Music

Contact Alex Day or Donovan Rees

We stock a range of antiquarian music, books on music, manuscripts and autographs, with an emphasis on early printed editions and manuscript scores of important composers.

Recent catalogues have included one of a very few surviving lifetime manuscripts of Scarlatti's harpsichord sonatas; a remarkable collection of vocal and instrumental music from the library of the duchesse de Berry; and inscribed first editions of works by Berg, Janacek, Poulenc, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schumann, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Vaughan Williams.
  1. MOZART, et al.

    A volume of twelve piano duets adapted...

    London, mostly Birchall & Co., 1810s–1820s.

    A good collection of late Georgian piano...

    £350

  2. NAPIER, William, publisher and music-seller

    Three part-books of trios (complete) and...

    Mostly London, 1769–1775. 

    An impressive collection of string trios...

    £1250

  3. [PALACE THEATRE, SCUNTHORPE.]

    ‘Benefit to A. E. Dobney, Thursday,...

    [Scunthorpe, 1914.]

    A rare broadside programme for a benefit...

    £185

  4. PLAYFORD, John.

    Psalms & Hymns in solemn Musick of foure...

    London, Printed by W. Godbid for J. Playford,...

    First edition of the first harmonised Psalter...

    £1850

  5. [PLAYING CARDS.]

    Cartes Magiques Musicales. 1001 Danses...

    Paris, Bass, c. 1830.

    The complete Piquet deck of these rare...

    £3000

  6. [POETRY.]

    ‘Récueil de differentes pieces de vers,...

    [Belgium, 1777 and later].

    An interesting commonplace of verses, songs,...

    £750

  7. [PREDIERI, Luca Antonio, composer; Apostolo ZENO, librettist.]

    La tirannide vendicata, drama per musica,...

    Pesaro, Gavelli, 1726.

    First edition, very rare, of the libretto...

    £1250

  8. [PRELLEUR, Peter.]

    The Compleat Tutor for the Harpsichord...

    London, Peter Thompson, musical instrument...

    First edition thus?, an abridgment of part...

    £1250

  9. RECUEIL DE QUADRILLES

    pour le Piano.

    [France, 1840s?]

    A delightful album, evidently produced...

    £850

  10. RINUCCINI, Ottavio.

    La Dafne, nuovamente stampata in occasione...

    Florence, Borgognissanti, 1810.

    Scarce edition of Rinuccini’s Dafne,...

    £650

  11. [RINUCCINI, Ottavio, librettist.]

    [Drophead title: Maschere di bergiere].

    [(Colophon:) Florence, Giorgio Marescotti,...

    Extremely rare first edition of Rinuccini’s...

    £8000

  12. [ROUSSEAU, Pierre.] 

    Considérations sur le théatre de l’opéra. ...

    [Paris,] de l’imprimerie de Rignoux, [1822].

    Very rare proposal for a new opera house...

    £475

  13. SACCHI, Giovenale. 

    Del numero e delle misure delle corde musiche...

    Milan, [Giuseppe Mazzucchelli (colophon),]...

    First edition of Sacchi’s first work:...

    £850

  14. [SAINT-LAMBERT, Monsieur de.]

    ‘Les principes du clavecin contenant...

    Namur, 1743–4.

    Manuscript copy of Saint-Lambert’s celebrated...

    £6750

  15. [SCHOLZE, Johann Sigismund.]

    Sperontes singende Muse an der Pleisse...

    Leipzig, auf kosten der lüstigen Gesellschaft...

    Second edition of the first part, first...

    £4500

  16. SCHUBERT, Franz, composer

    A fine contemporary volume of ten works...

    Vienna, 1821-1833. 

    A rare collection of Schubert Lieder...

    £7500

  17. SPRÜNGLI, Johann Jacob, editor. 

    Männergesänge von Freunden der Tonkunst...

    Zürich, gedruckt bei J. J. Ulrich, im...

    First edition, the partbook issue.  The...

    £950

  18. TANS’UR, William.

    The Royal Psalmodist compleat: or, the...

    [St Neots?,] Printed by the Author, 1750.

    Unrecorded edition of Tans’ur’s Royal...

    £850

  19. TOLSTOY, Lev Nikolaevich.

    Живой Трупъ. Драма въ...

    Moscow, A. Ia. Petrov, [1911].

    One of the earliest printings of Tolstoy’s...

    £1750

  20. VERHEYEN, Pierre Emmanuel.

    Requiem mass in C minor.

    [Flanders, c. 1810.]

    A very grand unpublished Requiem mass in...

    £4750