One of the most interesting parts of my job is the chance to see all of the works that we add to our collection of Digital Scores and Libretti. These are some of the latest additions.
Gustav Mahler. Detail of 3rd Symphony, Merritt Room Mus 742.18.57
First, a heavily-annotated score of Gustav Mahler’s 3. Symphonie (Wien: J. Weinberger, [1898]), which may reflect revisions made by the composer.
Gaetano Donizetti’s three-act melodrama L’assedio di Calais (Milano: G. Ricordi, [1854?]) is an interesting reflection of the international business of composition for the opera: although it premiered in 1836 at the Teatro S Carlo in Naples, the set of dances in the third act was intended to appeal to the audiences of Paris and lead to a contract with the Paris Opéra.
Two keyboard works from members of the Bach family:
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Clavier-Sonaten nebst einigen Rondos fürs Forte-Piano für Kenner und Liebhaber. Dritte Sammlung. Leipzig: Im Verlage des Autors, 1781. First edition, RISM A/I, B 88
- Johann Christian Bach. Fuge für das Pianoforte oder die Orgel über die Buchstaben seines Namens, BACH. Leipzig: Bureau de musique [de] C.F. Peters, [181-?].
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Title page, first ed. K. 493, Merritt Room Mus 745.1.304.12 BMEO
A first edition of the parts for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Quartet, K. 493: Quartetto per il clavicembalo o forte piano con l’accompagnamento d’un violino, viola, e violoncello : opera 13 (Vienna: Artaria, [1787]), RISM A/I, M 6325.
Alexander Zemlinsky’s one-act opera Der Zwerg (Wien: Universal-Edition, c1921), based on Oscar Wilde’s short story The Birthday of the Infanta.
Giuseppe Verdi. Title page of Aida, Merritt Room Mus 857.1.648.7 PHI
And finally, our project to digitize the operas of Giuseppe Verdi continues, with early vocal scores of Aïda, Alzira, and Nabucco, the second version of La Traviata, and a French edition of Falstaff:
- Aïda : opera in quattro atti (Milano: Ricordi, [1872?]). Hopkinson, 62A(a)
- Alzira : tragedia lirica, divisa in prologo e due atti (Milano: G. Ricordi, [1846]). Hopkinson, 44A(a)
- Falstaff: comédie lyrique en trois actes de Arrigo Boïto (Paris : Ricordi, c1894). First edition, French text variant
- Nabucodonosor : drama lirico in quatro atti (Paris : Schonenberger … Boulevart Poissoniere No. 28, [1842?]). Hopkinson, 39A(f)
- La traviata (Milano : Tito di Gio. Ricordi, [1855?]). Second version, Hopkinson, 55B(a)
Enjoy! Coming up soon, we’ll have more early Bach editions, and a selection of Schubert songs and piano music.
– Kerry Masteller
The title page illustrations for the Verdi operas are great! I love the color Aida one, but the scene for Traviata is pretty great as well. Too bad that they don’t all have such fun title pages.
Zoe, I think that Aida is the one of the few full-color title pages in the Verdi set that we’re digitizing; it is pretty nifty. I’m rather fond of this Macbeth title page, too, though it’s not as colorful: http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/2820652?n=7. -Kerry