Handwritten Sheet Music Album
Germany: Unknown, 19th century. Handwritten copy of early music with titles written principally in German, though using Italian musical terminology throughout (e.g., Overtura, Moderato, Allegretto grasioso, etc.), Cloth and boards. Small oblong 4to (13 1/2" x 10"), with a thin (1" each side; 1/2" wide at the spine) leather calf backstrip and brown [marbled?] paper-covered boards, thick brown paper with 64 carefully handwritten sheets of copied out classical music ascribed by the author to composers W[olfgang] A[madeus] Mozart (1756-1791), [Antonio] Salieri (1750-1825), [Daniel François] Auber (1782-1871), J[ohann Baptist] Vanhall (1739-1813), C[arl].M[aria]. Weber (1786-1826), [Michele Enrico] Caraffa (1787-1872), [Francois-Adrian] Boieldieu (1775-1834) [aka "the French Mozart"], and J[ohann]. C[hristian Heinrich]. Remde (German composer b.1790); [ii blank endpapers] + [iblank] boldly written in a large neat copperplate hand using black ink and filled with bars of music--typically 5 bars of treble/base lines per page-- on 65 pages / 33 oblong leaves + [ii blank endpapers.]. Very Good / None. Item #1870
We offer an appealing 19th century handwritten copybook of classical music containing short pieces composed mainly by important--often German--composers of the Enlightenment. It seems to have been written for performance of favorite pieces on a piano or similar instrument. The repeated use of "von" strongly suggests a German wrote the collection.
It contains 32 pages of music assigned by the transcriber to Mozart; 3 pages to his rival Salieri; and 12 pages to F-A. Boieldieu, sometimes called "the French Mozart." Other prominent composers include Auber and C.M. Weber. Less well known figures are Caraffa, and--especially--J.C. Remde.
We have only been able to tentatively identify the latter as Johann Christian Heinrich Remde (b.1790, without any death date). Assuming we have made the correct identification, the inclusion of 12 pages of music by this little known German composer, may provide a useful clue abouts the musical circle and training of the composition-book's author.
We have made no effort to correlate the compositions as assigned by the writer of this volume to other published work by said composers. Thus, when the writer captions a passage of copied music as by "Mozart," we have not double-checked that transcription with contemporary definitive publications of said composer's work.
Transcription of Titles & most Italian tempos: "Overtura Aus der Oper Palmira von Salieri (3 pages); Moderato Napoleons Virönungs Marsch (2 pages); Allegretto grasioso. Favorit Bolero von Caraffa (2 pages); Favorit = Walzer aus der Oper Der Mauren von Auber (1 page); Modera[t]o / Cadenza / Sonata von J. Vanhall Marcia / temp maestoso / Volti Rondino .. Rondino. Allegretto. (2 pages); Walzer C.M. Weber [from his opera Oberon?] (3 bars on 1 page & Galonnade (2 more bars to fill this same page) / Geschwind = Walzer (2 bars on one page) & Cotillon von Melodien aus Oberon .. zusammengestellt. (3 1/5/1 bar pages) (3); Moderato. Ouverture, aus der Oper. Die weisse Frau. Boieldieu (12 pages); Rondo Peso von J. C. Remde / Volti (5 pages); Ouverture aus dem Titus von W. A. Mozart (6 pages); Andante. Ouverture aus der Oper. Cosi Fan Tutte v. Mozart. (7 pages); Favorit Walzer Lott ist todt. & Lotte lebt. (2 pages); Walzer (1 page); Walzer (1 page); Allegro Spirituoso. Mozart (3 pages), Allegro v. Mozart (5 pages); Andantino con Variationi v. Mozart / Andantino (5 pages), Polonaise. Volti fabito / Walzer (2 pages).
Calf backstrip rusted and partially detached from the text block; boards scuffed and rubbed. Pages are thick, probably with a high linen content, ink is clear and very readable; slight foxing and occasional darker smudges.
Price: $495.00