MUSICIANS

See her entry and the recipient's in the Oxford DNB. The two items are in fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter is lightly creased and the card has a central vertical fold. ONE: ALS. 1p, 12mp. Signed ‘Marjory Kennedy-Fraser’. Once the recipient has ‘got what you want out of the Vol III herewith’, she asks her to ‘kindly return it to Mrs. Matthay at 96, Wimpole St’. TWO: ACS.

The plaque referred is ‘attached to the rock face fronting Regent Road immediately to the east of the steps leading from the end of Waterloo Place to Calton Hill’, and was unveiled in 1894. The entry with Canmore ID 302221 gives some detail, but has no mention of the present appeal. 1p, 4to. On recto of first leaf of bifolium of laid paper. Discoloured and worn, but with text intact and clear. The authors are named as: ‘DAVID PRYDE, M.A., LL.D., / President of the Edinburgh Burns’ Club. / JAMES CRICHTON, Hon. Secy. / JOHN WALKER, Acting.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 4to. On light-blue paper, with letterhead in dark-blue and red. Signed ‘Ralom’, with ‘RALOM & ROSA’ typed beneath. In good condition, lightly aged. Writing to MP at the Evening News, London. ‘There has [sic] been quite a few remarks passed by critics of the “paucity” of Acts in the Variety profession.

Stiff paper covers clipped together, blue, stained, 95pp., 4to, text, good condition. From the lack of information about this play, it obviously bombed. The script by Ned Sherrin and Caryl Brahms was called Oom - Pah - Pah. It was a translation of a long - running Parisian hit Les Pupitres, which means the music stands. The idea was simple. A second - rate orchestra runs out of money and disbands. The musicians wander around Paris using their instruments in weird and witty ways to earn a sou or two. Based on Devos's Les Pupitres (see Braham Murray, The Worst it can be is a Disaster, p.36.

For a detailed report of the Incorporated Society of Musicians conference at which these autographs were given, and which took place in Birmingham over the five days between 30 December 1912 and 3 January 1913, see Musical Times, 1 February 1913, pp.113-114. Thirteen signatures of British pre-war musical figures, on ten pieces of paper, ranging from 16 x 19 cm to 7 x 13 cm, nine of them on parts leaves of various colours cut from an album. In good condition, lightly aged. In only two cases are the signatures on both sides of the paper, on the other eight the reverse is blank.

2pp., 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The year has been added in another hand in pencil. Reads: 'Most grateful to you dear Mrs Bartholomew for all your kind care & thought. I have yet to go finally through the sheets and correct all it [sic] stopping &c. so that your corrections will be of great use – I am just off to America for a good long holiday. | Good bye | Yours very truly | & obliged | G. Grove'.

The two signatures are on one side of a 14 x 18cm leaf of cream paper removed from an album. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with laid down. Good clear examples. Beecham's signature 'Thomas Beecham' is above that of 'Ethel Frank'. Probably given on Franks first visit to Britain in 1921. Small magazine cutting of photograph of three musicians laid down on reverse.

8pp., inc. title. cr. 8vo, staples rusted, ow good condition. No copy listed on COPAC.

Programme: 12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Printed in green on orange paper. Text clear and complete. On lightly-aged paper with slight wear to extremities. Dargavel's signature is in pencil in the top left-hand corner of the second page: 'Best Wishes, | Bruce Dargavel'.

On neat rectangle of grey paper, roughly 14.5 x 5 cm, laid down on piece of pink paper removed from autograph album. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Firm, bold signature: 'Flora M. Woodman./'

12mo, 1 p. Six lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She will 'keep January free' for him, and they can 'arrange the details of programme later'. She agrees that 'a wholly-Brahms programme might be rather heavy'. See Florence's obituary, The Times, 7 November 1928.

4to, 4 pp. Bifolium. 87 lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with wear to extremities and a spike hole to one corner. Written in ink in a Victorian hand, and with three changes in pencil. Docketed at head 'The art of Vocalization'. Towards beginning writes that the subject is one which he has 'studied many years in close connexion with the most eminent Masters of Italy, most of whom I may rank among my personal friends, and the pith of whose conversations, added to my own experience I propose embodying in a few short essays upon the Formation of the Voice'.

Both letters are tipped in on a captioned sheet removed from an autograph album. Both items lightly-aged, but good. Item One: 12mo, 1 p. Inviting him to 'a small dance for Hubie' at a location 'lent by Miss Constable'. 'You need not dance!' Item two: 12mo, 1 p. Asking him to 'come fairly early' the next day, and to 'stay on after the children have gone & have supper - of a sort'. Refers to 'H's party'.

12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly-aged and ruckled paper. He explains that the 'remaining dates of the 4tett Class had to be alterered', given the alternatives. 'I hope you will not be inconvenienced by that change and that you kindly will assent to it.' He gives the date of her next lesson, to which he looks forward.

On a leaf of pink paper, roughly 18 x 23.5 cm, removed from an album. Good, on lightly aged paper. The score, on the recto, consists of eight grand staff bars, titled 'St. Andrew | A + M 403. | Jesus calls us; o'er the tumult | E. H. Thorne'. The score is folowed by the signature 'A. E. Thorne | 30th. Aug 1929.' The autographs, on the reverse, read 'Yours Very Sincerely | Russell Thorndike. | (Death in Everyman.) | Grey Friars Mar. 1929.' and 'Harry Alfred Harding | June 1. 1929.' Thorne was a leading figure in the late-Victorian Bach revival. Thorndike was the detective novelist.

On the recto of a piece of pink paper, roughly 17.5 x 23.5 cm, removed from an autograph album. Good, on lightly aged paper. Phillips's autograph is in the top left-hand corner, reading 'Montague F. Phillips | March 1927.' Above it are four bars of musical notation, marked 'allegro' and titled 'The Fishermen of England. The Rebel Maid" - both by Phillips).' Beneath this, and divided from it by a diagonal line, is Phillips's wife's autograph: 'Yours sincerely | Clara Butterworth'. The couple met while both students at the Royal Academy of Music.

On a leaf of blue paper (roughly 11 x 14 cm), removed from an autograph album. Good: lightly aged and spotted. Reads 'With best wishes The Hedley Ward Trio | Jack Mckechnie | Derek Franklin | Bob Carter'. Docketed, presumably by the recipient, with the members' instruments. Hedley Ward was one of the foremost British bandleaders of the 30s, 40s and 50s, and his Trio featured in many radio and television broadcasts, and are still to be heard on archive programmes.

On piece of laid paper (roughly 8.5 x 16 cm) cut from diary. On aged paper with wear and 1 cm closed tear at head. Clear and clean signature, beneath the heading 'July 17'.

On piece of laid paper paper (roughly 11 x 16 cm) cut from diary. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Under the heading 'June 25'.

On piece of laid paper (roughly 13 x 11 cm). Aged and chipped. Reads 'Yours truly | Frank Barrington Foote'. Chipping to the outer edge, very close to the last couple of letters of the signature. Foote, who frequently sang with Adelina Patti at Covent Garden, ended his days destitute in New York City.

Quarto: 40 pp. In original printed wraps, decorated with various facsimiles. Facsimiles in text, and portrait of Beethoven on rear inner wrap. Good, on browned paper. Sections on painters, writers, poets, architects, sculptors, musicians. Nods towards the American market, with some entries in English and Dollar conversions. Together with Nebehay's attractive bifoliate trade card, carrying a photograph of his premises.

Good, in felt-tip pen on piece of blue paper, roughly 8 x 13 cms, with the slightest discoloration at extremities.

Two pages, 12mo. Very good. He was absent when the letter to his wife (the English contralto Charlotte Dolby) arrived. He has heard 'the little boy', and thinks that 'with proper care he may turn out a good Violinist, but he hs to undo every thing and to be guided in the right Way. He has undoubtedly great disposition. If he is persevering and hard Worker (the Violin being the most difficult instrument) I believe he can be one day a very good player'. It is however 'impossible for me to forsee in the future before he has a good start in his Studies.'

Both cards self-stamped. CARD ONE is very good and has printed on it a stamp of Queen Elizabeth II. Addressed to Powell and his wife, it does not appear to have gone through the mails. 'Most kind of you to write - we led a quick <?> in the car, & then a meeting in the afternoon. We <?>: Jill also, who we havent seen lately. | Many thanks | [signed] Adrian C. B.' CARD TWO is somewhat aged, with a stain and some wear on the address side. It reads 'I too have written to Kellogg's! | [signed] Adrian C Boult'.

English contralto singer (1821-85). Signature on piece of paper of irregular shape (practically oval): roughly nine centimeters by four centimeters at the widest points. In poor condition: on paper discoloured by age and glue from previous mounting, and with hole and closed tear slightly affecting signature. Reads 'Your's very truly | Charlotte H Dolby', so presumably predating the singer's marriage in 1860.

Author and musician (1826-1906), described by Louise Jopling as 'a rich bachelor' and 'a noted figure in the seventies'. 1 page, 16mo. In good condition despite slight creasing and discoloration. Letterhead in green and black ink. Reads 'My dear Locker, | Many thanks - I will meet you at the Athenaeum at 3 o'Ck. on Tuesday - I have done, & shall do nothing till then. | Every yrs. | Hamilton Aïdé'.

Anglo-German soprano vocalist, mother of Richard Mansfield. 2 pages, 16mo. Grubby and creased, but in good condition overall. Written in purple ink in a small tight hand. She wonders whether the Maitlands have 'set me down by this time as the most illmannered and ungratefull of all beings', or if they know what she has been doing since they sent her 'the information about Liverpool'. After the evening they spent together she 'had the children home, your kind information came and I discussed the matter with Harry'.