Books on Music
- Page 6 -- Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da (1525-1594) Iconografia Palestriniana Bianchi, Lino and Rostirolla, Giancarlo. Libreria Musicale Italiana Editrice: Lucca, 1994. Small Folio. 375 pp. Green linen with d/j. As new.BKS-10784 $85InquireA superb and definitive work, extensively illustrated with several plates in color. Includes portraits, scores, letters and commentary.
- Panum, Hortense The Stringed Instruments of the Middle Ages: Their History and Development Revised and edited by Jeffrey Pulver. Reeves: London, nd. English edition. Quarto. 511 pp. 48-page catalogue: Reeves' Catalogue of Books on Music, Catalogue B. 403 illustrations. Music examples. Cloth with d/j. Fine (tear in d/j). BKS-05180 $50Inquire
- Peterlongo, Paolo Strumenti ad Arco: Principï fisici del loro funzionamento / Les Instruments à Archet: Principes physiques de leur fonctionnement Edizioni Siei: Milan, 1973. Quarto. 268 pp. 12 color plates. Some illustrations, mainly diagrams. Cloth with gold-stamping. As new. BKS-05183 $150Inquire
- Peterlongo, Paolo The Violin: Its Physical and Acoustical Principles Taplinger: New York, 1979. Quarto. 158 pp. 14 color plates. Cloth with d/j. As new. BKS-07965 $100Inquire
- Petherick, Horace Antonio Stradivari "The Strad" Office: London, 1913. Second edition. ('The Strad' Library, no. viii). Small octavo. 82 pp. Frontispiece portrait of the author. 4 plates + 7 diagrams. Spine ends slightly bumped, otherwise fine. BKS-07496 $35Inquire
- Petherick, Horace Antonio Stradivari "The Strad" Office: London, 1900. first edition ('The Strad' Library, no. viii). Small octavo. 82 pp. Frontispiece portrait of the author. 4 plates + 7 diagrams. Cloth with gold-stamping. Spine tips a little ragged, slight shelf wear; otherwise fine. BKS-09544 $35Inquire
- Petherick, Horace Antonio Stradivari "The Strad" Office: London, 1900. first edition ('The Strad' Library, no. viii). Small octavo. 82 pp. Frontispiece portrait of the author. 4 plates + 7 diagrams. Cloth with gold-stamping. Fine. BKS-05184 $35Inquire
- PIANO TUNERS HANDBOOK Betz, D. O. Tuners Handbook and Manual - A Technical Work, Practically Applied, Treating on the Grand and Upright Pianoforte, Player Piano and Piano Player The Art Press: Lima, Ohio, 1908. Small octavo. 4 pp. Preface, Table of Contents + 72 pp. + 12 pp. of Keyboard Advertising. Numerous diagrams and advertisements. Black buckram boards. Covers slightly soiled and with corners and spine tips bent. Otherwise in very good condition.BKS-11337 $75Inquire
- Pincherle, Marc Le Violon Presses Universitaires de France: Paris, 1966. Small octavo. 127 pp. Paperback. Very good. BKS-05190 $20Inquire
- Pincherle, Marc Les Violonistes: Compositeurs et Virtuoses Librairie Renouard: Paris, 1922. Small octavo. 128 pp. 10 plates. Cloth. A poor copy: front cover detached, spine missing. BKS-05191 $15Inquire
- Pirazzi Company Since the Days of Paganini Pirazzi Company: [USA], c 1920. Octavo. 47 pp. 42 b/w portraits of quartets and violinists. Wrappers. Very good. BKS-05192 $50InquireContains endorsements and pictures of the famous violinists of the day to the Pirazzi string company.
- Pirazzi Company Since the Days of Paganini Pirazzi Company: [USA], c 1920. Octavo. 47 pp. 42 b/w portraits of quartets and violinists. Wrappers. Detached from covers, otherwise good. BKS-09554 $40InquireContains endorsements and pictures of the famous violinists of the day to the Pirazzi string company.
- Pirro, André (1869-1943) Manuels d'Histoire de L'Art. Histoire de la Musique de la fin du XIVe siècle à la fin du XVIe H. Laurens, Ed. Librairie Renouard: Paris, 1940. Small quarto. 371 pp. Including 32 black and white plates reproducing early engravings. Orange buckram boards with gilt title at spine. In excellent condition.BKS-13387 $20InquireAndré Pirro was a French keyboardist and musicologist who studied with César Franck. He published several books on J. S. Bach, but is perhaps best remembered today for his efforts in reprinting early organ music.
- Poidras, Henri Critical and Documentary Dictionary of Violin Makers, Old and Modern Translated by Arnold Sewell. Imprimerie de la Vicomté: Rouen, 1928. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, no. 73 of 150. Quarto. 286 pp. 36 plates. Half-leather. Spine rubbed and spine top starting. BKS-05193 $300InquireInscribed to Jay C. Freeman by the author in 1927 prior to distribution.
- Poidras, Henri Dictionnaire des Luthiers, Anciens et Modernes, Critique et Documentainre Translated by Arnold Sewell. Imprimerie de la Vicomté: Rouen, 1924. first edition. Quarto. 286 pp. 36 plates. Three quarter-leather. Very good. Light rubbing on spine. BKS-05194 $250Inquire
- Polonaski, E. The Value of Old Violins, being a list of the Principal Violin Makers, British, Italian, French and German with Approximate Valuations of their Instruments and Occasional Notes on their Varnish, with Illustrations of some Celebrated Instruments... Reeves: London, 1912. Small octavo. 78 pp. + Reeves catalog of music books. Cloth. Very good. BKS-05196 $35Inquire
- Pougin, Arthur Le Violon: Les Violonistes et la Musique de Violon du XVIe au XVIIIe siècle Librairie Fischbacher: Paris, 1924. Small quarto. 358 pp. 36 b/w portraits, plus illustrations. Half-leather, marbled boards. Leather decaying, internally fine (could use rebinding, priced accordingly). BKS-05197 $275Inquire
- Pougin, Arthur Le Violon: Les Violonistes et la Musique de Violon du XVIe au XVIIIe siècle Librairie Fischbacher: Paris, 1924. Small quarto. 358 pp. 36 b/w portraits, plus illustrations. 3/4 calf on morocco boards. Leather deteriorating but internally fine (could use rebinding, priced accordingly). BKS-09536 $225Inquire
- Pourtalès, Guy de Wagner: Histoire d'un Artiste Librairie Gallimard: Paris, 1932. Octavo. 446 pp. Bound with original paper covers present. Fine. BKS-05295 $35Inquire
- Primrose, William (1903-1982) Walk on the North Side: Memoirs of a Violist Brigham Young University Press: Provo, UT, 1978. Octavo. 237 pp. Extensive b&w illustrations and discography. Buckram boards with d/j (a little worn). Excellent. BKS-09920 $75Inquire
- Prod'homme, J.G. Nicolo Paganini: A Biography Carl Fischer: New York, 1911. Octavo. 67 pp. 12 plates. Buckram. Tiny rip on title page, one plate detached, a few pencil markings & a little shelfwear; otherwise very good. BKS-05567 $35Inquire
- Puccianti, Anna Antonio Stradivari Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria: Cremona, 1959. 16mo. 31 pp. 16 plates. Wrappers. Near fine. BKS-05199 $20Inquire
- PUCCINI, GIACOMO Puccini, Nelle Immagini Leopoldo Marchetti. Museo di Torre del Lago Puccini: Torre del Lago, 1968. Large quarto. 204 pp. Buckram with d/j. As new. BKS-09703 $150InquireA book of illustrations, including unparalleled iconography of Puccini's life and career, with facsimile letters and documents.This remarkably well-documented book has text in Italian and English.
- Puccini, Giacomo (1858-1924) and L. Illica, G. Giacosa Tosca. Melodramma in Tre Atti. [Libretto] G. Ricordi: Milan, 1899. first edition. Small octavo. With green "G. Puccini Tosca" stamp pasted to title page. Paper wrappers. In good condition overall. Wrappers with some spotting. Signature of former owner on front cover and title page; her initials also blindstamped on roles page. Light vertical crease down center of all pages.BKS-15252 $150More Images/InquireA lovely first-edition libretto of one of Puccini's most beloved operas.
- Quirke, W. M. Recollections of a Violinist Dawson & Sons: London, 1914. first edition. Quarto. 144 pp. Spine tips & edges rubbed, just starting, otherwise a nice, tight copy. BKS-07497 $50Inquire
- Racster, Olga Chats on Big & Little Fiddles Frederick A. Stokes: New York, nd [c 1905]. Small octavo. 268 pp. Frontispiece. 19 illustrations of instruments. Dark red leather. Slightly cocked; spines bumped; slightly foxed; otherwise fine. BKS-09914 $40InquireOriginally published in two volumes under the titles of "Chats on Violins" and "Chats on Violoncellos." These volumes have been largely rewritten and revised by the author, and are now issued in one volume.
- Raikes, A. H. Violin Chat for Beginners Unwin: London, 1891. Small octavo. 96 pp. White vellum. Cover warped and soiled, internally very good. BKS-05202 $35InquireBookplate of J.C. Freeman of the Wurlitzer company.
- Reeves, Sims (1821-1900) The Life of Sims Reeves Written by Himself Simpkin Marshall & Co: London, 1888. Octavo. 279 pp. Frontispiece portrait. Elegantly decorated cloth. Edges bumped, otherwise fine. BKS-09655 $30Inquire
- Regazzi, Roberto Il Manoscritto Liutario di G.A. Marchi, Bologna 1786 / The Manuscript on Violin Making by G.A. Marchi, Bologna 1786 Translated by Nicoletta Sbarra, edited by John Guthrie. Arnaldo Forni: Bologna, 1986. first edition, limited to 800 copies. Octavo. 382 pp. Cloth with d/j. As new. BKS-05203 $125Inquire
- Rhodes, William Barnes (1772-1826) and George Cruikshank, illustrator. Bombastes Furioso: A Burlesque Tragic Opera. [Libretto]. Thomas Rodd and T. Griffiths: London, 1830. Early edition. 16mo. 35 pp. Eight illustrations. Paper wraps. In good condition. Front wrapper with some spotting; backstrip missing. Internally very clean.BKS-15508 $100InquireAn early copy of this popular play with music featuring eight comic illustrations by George Cruikshank. The work satirizes the over-the-top style of dramatic tragedies in vogue during the early nineteenth century: the protagonist, a certain unhinged General Bombastes, ignites a laughable string of murders by challenging anyone who dares to move a pair of boots that he has nailed to a tree.Bombastes Furioso, written by the English author William Barnes Rhodes, premiered at the Haymarket Theatre on August 7, 1810 with music by an anonymous source. Despite the play's immediate success, the first edition did not follow until 1822.
- Richardson, Henry Handel The Young Cosima: a Novel W.W. Norton & Co.: New York, 1939. Octavo. 390 pp. Cloth. Spine faded, otherwise very good. BKS-05297 $10Inquire
- Roda, Joseph Bows for Musical Instruments of The Violin Family William Lewis & Son: Chicago, 1959. No. 219 of 3,000. Large quarto. 335 pp. 20 illustrations + 47 double plates illustrating 241 bows & a biographical list of bow makers. Half leather. Fine. BKS-05622 $500Inquire
- Roda, Joseph Bows for Musical Instruments of The Violin Family William Lewis & Son: Chicago, 1959. No. 177 of the rare deluxe limited edition of 200. Large quarto. 335 pp. 20 illustrations + 47 double plates illustrating 241 bows & a biographical list of bow makers. Full leather with gold tooling, in slipcase. Fine. BKS-07452 $1,500Inquire
- Rossini, Gioacchino (1792-1868) Three Early-Edition Librettos: L'Inganno Felice, L'Italiana in Algeri, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 12mo. See additional notes below.BKS-15526 $225More Images/InquireA nice set of early-edition librettos for three of Rossini's early operas:
L'Inganno felice. Firenze: Stamperia Fantosini, [likely dating from the first decade following the opera's premiere in 1812]. 27 pp. Contemporary paper wrappers. Wormholes in title and final pages, but otherwise in good, clean condition.
L'Italiana in Algeri. Milano: Francesco Lucca, [1845, as per WorldCat]. 39 pp. Original paper wrappers. A few pages creased, but otherwise in good condition.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Venezia: Giuseppe Molinari, [c. 1840, as per WorldCat]. 31 pp. Original paper wrappers. Some foxing and spotting, but otherwise in good condition.
L'Inganno felice was Rossini's first emphatic success. He wrote the one-act work, which he classified as a farsa, to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa for the Venetian Teatro San Moisè, where it premiered in January 1812. (Rossini wrote five of his first nine operas for this venue). The popular opera helped Rossini secure his first commission from La Scala in the fall of that same year and enjoyed intermittent performances on Italian stages for a decade thereafter. - Rozsa-Lovett, Suzanne The Amadeus: Forty Years in Pictures and Words Rozsa-Lovett: London, 1988. Quarto. 132 pp. Illlustrated throughout in color and b/w. Paperback. As new. BKS-07974 $40Inquire
- Ruffo, Titta La mia parabola: memorie Fratelli Treves: Milan, 1937. Second edition. Small octavo. 367 pp. Frontispiece portrait. Photographs. Cloth. Very good. BKS-05002 $45Inquire
- Russell Collection The Russell Collection and other Early Keyboards Instruments in Saint Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, 1968. Quarto. 76 pp. Cloth with dj. Excellent condition. BKS-13794 $45Inquire
- Russell, Raymond The Harpsichord and Clavichord: an Introductory Study Faber & Faber: London, 1959. Quarto. 208 pp. Cloth with oritinal d/j (sunned and slightly frayed). Fine condition. BKS-04781 $60InquireRaymond Russell was a noted scholar and collector whose collection of keyboard instruments became an important part of the instrument collection of the Edinburgh Museum.
- Saint-George, Henry The Bow: Its History, Manufacture and Use "The Strad" Office: London, 1896. first edition. Small octavo. 124 ("Strad" Library No. III). 8 plates. Numerous illustrations and musical examples. Buckram. Stain on front cover, spine tips bumped; internally fine. BKS-05566 $60Inquire
- Sandys, William and Simon Andrew Forster The History of the Violin and Other Instruments Played on with the Bow from the Remotest Times to the Present, also, an Account of the Principal Makers, English and Foreign, with Numerous Illustrations John Russell Smith: London, 1864. first edition. Quarto. 390 pp. Color frontispiece of a painting. Illustrations. Cloth with blind stamping. Slightly frayed spine ends, otherwise a fine copy. BKS-07518 $150Inquire
- Saussine, Renée de Paganini: A biography of the greatest virtuoso of all time. (Foreward by Jacques Thibaud) McGraw-Hill: New York, 1954. Octavo. 272 pp. 8 plates. Cloth with dustjacket. D/j slightly frayed, otherwise excellent. BKS-07417 $25Inquire
- Schlesinger, Kathleen The Precursors of the Violin Family: Records, Researches and Studies, with over 200 Illustrations and Plates Reeves: London, c 1909. Quarto. 328 pp. Numerous plates. Cloth. Very good copy, spine tips slightly bumped. BKS-05212 $110InquireCopy of Rudolph Wurlitzer, with his bookplate
- Schneider, Louis (1861-1934) Massenet: L'Homme - Le Musicien. Illustrations et Documents Inedits L. Carteret. Libraire L. Conquet: Paris, 1908. THE DELUXE first edition, limited to 50 copies on special Japanese paper. Small folio. 385 pp. With handsome frontispiece portrait. B/w illustrations throughout including full-page plates. Musical examples including facsimiles of the composer's manuscripts. Original decorative colored wrappers. Internally pristine with pages still unopened, covers very slightly soiled, some splitting and wear on spine but a solid copy.BKS-10358 $550InquireThe definitive work on Massenet and his music, with individual chapters on each of his operas.
- Schoenberg, Arnold (1874-1951) Harmonielehre. Verlagseigentum der Universal-Edition A.-G.: Leipzig, 1911. first edition. Octavo. 476 pp. Red buckram with gilt embossed title. Blue top edge and end-papers. In very good condition. Binding just a bit worn with bumped spine and corners. Signature of former owner on title page. Occasional penciled note. Coffee stain at very top of pp. 349-354 (not affecting) and one small tear at top of p. 351 (not affecting).BKS-13513 $225More Images/InquireSchoenberg's influential and exhaustive Harmonielehre, which he wrote between 1910 and 1911, covers all manner of topics relating to harmonic theory, from fundamental bass to tonality to twelve-tone rows. It created a splash with its publication, though, for promoting some borderline iconoclastic ideas: that there is no difference between consonance and dissonance, that non-harmonic tones cannot exist, and that tone color is as important a musical parameter as pitch and rhythm.
The treatise was and remains an excellent starting point for the study of both early-twentieth-century music and Schoenberg's compositional approach.
- Schottky, Julius Max Paganinis Leben und Treiben als Künstler und als Mensch; mit unpartheiischer Berücksichtigung der Meinungen seiner Anhänger und Gegner Calvesche: Prague, 1830. first edition. Octavo. 410 pp. with 10 pp. forward. 9 pp. index & tipped-in facsimile of Paganini note to the author. Green half leather with raised bands. Very good, some foxing mainly at beginning. BKS-01130 $550InquireFirst full-length biography of Paganini. A very good copy of this rare edition.
- Schottky, Julius Max Paganinis Leben und Treiben als Künstler und als Mensch; mit unpartheiischer Berücksichtigung der Meinungen seiner Anhänger und Gegner Calvesche: Prague, 1830. Second edition. Octavo. 413 pp. Purple boards with gold-stamping and portrait on cover. Edges & covers rubbed, spine chipped and faded; internally very good. BKS-05213 $300InquireFirst full-length biography of Paganini. Bookplate of Rudolph Wurlitzer.
- Schottky, Julius Max Paganinis Leben und Treiben als Künstler und als Mensch; mit unpartheiischer Berücksichtigung der Meinungen seiner Anhänger und Gegner Calvesche: Prague, 1830. Second edition. Octavo. 413 pp. Blue boards with gold-stamping and portrait on cover. Spine ends bumped, internally evenly browned but very good. BKS-09561 $350InquireFirst full-length biography of Paganini.
- SCHUBERT CENTENNIAL A medallion and a Commemorative Booklet Vienna, 1928. 4.54" (9 cm). Very good condition except for a later eyehook for hanging and a few minor discolorations. Magazine is a browned and edges chipping.ODA-14138 $400InquireA bronze medallion by Karl Perl of Vienna, struck for a singing society one hundred years after Schubert's death. With the composr's facsimile signature under his base-relief portrait. The verso depicts a lyre surrounded by an array of flags in base relief. Niggl #1819.
Sold together with a richly illustrated commemorative issue celebrating the centennial of Schubert's death with articles and essays: Illustrirte Zeitung: Franz Schubert Zum Gedächtnis, by J. J. Weber and others: Leipzig, 1928. Nr. 4366 of Illustrirte Zeitung. Folio. 41 pp. Illustrations throughout in both black and white and color of paintings, portraits, manuscripts, etc.