Part I – Autographs,
Prints, Photos, etc.
AUER, Leopold. Signed Photo. 1918. see illustration
The great Hungarian violinist and pedagogue (1845-1930),
studied with Dont and Joachim. He was professor at the newly formed
Conservatory in St. Petersburg and became one of the most famous violin
teachers in Russia and the rest of the world. His students included Heifetz,
Milstein, Elman, Zimbalist, Seidel, and many others. A wonderful 1/2 length
photo by G. A. Fischer of St. Petersbourg, shown seated, with his hand in his
vest, inscribed to Franz Kneisel and signed 'L. Auer' followed by the place and
date. (9 x 113/4 inches including the
mount, image is 4 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches, matted to 10 3/4 x 14 inches, sl. faded)Signed
photos of Auer are scarce. This size
FLONZALEY QUARTET. Signed Photo. see illustration
This wonderuful American string quartet, established in 1902 in New York by the Swiss banker Edward J. De Coppet for private performances in his house. The group was named after De Coppet¹s summer estate, where the first rehearsals were held. One of the most important quartets in the US in the first quarter of the century. A wonderful, elegant photo, shown playing their instruments, signed by the four members, Adolfo Betti, Alfred Pochon, Louis Bailly and Iwan d¹Archambeau. (8 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches) $500.00
GEYER,
Stefi. Autograph Musical Quoation Signed. 1901.
The great Hungarian-born Swiss violinist (1888-1956) was a pupil of Hubay in Budapest. She taught at the Zurich Coinservatory from 1923-1953. Bartok was in love with her and wrote his first concerto for her. She created the violin part in the Bartok Chamber Concerto in 1927. She has drawn a staff on an album leaf and written 5 bars from the Mendelssohn violin concerto. (5 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches, wear around edges of leaf, some staining) Very scarce. $250.00
HEIFETZ, Jascha. Pabst Blue Ribbon Advertising Page. 1949. see illustration
The violinist is shown in his private studio with his wife, enjoying a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Wonderful! (10 3/8 x 13 ¾ inches, some minor wear along edges) $65.00 Sold!
HUBERMAN, Bronislaw. Signed Postcard Photo with Musical Quotation.
1935.
The great Polish violinist (1882-1947), made his debut at age 7. He studied with Lotto, then Grigorovich, H. Heermann and Marsick. In 1936 he founded the Palestine Symphony. Shown in a head and shoulders portrait, playing the violin. "Signed Bronislaw Huberman" and dated, with four bars from the Vieuxtemps Grande Polonaise. (5 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches, the signature is quite faded, some wear around the edges, the musical quote is also a bit faded) $275.00
PIATTI, Alfredo. Signed Photo. (From a Photograph by Elliott & Fry) see illustration
The renowned Italian cellist and teacher (1822-1901) is shown 3/4 length, sitting in a chair, inscribed and signed "Alfred Piatti". (6 x 8 3/4 inches, wear around edges of mount, sl. bent through center) $250.00
ROMBERG, Bernard. Autograph Letter Signed. 1838. see illustration
The German cellist and composer (1767-1841), was a friend of
Haydn. He was professor of cello at the Paris Conservatoire and a member of the
Berlin Royal Court Orchestra. His Method was published in 1840. He has written,
in part, to "My dear Mr. Concertmaster, As much as I would have liked to do the
esteemed sponsors of the private concert a favor by performinag at their last
concert, it is impossible for me to leave that soon (also not for the suggested
honorarium, because if I settle that badly, what should the other person
do-although this matter could have been negotiated) My concert is set for March
7. Now my son-in-law is coming here from Berln. I have to settle some matters
with him which are important to me and which I cannot postpone until later."
Signed "Bernard Romberg" followed by the place and date.
(9 x 10 3/4 inches, folds, edges chipped, some taping on verso) An
interesting letter. Very scarce. $750.00
Part II – Briefly Described Items and Signatures on Cards,
Album Leaves, etc.
FACHIRI, Adila. Signed Program. Program signed by the sister of
Jelly d¹Aranyi and grandniece of Joachim. $75.00
FEUERMANN,
Emanuel. Signed
Program. 1939. Very scarce. $400.00 see illustration
FEUERMANN,
Emanuel. Unsigned Photo. Very scarce. $75.00
GRUMIAUX, Arthur. Signature. $125.00 see illustration
SANDOR VEGH QUARTET. Album Leaf Signed. 1961. Signed by Vegh, Zoeldi, Janzer and
Szabo. Uncommon.
Part III – Books, Magazines, etc.
Bachmann, Alberto. LES GRANDS VIOLONISTES DU PASSÉ. Paris, 1913. In French.
vi, 469 pp., fold-out chronology chart of violinists, fold-out of Tartini work, numerous illustrations, musical examples. (9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches, bound in boards with original covers and spine pasted down, one page detached) A fascinating book that features an illustration, some biographical information, a list of compositions, and examples of compostions of some 40 important violinists, including Alard, Baillot, de Beriot, Corelli, Dancla, David, Ernst, Fiorillo, Gavinés, Geminiani, Habeneck, Joachim, Kreutzer, Laub, Locatelli, Millanolo sisters, Nardini, Paganini, Rode, Sivori, Tartini, Vieuxtemps, Viotti, Vivaldi, Wieniasky and Wilhelmj. Extremely scarce. $900.00
Baese, Geary. CLASSIC ITALIAN VIOLIN VARNISH. Its History, Materials, Preparation and Application. Colorado, 1985.
xi, 99 pp., 20 illustrations. (minor wear) A beautiful book with interesting information about the history and preparation of varnish, including recipes, preparation, application and aging. Deluxe edition limited to 1000, bound in red cloth and leather, in a red cloth slipcover. Now completely sold out. $450.00
Bonetti, Carlo. ANTONIO STRADIVARI. Notizie E Documenti. Cremona, 1937.
105 pp., 29 illustrations. (6 3/4 x 9 1/2 in., stiff paper covers a bit worn and stained, bottom corner of pages sl. creased) Very scarce. $185.00 Sold!
Christ-Iselin, W. THE MYSTERY OF CREMONA VARNISH. An Attempted Solution. Leipzig, 1923.
43 pp. (5 x 7 1/2 inches, stiff paper covers, covers mostly detached and taped, sl. chip in back cover) Very scarce. $125.00
Coutagne, Henry. GASPARD DUIFFOPROUCART et les Luthiers Lyonnais du XVIe Siecle. Paris: Fischbacher, 1893. In French.
79 pp., frontispiece. (7 x 11 inches, covers a bit worn and stained, edges of pages untrimmed) Regazzi calls this ³a most valuable contribution to early violin history.² Very scarce! $850.00
(Cremona) L¹ESPOSIZIONE DI LIUTERIA ANTICA A CREMONA NEL 1937. Cremona, 1938.
257 pp., xxvii, 120 plates showing 3 views of each instrument. In Italian, French and German. (beautifully bound in a new cloth and marbled boards cover, w/o the original covers, fine condition) The instruments illustrated in this wonderful catalog include violins of Andrea, Antonio & Gerolamo, and Nicolo Amati, Rogeri, Ruggeri, Andrea, Peter of Venice, Peter of Mantua and Joseph Filius Andreas Guarneri, Joseph Guarneri del Gesu, Bergonzi, Stradivari (30 examples!), Gagliano, Guadagnini, Storioni, Cerutti, etc, etc., and cellos of Rogeri, Ruggeri, Peter Guarneri of Venice, Stradivari, Gagliano and Balestreri. A copy brought about $2100 at the Phillips auction of March, 1995. No. 256 of the edition limited to 500 copies. Extremely scarce. One of the nicest copies of this catalog I have seen in 20 years of collecting and dealing. $2500.00 Sold!
Ditson Co., Oliver. DITSON WONDER BOOK NUMBER ONE. The Violin Family. Boston, 1909.
(4) 140 pp., numerous illustrations. (7 5/8 x 10 5/8 inches, stiff paper covers a bit worn, some sl. wear and chipping to a few pages, a bit dirty) Scarce. $125.00
Doring, Ernest N. (Violins and Violinists Series) MATTEO GOFRILLER OF VENICE. William Lewis and Son, n.d.
unpaged,
numerous illlustrations. (stiff paper covers, some minor wear) Interesting
reprint from the Violins and Violinists magazines, from January 1942, through
July, 1943. The three issues from this series, Amati, Goffriller and
Vuillaume, sold for £440, about
$850 at the Christie¹s auction of November, 1989. Scarce! $110.00
Doring, Ernest N. (Violins and Violinists Series) JEAN-BAPTISTE VUILLAUME OF PARIS. William Lewis and Son, n.d.
84 pp, numerous
illlustrations. (stiff paper covers, some wear and staining to covers, some
underlining in text, some waviness) Interesting reprint from the Violins
and Violinists magazines, from September 1947, through July/August, 1948. $110.00
Ehrlich, A. DAS STREICH QUARTETT IN WORT UND
BILD. Leipzig, 1898. In German.
vii, 83 pp., numerous
illustrations. (10 1/4 x 8 1/8 inches, some rubbing to covers and spine,
several pages reattached) An absolutely wonderful book that includes
photos and biographical information on over 40 quartets, including the
Florentiner, Petri, Lewinger, Brodski, Berber, Hellmesberger, Rosé, Prill,
Fitzner, Soldat-Roeger, Duesberg, Joachim (Berlin), Joachim (London), Londoner,
Dresdener, Suttgart, Halir, Hamburger, Riller, Bohmische, Budapest,
Petersburger, Bologneser, Triester, Kneisel and Romische quartets. Extremely
scarce.
$850.00
FAMOUS INSTRUMENTS OF THE WORLD SERIES. Tokyo: Gakken, 1986.
Three volumes, 10 x 14 1/4 inches, gilt-stamped titles, each volume in a slip-case with similar gilt-stamped titles.
Collection
in the Library of Congress: 80 pp. of photographs in color, 48 pp. of
explanatory text and illustrations. 8 instruments illustrated.
Collection
in the Smithsonian Institution: 132 pp. of photographs in color, 32 pp. of
explanatory text and illustrations, 15 instruments illustrated.
Collection
in the Corcoran Gallery of Art: 88 pp. of photographs in color, 32 pp. of
explanatory text and illustrations, 8 instruments illustrated.
Beautiful full-page photographs by Shinichi Yokoyama, who did the photographs for the book Stradivari in Japan. In English and Japanese. A beautiful set of books. $2200.00
Fischer, Carl. COLLECTION OF OLD RARE VIOLINS. New York, n.d. (1920?)
36 pp., 10 plates of instruments. (6 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches, covers worn and dirty, gutters showing between several pages, some foxing) Quite scarce. $85.00
Fischer, Carl. THE VIOLINIST¹S TREASURE-BOOK of Music, Instruments and Accessories. New York, n.d.
47 pp., numerous illustrations, (6 x 9 inches, paper covers, covers a bit worn and frayed). $45.00
Gittelson and Howard. CATALOG OF RARE OLD VIOLINS. New York, August, 1921.
31 pp., 13 plates. (7 1/2 x 10 inches, paper covers, edges of covers a bit worn, some staining to covers, contents in very good condition)
Quite scarce. $150.00
Grebe, Carl von. DIE KÖNIG-MAXIMILIAN-STRADIVARI. Antonius Stradivarius Cremonesis – Faciebat Anno 1709. Hamburg, 1973.
94 pp., 7 facsimile letters and a facsimile of the Emil Herrmann certificate with 3 photographs included, 3 photographs of the inner sides of the violin. Includes a phonograph record of a Bach sonata and 3 Paganini caprices played on the Maximilian Strad by Michel Schwalbe, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, with a photo of Schwalbe. In German and English. (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches, corner of the record sleeve sl. frayed) No. 441 of an edition limited to 1000 copies. Very scarce. A wonderful monograph. $350.00
Grillet, Laurent. ANCETRES DU VIOLON ET DU VIOLONCELLE. Les Luthiers et les Fabricants d'Archets. Paris, 1901. In French.
Volume I: xxvii, 290 pp., numerous illustrations and musical examples. Volume II: 409 pp., numerous illustrations of instruments and labels. (bound in 3/4 leather and marbled boards, covers sl. worn and rubbed, contents a bit worn) A fascinating, beautiful, and very scarce book tracing the history of the violin. A copy brought £440, about $800 at the Christie's auction of March, 1989. A very nice copy. $750.00
Hamma, Walter. VIOLIN-MAKERS OF THE GERMAN SCHOOL FROM THE 17TH TO THE 19TH CENTURY. Tutzing: Schneider, 1992. Two Volumes. In English, German and French.
Volume I: xvi, 519 pp., Volume II: viii, 591 pp., 390 instruments illustrated with different views on full-page plates. The wonderful addition to the family of Hamma books, and a valuable reference about German makers. New. $750.00
Henderson, Frank V. HOW TO MAKE A VIOLIN BOW. Seattle: Murray Publishing Co., 1977.
x, 182 pp., 127 illustrations. (d.j. sl.
worn) An interesting book that gives step by step instructions for making
a violin bow. Very
scarce. $300.00
Heiles, Anne Mischakoff. AMERICA¹S CONCERTMASTERS. Michigan, 2007.
xviii, 564 pp., numerous illustrations. (7 x 10 inches, stiff paper covers) A fascinating look at the concertmasters of many major American Orchestras, including Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, L.A., New York and Philadelphia. New. $55.00
Heron-Allen, Edward. DE FIDICULIS BIBLIOGRAPHIA. Being the Basis of a Bibliography of the Violin and all Other Instruments Played with a Bow in Ancient & Modern Times. London: The Holland Press, 1961. Reprint of the 1890-1894 edition.
xlv, 416 pp., lxxvii. (5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, no d.j., near-fine condition) A fascinating list of all published books on the violin published until 1894. Scarce in this edition as well. Limited to 500 copies. $350.00
Jalovec, Karel. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VIOLIN MAKERS. London: Paul Hamlyn, 1968.
Two Volumes. Volume I: A-K, 482 pp., 110 plates, 16 color plates. Volume II: L-Z, 399 pp., 86 plates, 8 color plates. (dust jackets worn and torn, contents near-fine, in a slipcase) $850.00
Kirschfink, W. SALES OF STRING INSTRUMENTS (1984-1986) Stolberg, 1986.
Volume I: (Instruments) (viii) 467 pp. (8 1/2 x 12 inches, cloth, corners bumped, some minor wear to covers) $125.00
Lewis, William & Son. THE LEWIS COLLECTION. Old Violins. Old Violas, Cellos, Bows. Works of the Makers of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. Chicago, Fall, 1952.
49 pp., 7 illustrations. (5 1/2 x 8 1/5 inches, stiff paper covers) $45.00
-------- THE LEWIS COLLECTION. Old Violins. Old Violas, Cellos, Bows. Chicago, Spring, 1955.
52 pp., 5 illustrations. (5 1/2 x 8 1/5 inches, spine a bit worn) $45.00
-------- CATALOGUE OF INSTRUMENTS AND ACCESSORIES. Chicago, n.d. (c. 1948)
40 pp. Violins by Dieudonne and Collin-Mezin, bows by Morizot and laberte. (6 1/4 X 9 1/4 inches, stiff paper covers) $25.00
Meisel, K. Lothar, with Betty Vos. THE MEISEL FAMILY. Violinmakers. Klingenthal, Vogtland, Saxony. Minnesota, 2007.
xvii, 269 pp., numerous illustrations. (9 1/8 x 12 1/8 inches, cloth over boards) An interesting new book about this interesting family of violin makers. In English, German, French and Italian. $225.00
Pougin,
Arthur. LE VIOLON. Les Violonistes et la Musique de Violon du XVIe au XVIIIe
siècle. Paris: Librairie Fischbacher, 1924.
358 pp., 20 plates, 36 illustrations, musical examples. In French. (7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, beautifuly bound in leather and marbled boards, with marbled endpapers, covers a bit worn and rubbed, front cover sl. cracked, top edge of pages sl. creased) Includes wonderful plates of Corelli, Tartini, Locatelli, Viotti, Le Clair, Guignon and others. Very Scarce. $550.00
van der Straeten, Edmund. THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLONCELLO, the Viol da Gamba, their Precursors and Collateral Instruments, with Biographies of all the Most Eminent Players of Every Country. London: William Reeves, 1915. Special Two-Volume Edition.
xvii, 700 pp., frontispiece, portrait, 44 plates, 63 illustrations in the text, 10 additional plates of illustrations appearing in the special edition only. (5 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches, bound in vellum and cloth, some minor wear to covers and spine, corners of volume I dnged, the insert telling which number this is of the special edition is missing) Only 100 copies of this special edition were printed. While the insert with the number is the only way the numbered copies were identified, because this copy includes the 10 additional illustrations that were in the special edition only, I am absolutely convinced that this is the special edition. Extremely scarce! $1500.00
Wurlitzer Co., Rudolph. THE HENRY HOTTINGER COLLECTION. New York, 1967.
Frontispiece, 34 full page
plates, 5 of which are in color, plus 6 plates of bows. Violins illustrated
include 12 by Stradivari (including the Hellier, Harrison, and Ruby), and 5 by Guarneri del Gesù (including the Ysaye and the Joachim). (8 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches, bottom of covers sl.
creased, 4 page sl. creased at top, o/w very nice condition) A
copy brought £682, about
$1200.00
