc Loliée. "Although the cadenza passages are not autograph, it is conceivable that Rossini may have had a hand in their conception: in 1833, I Capuleti e i Montecchi was presented at the Théâtre Italien in Paris, with Rossini serving as artistic consultant for the production, under the direction of Carlo Severini and Edouard Robert. The roles of Romeo and Giulietta were played by the sisters Giuditta and Giulia, respectively; over the course of his career, Rossini provided ornaments for numerous vocalists, including Giuditta Grisi in her role as Romeo. Gossett, "Divas and Scholars," p. 572. Examples of Rossini's autograph cadenza ornamentation may be viewed at Morgan Library's Music Manuscripts Online. Original operatic ornamentation, likely composed for the Grisi sisters in their roles as Romeo and Giulietta during the 1833 season at the Théâtre Italien, Paris. These ornaments have not been located in any other source. They make use of devices including ascending and descending chromatic scales, arpeggiation, dotted rhythms, and syncopated groupings of rapid passagework. A vivid snapshot of 1830s Parisian musical life, documenting an improvisatory style popular in opera houses of the time.
