New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 1965. Autobiography of the pioneering African-American dancer, singer, and actor, signed and inscribed on the front end paper to fellow entertainer Maurice Chevalier: "To Maurice / With respect and admiration." The memoir chronicles Davis Jr.'s rise to fame, overcoming the obstacles of racism and the loss of one eye, and ends shortly after his marriage to Swedish-born actress May Britt and the birth of their daughter Tracey. 630 pp. 24 pp. of photographs. Grey cloth; decorative front board with silver silhouette of Davis Jr. Without dust jacket. Slightly faded at the edges of the binding, a small split to the gutter and light edge wear; overall in fine condition. Read More...
Etching in a crayon manner by Van Amstel after the portrait by Netscher. Trimmed to just outside the black border, mounted on silk and framed in a hand-carved gilt frame. 127 x 156 mm. Framed to 11.5 x 13.5 inches [29 x 34 cm] overall.
Tours: Mame & Cie. 1846. Quatrième édition. French translation of Irving's early work of historical fiction, A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828), owned by Paul Cézanne and with his signature on the front end paper. Translated by Henri Lebrun. 12mo. 288 pp. Five engraved plates. Ornate gold and blue decorative binding, enclosed in a newer archival box in blue cloth with leather labels on the spine. Original binding rubbed, damage to the boards, and two large stains to the binding and lower edge of the block; one loose page; foxing throughout; otherwise structurally sound and in good condition. Read More...
160.
[Instrumentalists]
Philipp, Isidor. (1863 - 1958). "Valses Capricieuses" - Inscribed with an Autograph Musical Quotation
Paris: Au Ménestrel Heugel & Cie. 1905. First edition. An uncommon signed presentation copy from the renowned French pianist, composer and pedagogue of Hungarian birth. An attractive art nouveau edition, inscribed on the decorative title page to the first prize winner for piano at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux: "Pour Melle. Madeleine Bergès / avec tout ma sympathie / 1918 / I. Philipp" and adding a two measure AMQS above. Foxing over cover, more minor scattered foxing and some pencil markings throughout, front seem partially split, else fine. Read More...
An extremely interesting unpublished 95-page autograph memoir of the important Polish tenor, closely associated with the French and Wagnerian operatic repertoires during the peak of his career at Covent Garden and the Met at the end of the nineteenth century, whose storied career included the creation of the title role of Massenet's Le Cid. He was the leading tenor at the MET before Caruso and opened an important voice school in Nice where he taught many great singers, including Bidu Sayao and Maggie Teyte to name but two. The memoir is written in several inks and pencil in a lined notebook, mostly in De Reszke's own hand and partly in the hand of his wife, the manuscript detailing the tenor's memories of his childhood, early musical experiences and training, and the first years of his career, leaving off around the year 1880. On the title page, a note of provenance in the hand of French actor Guy Ferrant explains that the manuscript was given to Ferrant to publish after Reszke's death. Accompanying the manuscript are several copies of six typewritten pages, apparently the beginning of an incomplete typed transcript of the manuscript. Read More...
Three typed letters from the great American librettist and producer, one with an autograph signature and two form letters with printed signatures, inviting the businessman George L. Killion to a gala event honoring Samuel Goldwyn. Dated May 19 (printed signature), June 2 (autograph signature), and June 12 (printed signature), 1959. Hammerstein invites Killion to join the Honorary Committee for the event, and then asks in two further letters for a donation to the Gershwin Foundation, also mentioning a screening of the newly released film version of Porgy and Bess. On Hammerstein's letterhead; hole-punched with stamps and notes from Killion's office at the head; overall in fine condition. Each 7.25 x 10.5 inches (18.5 x 26.6 cm). Read More...
Show all available items in this catalogue matching:TLSTheaterSong
Charming typed letter signed from the important Austrian violinist who made her later career in the United States, to violinist Josef Gingold, thanking him for the party after a concert in Detroit and asking him to look for a lost shawl. March 23, 1936. "I want to tell you once again how much I enjoyed being with you, and what a grand time I had at the party you gave for me after the concert in Detroit." She signs, "your pal, Erica." Morini had appeared as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony in final concert of their 1946 season, playing Bruch's violin concerto in G minor; Gingold was the concertmaster of the orchestra. 1 p. 7.25 x 10.5 inches (18.4 x 26.6 cm). Read More...
Scarce typed letter signed from the Romanian pianist and composer, addressed to the pianist Lucette Descaves, the goddaughter of Saint-Saëns who was a student of Marguerite Long and Yves Nat. Dated Sils, July 29, 1946. Lipatti apologizes profusely for not being able to act as a judge in a piano competition presided over by Descaves, mentioning the difficulty of rescheduling concerts in Switzerland since the end of World War II. 2 pp. on a bifolium; letterhead of the Hotel Waldhaus, Engadin. Folding creases; overall in fine condition. 5.75 x 7 inches (14.6 x 18.2 cm). Read More...
Pair of original doubleweight photographs of the American jazz vocalist and performer, signed and inscribed in blue ink. 8 x 10 inches. The first is inscribed "Thanx for the use of that Hall / Maxine Sullivan" and exhibits slight water staining along the lower edge, a heavy crease along the left edge which also has tape remnants; the second photograph is signed simply "Flatterer! / Sullivan" and has significant holes/tears in each corner. Read More...
Stupendous original doubleweight concert photograph of the American jazz vocalist who performed with Louis Armstrong from 1942 until her death, boldly signed and inscribed in blue ink and in fine condition. Sold together with an earlier original photograph of her performing on stage, this one signed very lightly in the lower corner (barely visible) and with significant chips and tears around the edges. Both 8 x 10 inches. Read More...
An unusual original doubleweight photograph of the great ballerina and great comedian, smiling with their hands on their hips, with the caption "Anna Pavlowa and Charlie Chaplin / Two Pair of Priceless Feet." From the collection of ballerina Joan Van Wart (1900-1987) who toured with Anna Pavlova and her company, collected Pavlovaiana assiduously, and who loaned her collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum for their 1956 Pavlova Commemorative Exhibition. Creases to the corners and a thumbtack hole; notes, cropping marks, and Van Wart's signature on the verso; overall a charming image in very good condition. 8 x 10.25 inches (20.3 x 26.4 cm).
Pair of original works by Hockney, each archivally framed under UV plexi in contemporary wood frames measuring each 18.5 x 12.5 inches. Both works originally from the collection of John Simon, friend and former chef of the artist, and sold together with a letter of provenance from the collector who acquired them from Simon, also sold together with a copy a 2014 Christie's evaluation of the works. Read More...
Show all available items in this catalogue matching:Art/Sculpture
Two long and colorful autograph letters from the great Polish American pianist and his son (a violinist and the inventor of Kodachrome), written while on Godowsky's 1922 South American tour to piano manufacturer and artistic sponsor Berthold Neuer of Knabe Pianos, New York. In the letters, dated July 19 and July 20 (Leopold Jr.), 1922, father and son give a detailed account of the ups and downs of the tour, including the difficulties of advertising Godowsky's concerts in a market dominated by the Teatro Colón, the beauty of Rio de Janeiro, and the struggle to find a bilingual piano tuner to accompany them. Read More...
Rare signed halftone photograph of the popular rhythm-and-blues and soul singer, on a single page removed from a 1962 program from his European tour opening for Little Richard. Cooke signed the page after a show in Sheffield, England, and has penned two signatures at the foot and the left. 20 x 27 cm; 8 x 10.5 inches. Read More...
Three autograph signatures from important French conductors of the early twentieth century. Included are signatures from Francis Touche, Camille Chevillard (dated Paris, 1905); and Édouard Colonne (dated Paris, February 11, 1903). In very fine condition. Ranging from 3.5 x 1.5 inches to 4 x 3 inches.
An interesting set of three autograph fair copy manuscripts from the Italian composer of "Amahl," "The Medium" and others. The autograph manuscripts of three of the composer's "Five Songs" of 1983 given by Menotti to the conductor Spiros Argiris (1948 - 1996) at the time he was the Music Director of the Spoleto Festival. Folio. Each song scored for voice and piano, titled and signed at the head: The Idle gift, 2.5 pp; The Swing, 4 pp; The longest wait, 4 pp. Read More...
49. Foster, Stephen Collins (1828-1864). The Social Orchestra for Flute or Violin. A Collection of Popular Melodies Arranged as Solos, Duets, Trios, and Quartets.
New York: Firth, Pond & Co. . 1854. First edition, variant issue. 4to. 83, [i] pp. Cloth-back original publisher's printed boards. Boards heavily scraped and and worn, front free endpaper and title separated from the block, verso front endpage with two lines of music in an unknown hand, stray ink marks to title, ownership signatures on inside front board, inner front hinge split, occasional foxing but internally very good. Whittlesey and Sonneck, p. 47-48. OCLC 6979477. Howard, p. 395. Read More...
114.
[Jazz & Song]
[New Orleans Jazz]. "The Second Line" - 12 Bound Issues, 1957-8
A bound volume of 12 issues of The Second Line, the magazine of the New Orleans Jazz Club, dating from January 1957 to December 1958. The issues comprise the complete volumes 8 and 9 (nos. 1-12) of the magazine, and are rudely bound with black and red marbled hard covers and green cloth spine. Some of the issues include the original typewritten address (of a recipient in Amsterdam), postage, and New Orleans postmarks. Slight wear to the edges of the binding, but otherwise in fine condition. 6 x 8.5 inches (14.8 x 21.6 cm). Read More...
Show all available items in this catalogue matching:BookJazz
135.
[Josephine Baker]
Baker, Josephine. (1906–1975). The Original Charleston. Musique de Cecil Mack et Jimmy Johnson dansé par Joséphine Baker dans l'Hyper-Revue des Folies Bergère "La Folie du Jour" ...
Paris: Editions Francis Salabert. [1926]. First Edition thus. Quarto Original bifolium sheet music with pictorial covers, loosely inserted singlesheet, letterpress recto only. A little rubbed externally, with a soft diagonal crease through the front cover, but overall a very good example. Uncommon, just 3 copies listed by Worldcat (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Biblioteca Comunale di Trento, Zentralbibliothek Zurich). Read More...
Show all available items in this catalogue matching:Printed MusicSong
Ink and watercolor on paper, inscribed lower right and signed with initials lower left. 14 by 9 1/4 inches. From the Collection of Ringo Starr (yes, that one!). Read More...