A significant collection of signed photographs autographs from opera singers, dancers, musicians and other performers, principally French, of the early twentieth century, including an autograph letter and signed photograph from the brilliant soprano Yvonne Brothier, and signed photographs from French sopranos Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi, Yvonne Gall, Marthe Chenal, and Germaine Lubin, Danish ballerina Toni Lander and many other opera singers and dancers, as well as autograph signatures from Olympic fencer Lucien Gaudin and the well-known Italian puppeteer Vittorio Podrecca. Many of the autographs are inscribed to collector Monique Paravicini Simon (1916-2003). Complete items listed below. Most signed photographs on mounted on 3.5 x 5.5 inch cards. Some occasional light toning and wear, but items overall in fine condition. An interesting collection representing the cultural world of 1920's-1940's France. Read More...
An original ticket stub to a royal command performance of the Royal Opera on the occasion of the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on June 26, 1911. This portion of the ticket (which must have been quite large) was retained as a "voucher for seat only." Perforated edges. Mounted on card. One crease, thumbtack holes; overall in fine condition. 2.5 x 7.25 inches (6.5 x 18.5 cm). Read More...
Milan: Ricordi. 1907. Second French Edition. DRAME LYRIQUE EN TROIS ACTES DE L.ILLICA ET G.GIACOSA, D'APRÈS JOHN L. LONG ET DAVID BELASCO. TRADUCTION FRANÇAISE DE PAUL FERRIER. OPÉRA COMPLET POUR CHANT ET PIANO. RÉDUCTION DE CARLO CARIGNANI. "Théatre National de l'Opéra Comique", under the direction of Albert Carré. Cm.26.5 x 19.3. (8), 248 pp. [PN] 111360. Text in French. Signed and inscribed on the half-title "à M. Le Font, G. Puccini. Paris le 12. oct. 908." Publisher's illustrated cloth, rebacked, restorations to boards and endpages, one endpage supplied in facsimile, performance markings throughout in graphite and colored pencil, mostly relative to the title role. Schickling, 74.E.6, "Second French Edition". Hopkinson, 6D(b).
An interesting collection of original costume and jewelry designs for the 1892 Paris Opéra production of Saint-Saëns' opera Samson et Dalila. The 18 ink and pencil drawings on 8 pages depict several pieces of the elaborate jewelry created for the production by the Parisian theatrical jewelry and armory firm of Leblanc-Granger & Gutperle. Also included are 5 cardboard templates for the shapes of the jewelry. Read More...
Autograph letter from the Austrian singer and teacher known for his many volumes of didactic works, thanking his correspondent for sending a set of Lieder and complimenting him on their merits. Dated Berlin, July 9, 1887. Translated from the German, in part: "Forgive me that I haven't written to you until today to thank you for the beautiful songs, which you had the goodness to send me in mid-May. My time has been very full with singing lessons and work of all kinds, and left me almost no energy for private correspondence... Your songs were very interesting and delightful! In op. 10 I particularly like the Ständchen, which I've already had sung several times. The Italian love songs are also very nice and offer the singer gratifying challenges. The next season will likely give me more opportunity to introduce these pretty pieces." 2 pp. on a folded card, embossed with Sieber's initials. In very fine condition. 4.25 x 5.5 inches (11 x 14.4 cm). Read More...
Very rare signed postcard photograph of the popular Spanish mezzo-soprano, made famous by her Rossini roles, who left more than 200 recordings but died in childbirth at the age of 40. Supervia is shown as Carmen, a role with which she was closely associated, and has boldly signed across the photograph and inscribed along the right edge to Monique Paravicini Simon. The photograph has been dated on the verso in another hand: Paris, March 14, 1932. One small hole and two slight scratches at the upper left; light edge wear and silvering at the upper edge; overall in very good condition. 3.5 x 5.5 inches (8.8 x 13.9 cm). Read More...
Early autograph letter from the Austrian soprano, a famous Leonore in Fidelio and the first Viennese Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. Dated Vienna, July 8, 1898. Weidt signs as "Louise Weidt" and writes: "Please excuse me for not being able to call on you this morning, as I had just left. I will take the liberty, if it is agreeable, to come tomorrow, Friday, morning at 12." 1 p. on a bifolium. Folding creases; otherwise in very fine condition. 4.5 x 7 inches (11.3 x 17.5 cm).
New York: Morrow. 1978. First. Signed book from the important American dancer, choreographer and activist. Ailey has inscribed on the half-title to Paul McMahon "with many good memories." 128 pp. Hardcover with original dust jacket. In fine condition. 9.25 x 11.25 inches (23.5 x 28.5 cm). Read More...
An interesting collection of 6 menus from dinners given by the "Ballet Club de Paris" in 1959-1961, one signed by Léonide Massine at a dinner given in his honor. Three of the programs have been autographed by other important Russian and French dancers and choreographers, including Serge Golovine, Claire Motte, Georges Goviloff, Lycette Darsonval, Madeleine Lafon, Jacqueline Rayet, and many others. The folded cards, each with an identical cover design from the restaurant "Le Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées," have hand-written or mimeographed menus on the inside pages. Dated July 7, 1959; October 2, 1959; February 11, 1960 (dinner in honor of the principle dancers of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra); November 10, 1960 (dinner in honor of Leonide Massine); November 22, 1960 (dinner in honor of the Marquis de Cuevas and the principle dancers of his Grand Ballet); and May 25, 1961 (dinner in honor of the Ballets de l'Opéra de Léningrad). Read More...
St. Petersburg, Russia: Northern Lyre. 1904. Upright folio, illustrated front wrapper. 5 pp. [PN] 1421. Scarce Russian sheet music printed in red and black with a Black man and woman on cover evidently performing a Cake-Walk beneath the printed title appearing in both Cyrillic and English. Disbound, with skinning of the paper along the spine edge, inside front hinge reinforced with paper, slightly toned, but overall a very good copy. Rare. No copies of this edition listed in Worldcat. Read More...
New York: Something Else Press. 1968. A rare signed copy of the pioneering American modern dancer and choreographer's experimental book on choreography. He has signed and inscribed on the title page to Paul McMahon. The book contains facsimiles of Cunningham's notes and sketches, photographs, music, and other documents, laid out in a collage-like design. 174 pp., unpaginated. Hardcover, with original dust jacket; light shelf wear to jacket, but overall in fine condition. 6.25 x 9.5 inches (16 x 24 cm). Read More...
New York: Dance Perspectives Foundation. 1968. Signed periodical from the pioneering American modern dancer and choreographer. This issue of the dance journal is dedicated to Cunningham's work, with articles by John Cage, Clive Barnes, and others. Cunningham has signed and inscribed to Paul McMahon over his photograph on the page opposite the contributors' biographies. 67 pp. Softcover. Light shelf wear and toning; overall in fine condition. 7.5 x 9 inches (19.3 x 23 cm).
196.
[Dance]
[Dance]. Valtz, Contredances & Choisies pour la Flûte - Autograph Musical Manuscript
Autograph musical manuscript, ca. 1800, containing flute parts for a selection of waltzes and other dances. The attractive hand-calligraphed cover design features highly decorative lettering and an ornamental border, signed within the border "Lenoble Fecit" and with two unidentified ownership signatures to the cover and one on the inside cover. Contents as follows: 13 dances labeled "Valz" and numbered 5-17; "Pastorale de Nina"; 2 further "Valz" dances, unnumbered; one dance titled "Le Rossignol Valtz"; 8 dance pieces in various meters numbered 1-8; 7 further dances labeled "Valz," unnumbered; 4 pieces in 6/8 time labeled "Poule," numbered 3-6; several pages left blank; and 11 further dances, some with choreography instructions, with titles including "La Douceur," "La Bergerette," "La Gorette," and "Calif de Baghdad." 32 pp. total; 27 pp. of music. Also included is a single leaf of autograph music for piano, apparently also a dance tune in 2/4. Overall foxing and toning, wear and soiling to the cover, and edge wear commensurate with age; overall in very good condition. 10.25 x 6.5 inches (26.4 x 16.3 cm). Read More...
Signed real photograph postcard of the Russian prima ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later of the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev, where she was Nijinsky's chief partner. Karsavina is shown in one of her costumes, with angel wings, and has boldly signed across the image and dated 1926. Light diagonal crease upper right, else fine. 9 x 14 cm.
A true rarity of ballet memorabilia, of which we have seen only a few other copies. Original program from Nijinsky's shortlived "Saison Nijinsky," in London, just after his break from Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and from just before his rapid decline in health - physical and mental - which soon forced him from dance at the peak of his career and into to an asylum for the rest of his life. 10 x 12.5 inches. Heavy paper, bound in stiff wrappers, cover illustrated with a color portrait of the dancer. 11 pp. including four tipped-in striking gravure photographs of Nijinsky. Front cover separated and heavily chipped around edges, rear lacking, but otherwise complete and in very good condition within. Read More...
An original German postcard photograph of the celebrated dancer in "Spectre de la Rose," identifying the image as by Photo Bert. of Paris. 9 x 14 cm. With a note in a contemporary hand on the verso, one small mark upper right, overall in fine, crisp condition. Read More...
Original photograph of the great dancer and choreographer in a leather coat and fur hat, signed boldly in black at the lower right. Photographed by Judy Cameron; undated. In fine condition. 8 x 10 inches (20.4 x 25.4 cm).
Original photograph of the great dancer in Martha Graham's "Lucifer" in 1975, boldly signed at the lower left. Photographed by Louis Péres. In very fine condition. 7 x 9.5 inches (17.9 x 23.8 cm). Read More...
Original signed photograph of the great dancer, appearing together with Paolo Bortoluzzi in Maurice Béjart's "Songs of a Wayfarer" in 1971. Boldly signed at the lower left. Photographed by Beverley Gallegos. In very fine condition. 10 x 8 inches (25.3 x 20.3 cm). Read More...
An exceptional postcard format Count Jean de Strelecki photograph of Pavlova in Le Cygne, boldly signed by the dancer across the image. Postally unused, some silvering around the edges, else fine. 9 x 14 cm. Read More...