posted on March 24, 2001 11:19:33 PM
I've found several pages of handwritten music. The music is by German born Giacomo Meyerbeer, a famous composer of operas and lesser works, and he died in 1864.
Of course the question is, is it in his hand? The paper it's written on could be a clue. It's pre-printed blank staff paper (the five lines of the staff but no markings of course), and is obviously old, but I don't know when they started printing this type of paper. The notation and writing looks professional and stylish--by someone who wrote a lot of music. I've transcribed one serious piece of music myself and let me tell ya, it's a lot of work to make those little notes and markings if you're not used to doing it. These look fluid, like the writer had a talent and style in writing it.
It could be that someone laboriously copied it from a book or something though. I mean, they didn't have Xerox back then.
This is part of it. This is four parts to the same piece, one for 1st violin, one for 2nd violin, one for viola, one for flute.
[ edited by loosecannon on Mar 24, 2001 11:49 PM ]
posted on March 25, 2001 12:46:31 AM
Loosecannon, based on my experience as a musician (30 years instrumental and vocal), I sincerely doubt if this is in Meyerbeer's hand. It's WAY too perfectly done for a composer! I have played and sung plenty of handwritten music, and these appear to be done by someone with excellent "penmanship." A composer can't directly compose individual parts like this--it has to be done first in full score format. A copyist would then take the full score and (legibly) write out the individual parts. It's entirely possible that these are not "first generation" (i.e. a copyist who worked directly for Meyerbeer)--as you say, they didn't have Xerox machines at that time. The script that the title and composer's name is in doesn't look modern, but it might have been done as late as the early 1900's.
I can't tell from your picture what the title is, but this appears to be an incomplete set of parts for some short work (orchestral or chamber music? vocal accompaniment?) since this combination of instruments can't really stand on its own. There's no opus number on this, so it might even be an opera aria that was excerpted for concert use. It would be very common to see that sort of thing handrwitten, since orchestral music to an individual aria is not usually published, unless it's a standard one. (That is still true today--if you're singing arias with orchestra and don't have access to the parts, they have to be handwritten them from the conductor's score.)
Perhaps someone like Eppraisal (sp?) could be of help in this if you wish to pursue it to get an expert opinion. The value would probably depend on how old these are (maybe the paper can be dated?) and how scarce this piece is.
Good luck!!
(edited to clarify a sentence)
Without eBay, I might have a real life...
[ edited by mcbrunnhilde on Mar 25, 2001 12:59 AM ]
Sounds like I just got an expert opinion! I didn't know that hand copying music was all that common, but what you say makes sense. I've also seen photos of original scores by composers and you're right--these are written too neatly. Oh, these are old, but I got them in a stack of sheet music dating from the 1940's all the way back to 1900.
Unless you have a work that is "lost" and these are the only known parts, it most likely would only have value to someone who has an interest in Meyerbeer (a scholar or a University archive???), or as something that can be framed and turned into a "decorator" item.
You could market it as "suitable for framing--a unique conversation piece for your home or as a gift for your favorite musician." If I were doing it that way, I would try separate auctions (if you wanted a gift for cousin Billy, a violist, you wouldn't want three extra parts hanging around!) It might be more saleable if you find out what this piece is (or what it's from). If you don't have luck on the internet, try someone (orchestra conductor? composition professor?) in the music department at the largest college/university in your area.
I wish I could help you more with this actual work, but I'm only familiar with a couple of arias from his operas (and fiendishly difficult they are!). If this were Wagner's music, however, I might offer to buy it from you!
BTW before the advent of computer programs for composing, there was (and still is) an IMMENSE amount of hand writing going on. For example, a LOT of music is available on a "rental only" basis (i.e. orchestral parts to Broadway musicals, oratorios, etc.) because it was too expensive to typeset and publish it for the limited number of copies that would sell. It was cheaper to pay a hand copyist to write it out and then run it through a printing press for enought sets to rent out. Believe me, most of the stuff is nowhere NEAR as neatly done as these pieces! Some of it's so sloppy I just cringe when I see it!
[ edited by mcbrunnhilde on Mar 25, 2001 12:59 AM ]