Search Results: Music from Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts, ABAA

Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1947. Hardcover. 8vo. Blue cloth, dust jacket. 281pp. Illustrations. Very good/very good. Some jacket edgewear, with chip at head of jacket spine. Tight, clean first edition of this account of Italian actress Eleanora Dusa and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio -- with choice autograph addition: Tipped to front flyleaf is an Autograph Note Signed from Harding, 1p (lettersheet), 5½" X 8½", n.p., 8 November 1940. Addressed to future noted Lincoln and Civil War scholar Arnold F. Gates (1914-93). Near fine. In brilliant blue fountain pen, Harding thanks an admirer for birthday wishes: "My usual cordial thanks for your customary gallant words, as well as the thoughtfully enclosed clipping," signing off boldly. Harding (1902-71) was a Bavarian-born American Biographer who penned popular biographies of Emperor Maximilian, Richard Wagner, Clara Schuman and others.

New York: Dover Publications, 1962. Paperback. 8vo. Stiff green glazed pictorial wrappers. 147pp, (7pp ads). Illustrations. Near fine. A tight and handsome first of this edition, part of this publisher's "Dover Opera Guide and Libretto Series." From the collection of conductor and musicologist Paul Clinton Echols (1944-94), with his ownership signature "Echols" in black ballpoint on the front flyleaf. An outstanding copy.

London: Proteus, 1980. Hardcover. Small 4to. Green paper over boards, dust jacket. 197pp. Illustrations, pictorial endpapers. Very good/very good. Slightest bit of jacket wear. A tight and nice first edition of this biography of the English countertenor (1912-79) who specialized in old English music. From the collection of conductor and musicologist Paul Clinton Echols (1944-94).

Bloomington: The Lilly Library, 1968. Paperback. 4to. Stiff brown pictorial wrappers. (Ca. 50pp). Numerous illustrations. Near fine. Tight and sharp first edition of this exhibition catalogue, a useful pictorial survey of important patriotic tunes from the late 18th century through the Civil War.

New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, n.y.. Hardcover. Small 4to. Red cloth with gilt spine lettering. xxiii, 495pp. Very good. Faint edgewear, with spine lightly sunned. A tight and nice later printing of this famed 1927 folk music anthology.

[New York]: New York University Press, 1957. Hardcover. Small 4to. Grey cloth, pictorial dust jacket. 439pp. Frontispiece. Very good/very good. Slight bit of mild edgewear, with very slightly sunned spine -- but overall a tight and nice first edition of this (to cite front jacket panel) "Portrait of a great American, John Howard Payne -- poet, actor, playwright, diplomat, humanitarian..." Mild ex-library, with almost no and mostly-removed markings.

Hatboro, PA: Tradition Press, 1967. Hardcover. Foreword by Leslie Shepard. Small 4to. Red cloth. xv, 324pp. Very good. Almost, but not quite, rates a "Near fine," for it's a tight, clean and lovely copy. First of this facsimile reprint of the classic and now quite scarce 1924 University of North Carolina Press first edition. An indispensable reference to scholars of English music. From the collection of musicologist and conductor/director Paul Clinton Echols (1944-94).

Statesville, NC: Antique Phonograph Company Gen'l, 1978. Paperback. 4to. Stiff pictorial wrappers. 16pp. Illustrations. Very good. Modest but handsome catalogue of grammophones, music boxes, juke boxes, etc.

Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999. Paperback. Small 4to. Glossy wrappers. xv, 806pp. Figures, tables. Near fine. Tight, near pristine copy of this American Council of Learned Societies production.

Wildly popular, pioneering early children's program (1947-1960) that established the genre and became a cultural phenomenon: Kean wrote more than 2,000 episodes and invented the show's many colorful characters (1947-55), coming up also with its famed "Cowabunga!" tagline, its theme song and every other song sung on the show (97 of them), while Smith was its long-time beloved host. Archive of letters and documents relating to copyright infringement issues as pursued by the "Howdy Doody" chief writer and its host in the 1990s and '00s. This fascinating and complex archive contains many hundreds of items -- dozens of original letters ranging from lengthy and meaty legal topics to personal matters to brief notes transmitting newspaper articles and countless photocopied book and other excerpts containing "Howdy Doody" content, the majority with handwritten addenda from Kean.Only a few letters and an inscribed 8" X 10" photograph hail from "Buffalo Bob" Smith, who died shortly after he and Kean retained a… Read More

New York: Dover Publications, 1965. Hardcover. Complete 2-volume set. Burgundy cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial price-clipped dust jackets. 600pp, 758pp. Frontispieces, numerous line drawings. Near fine/very good. Jackets edgeworn, with a few small edge chips. A tight and quite attractive facsimile reprint of the classic 1905 Dodd, Mead first edition. A superb set of the classic, exhaustive text.

Boston: Oliver Ditson Company, 1930. Hardcover. 8vo. Burgundy cloth. xi, 279pp. Errata slip tipped to half-title page. Illustrations, musical notations. Very good. Slightest bit of mild edgewear; couple of upper page corners of this rather acidic-papered text chipped. Tight, nice first edition with nice associations: Front pastedown bears the custom music-theme bookplate of HOLLIS DANN (1861-1938), the distinguished head of Cornell University's music department, director of music education at New York University (who later named a school of music after him), chief of music education for the state of Pennsylvania, compiler of choral collections and prolific author of renowned music instruction texts. In addition, this copy came from the library of musicologist and conductor/director Paul Clinton Echols (1944-94).

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth, pictorial dust jacket. xvii, 174pp. Illustrations, pictorial endpapers. Very good/very good. Tight, decent first edition -- mild ex-library, with very few markings.

This legendary R & B tenor hit the charts in the mid-50s with the Drifters and such hits as "Money Honey," "Such a Night" and "Honey Love" before going solo. Two items: First, an AQS, 1p, irregularly-trimmed (roughly rectangular) 8" X 4½", n.p., n.d. [January 1958]. Very good. Yellowed tape stain at each corner and two more small tape stains along right edge, touching slightly upon a couple of words. Curious free verse poem or song lyrics -- whether to one of McPhatter's published songs is uncertain. "I want to walk in the shadow of your arms," it begins. "I want to live by the touch of your lips. I want to be in the River with you, while the sea's calm, I want to live and love I don't want to miss. I want to live with a love that's divine, I want to be with you and give you all my love. I want to say that you are mine. I want to ask faith from the one above." Boldly signed at the conclusion. An unheard-of McPhatter rarity, quite intriguing and exceedingly scarce -- and worthy of further research.… Read More

Italian composer whose ten verismo style operas include "Andrea Chenier" (1896), "Fedora" (1898) and "Siberia" (1903). Brief ALS "Umberto" in Italian), 1p, 5" X 6½", n.p., n.y. Addressed to "Alberti." Very good. Minor edgewear. On black-bordered mourning stationery. Not translated, but notes receipt of a telegram and, based on the exclamation and question marks, would appear to be lively and animated content. Accompanied by a very good 3½" X 5½" postcard photograph, a head-and-shoulders portrait of Giordano in later years.

This Brahms champion was an Austrian conductor; in the U.S., he led the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony. AMuQS, 1p, heavy stock 3½" X 2½" card, New York, 1898. Very good. Mild age toning; faint mounting trace at corners. Paul pens one measure of music large and bold in brown ink, adding "Allegro Beeth." above and "To Miss Neumann / New York EPaur / 98" below.

Noted French classical pianist who collaborated with Maurice Ravel and toured extensively. ALS in French, 1p, 7¼" X 10½", San Francisco, CA, 1944 May 13. Addressed to Irving Schwerke (1893-1975), American pianist and music critic. Fine. On letterhead of "The Clift" hotel, Casadesus chats with a friend. In part: "Your letter followed me all the way to California. I accept with great pleasure your charming invitation.... I play April 18 in Omaha (Nebraska) and I don't know yet when I will get to Appleton. Probably the 20th, day of the concert...." With original matching envelope, addressed in Casadesus's hand. A superb vintage example.

The Singing Lion," famous Italian operatic baritone remembered for his Verdi roles and considered by some the greatest baritone of the 20th century. ALS in Italian, 4pp, 4½" X 7", London, England, 1902 June 17. Addressed to Mr. Fano (probably Guido Fano, 1875-1961, Italian composer and writer on music). Very good. Not translated, but clearly music-related in content, with music references throughout. Ruffo is very scarce in good music content full letters and this is a choice example, penned large and bold.

French composer and conductor. ALS in French, 1p, 4½" X 6¼", Paris, France, 1922 February 24. Addressed to "Mon cher Franz." Near fine. Nice music content: "You must direct the Colonne concert from the 19th of March and give the first scene of the third act of Parsifal. Can I count on your cooperation? Delmas has accepted singing Gurnemary. Naturally, he read it without understanding it. I am waiting for a good yes..." Most attractive.

This major Norwegian soprano debuted in 1907 at the National Theatre, but it was at La Scala in 1924 under Toscanini that her career took off, making her a favorite at the Paris Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. ANS, 2pp, heavy stock 5½" X 3 3/4", Paris, France, 1929 December 13. Addressed to "My dear" (American expatriate pianist and music critic Irving Schwerke, 1893-1975). Fine. On her embossed "Plaza Athenee" correspondence card, the diva tells Schwerke that "I hope you are able to hear us all on sunday Brownlee, Sullivan, B[?] -- and I -- Must see you one day soon -- Brussel was a great triumph...." Signed simply "Norena." A handsome example from the height of her fame.