[Rarebooks] fa: UNIQUE BOUND COLLECTION of SONGS, GLEES, AIRS, CANZONETTAS, OPERAS 1795-1820

Thu Mar 27 10:00:32 EDT 2014

Listed now, auction ending Sunday, March 30. More details and images can be found at the URL below or by searching under the seller name arch_in_la.

http://tinyurl.com/kqrbxkk

Thanks for looking,
Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A.

A unique, privately-bound collection of mostly early nineteenth-century engraved music, ca. 25 complete works in all, including pieces by major composers (Haydn, Mozart, Handel), minor composers (Gelinek, Stephen Storace, Mazzinghi), popular songs and glees, Scotch and Irish songs, airs, overtures, and some "Musical Compositions Exposing Various Motions of the Sea" by a Signor Sampieri, charmingly illustrated with engravings. A delightful and unique glimpse at late-Georgian and Regency musical tastes.

Folio (35 cm; 13.75 in.) bound in half calf and boards; front free endpaper watermarked 1819 and bearing the signature of Sophy Holliday, presumably the original compiler. Wear and rubbing to the binding, front joint cracked but the board is secured by the cords; long tear to one leaf of the first work with early paper repair, one or two other short edge-tears; leaves with offsetting, intermittent browning, and some foxing (mostly relegated to the margins); occasional touches of soiling; a few unobtrusive early ink signatures and notations; otherwise generally clean and sound, firmly bound.

The collection comprises (in the order in which they've been bound in):
	- Sir Henry Rowley Bishop: The Overture, Chorusses, and the Whole of the Music as Performed at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, to The Slave, an Opera in Three Acts. Composed… and, by Permission, most respectfully Dedicated to His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, by Henry R. Bishop,… the Poetry by T. Morton, Esq. London: Goulding, D'Almaine, Potter & Co. [c. 1816] (the paper is watermarked 1812, the opera debuted in 1816). Engraved title and dedication leaves + 95 pp. Includes a song, "Wellington!!", celebrating the victory at Waterloo the year before ("Deeds of the brave! inspire a noble strain; / I draw my Theme from Belgia's fertile plain…"). Henry Bishop (1786-1855), principle composer at Covent Garden and subsequently at Drury Lane, was, according to the DNB, the first English musician to be knighted. He is perhaps best known today for the melody of "Home Sweet Home" ("Be it ever so humble…") from the opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan (1823).
	- Joseph Mazzinghi: The Wreath, a Pastoral Glee, for Three Voices. London: Goulding, D'Almaine, Potter & Co., [n.d.]. Mazzinghi (1765–1844), a London-born composer, "published between seventy and eighty pianoforte sonatas; upwards of two hundred airs, &c., for pianoforte, and as many for harp and other instruments; thirty-five or more vocal trios, of which ‘The Wreath’ is still remembered; and a number of songs" (DNB).
	- R. J. S. Stevens: Bragela : The Poetry of Ossian. Trio for two Sopranos and a Bass, with an Accompaniment for Two performers on One Piano Forte. London: Printed & sold for the author by [Thomas] Preston, [c.  1815-20]. With an ink signature, possibly the composer's, at the foot of the first page.
	- Richard Wainwright: Life's a Bumper, a Favorite Glee. [London:] Printed by G. Brown, Music Seller [n.d.]. Wainwright (1757-1825), a Manchester church organist, "published a collection of hymns as well as several songs, the most popular of which was 'Life's a bumper'" (Grove).
	- John Wall Callcott: Peace to the Souls of the Heroes, a Celebrated Glee. Composed for Three Voices, by Dr. Callcott. London: Printed for G. Walker at his Music Warehouse [n.d.].
	- John Braham: Forget Me Not, Favorite Song, Sung by Mr. Braham in the Comic Opera called Narensky, or The Road to Yaroslaf, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. London: Printed by Goulding & Co., [c. 1820].
	- John Carter: O Nanny wilt thou gang with me, A Favorite Song, Composed by Mr. J. Carter. London: Printed by Newland & Johnston [c. 1820]. Apparently, the authorship of this popular Scotch song was a source of some controversy, as it was still being debated in the September, 1847, issue of The Gentleman's Magazine: "If your readers are not already quite tired of the subject of 'Oh, Nanny, wilt thou gang with me?' the following anecdote of Carter, the reputed composer of the music to it,… may not be uninteresting to them…"
	- [Turlough O'Carolan:] Fly Not Yet, or Planxty Kelly, a Celebrated Irish Melody. With an Accompaniment for the Piano Forte. [n.p.: n.p., n.d., but c. 1815?].
	- Nobody coming to Marry me, a Favorite Air Sung by Mrs. Jordan, with unbounded Applause at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Arranged by… T. Cooke. London: Printed for Halliday and Co., [n.d.].
	- Drink to Me Only : A Favorite Song and Glee. London: Printed and Sold at Major's Music Warehouse [c. 1810].
	- Stephen Storace: The Lullaby, a favorite Song sung by Sig[no]ra Storace in The Pirates. [n.p.: n.p., n.d., but c. 1795?]. Stephen Storace (1762-1796) was an English-born composer who gained early employment in Vienna, where he made the acquaintance of Mozart, and possibly even collaborated with him (i.e. "Cantata per la ricuperata di Ophelia"). His sister Nancy, a celebrated opera singer, sang the role of Susanna in the premiere of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (1786). This lullaby, sung by Nancy Storace, was composed by Stephen for his opera The Pirates, which premiered in 1792.
	- Harriet Abrams: Crazy Jane, Composed by Miss Abrams. [n.p.: n.p., n.d.] Abrams (c. 1758-1821), a soprano celebrated for her performances of the works of Handel, was also a composer of songs, "Crazy Jane" being among the most popular.
	- Thomas Moore: Mary I believ'd thee true, Written by Thos. Moore Esqr. With an Accompaniment for the Piano Forte or Harp, Composed by Sir J. [John] A. Stevenson.
	- London: Engraved & Published by R. Major at his Music Warehouse, [c. 1815].
	- Joseph Haydn: Doctor Haydn's Six Original Canzonetta, for the Voice… Dedicated to Mrs. John Hunter. London: Printed by Pearce & Co., [n.d.] Not in OCLC. Only two of the canzonettas are present here, each with its own title-page: The Mermaids Song and My Mother bids me.
	- George Frideric Handel: Overture. In the Occasional Oratorio. Composed by Mr. Handel. London: Printed for T: Gladman, [c. 1800].
	- George Frideric Handel: But thou didst not leave. in the Messiah [AND] He was Despised, in the Messiah [AND] Comfort ye my People, & Every Valley, Sung by Mr. Braham in the Messiah [AND] Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre, Composed by G. F. Handel. [n.p.: n.p., n.d.] [AND] Angels Ever Bright & Fair. Composed by Mr. Handel. London: Printed & Sold by W. Boag at his Music Shop [bet. 1805-1815]. Five separate pieces, the first four probably from the same publisher.
	- Adeste Fidelis, the Favorite Portugueze Hymn on the Nativity. For the Piano Forte, likewise arranged as a Duet for the German Flute. [London:] Printed & Sold by Robinson & Son, [n.d.].
	- Joseph Mazzinghi: Six Hymns for One, Two or Three Voices with an Accompaniment for the Piano Forte. London: Printed by Goulding, Phipps, D'Almaine & Co., [ca. 1805]. 21 pp.
	- [Nicola?] Sampieri: A Grand Series of Musical Compositions Exposing Various Motions of the Sea, Illustrated by Descriptive Engravings. Composed by Sgr. Sampieri… 1st.— A Promenade to the Shore… 2nd.— A Perfect Calm…in the Harbour. 3rd.— The Vessel… with a Fresh Breeze. 4th.— A Violent Storm, the Sea tossed immensely High, the Guns firing as a signal of Distress, the Vessel nearly lost, [etc.]… London: Engraved by S. Tilley, [c. 1810]. 8 pp.; with four engraved vignettes. An uncommon work (OCLC locates only one copy, at the British Library) by an "obscure but original-minded composer of this time (though perhaps a Prince)… He appears to have been a pianoforte teacher who sought to make his compositions interesting to his pupils by means of programmes, and even by illustrations placed among the notes" (Grove). Charmingly illustrated, and the lively evocation of a storm makes one a little seasick just looking at it.
	- [Handel:] Ov[er]ture in Saul and Dead March. London: Printed for G. Walker, [n.d.].
	- Joseph Gelinek: Air with Variations for the Piano Forte [Tyrolese Air], Composed by l'Abbé Gelinek. London: Published by J. Power, [c. 1815]. Engraved title-page + 10 pp. Gelinek (1758-1825) was a Czech composer and music master in the service of Prince Esterhazy. His piano technique was much admired by Mozart. In 1792, Gelinek made the acquaintance of the young Beethoven, whom he described as displaying "an extraordinary virtuosity on the pianoforte, such, indeed, as he had not observed since Mozart." Gelinek was instrumental in introducing the young composer to the teacher Johann Baptist Schenk.
	- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Overture, for the Opera, Don Giovanni [adapted for the piano forte]. London: Printed by G. Walker, [c. 1818]. Engraved title-page, 9 pp.