AA. VV. - Guillaume Tell - 1830

Overtures, revolutions, and triumphant marches: The European opera transformed into salon music
English musical collection from the first half of the nineteenth century, composed of several independent fascicles later assembled into a single volume, dedicated to the harp and piano with optional accompaniments. The great European operas, from Rossini to Auber, are here reworked for domestic use, reflecting the London bourgeois taste for operatic transcription, instrumental virtuosity, and the private spectacle of theatrical music. The volume exemplifies the editorial and musical circulation of opera within the Anglo-Saxon context.
Market value
In the international market for 19th-century musical books, composite volumes for harp and piano with arrangements by N. C. Bochsa, containing transcriptions from Rossini and Auber and published by leading London publishers, generally range from 1,200 to 2,500 euros, with significant increases for complete, well-preserved copies in contemporary binding. The diversity of publishers and the composite nature, if well documented, are considered more as a collectible interest rather than a limitation.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary half-leather binding with marbled boards, spine with gilt fillets and titles, label applied to the front cover with the inscription "MISSES MOORE". Wear on the spine and corners, marginal abrasions, some browning and foxing of the paper. A composite collection of musical editions engraved on copper, with numerous typographic and ornamental frontispieces and musical scores. Some pages are loose. In ancient books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 2nn; 12; 2nn; 12; 2nn; 6; 2nn; 10; 2nn; 12; 2nn; 6; 2nn; 10; 4nn; 8; 2nn; 8; 2nn; 16; 12; 2nn; 10; 2nn; 6; 10; 4nn; 8; 2nn; 16; 2nn; 4; 2nn; 10; 2nn; 10; (2).

Full title and author
Overture to G. Rossini’s Grand Opera Guillaume Tell, arranged for the harp and piano forte, with accompaniments (ad lib.) for flute and violoncello, dedicated to Miss Richards and Mr. Henry Field of Bath, by N. C. Bochsa. With additional marches and celebratory pieces arranged for harp and piano.
London circa [1830]
Various Authors

Context and Significance
The collection illustrates a typical publishing practice of London's musical scene between the 1820s and 1830s: the publication of independent musical issues, often dedicated to single overtures or successful pieces, later assembled into personal volumes. Rossini's and Auber's works, originally created for the theater, are adapted to a domestic and bourgeois context, where the harp assumes a central role as a symbol of social distinction and refinement. The coexistence of multiple publishers within the same volume reflects not only the vitality of London's music market but also the strong demand for a 'reduced' opera repertoire, intended for study, entertainment, and private performance.

Biography of the Authors
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) was one of the greatest opera composers of the early nineteenth century; his overtures enjoyed enormous editorial success, even in transcription form.
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782–1871) was a key figure in French opéra-comique and grand-opéra; La muette de Portici (Masaniello) achieved extraordinary European popularity.
William Henry Steil (active in the first half of the 19th century) was an English composer of instrumental and celebratory music, featured in the catalogs of the leading London publishers.
Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (1789–1856) was a Franco-British harpist, composer, and educator, renowned for his activity as a virtuoso and for his extensive collection of arrangements for the domestic repertoire.

Printing history and circulation
The volume gathers booklets published by at least two major London publishers, S. Chappell and Goulding & D’Almaine, both active in the dissemination of music for harp and piano. The individual pieces were designed for separate sale, with price indications on the title pages, and later compiled into a single binding for private use. The presence of multiple authors and publishers is consistent with the collecting and musical practices of the period and constitutes a qualifying element of the copy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Bowers, J., The Harp in the Age of Romanticism, Cambridge University Press.
Humphries, C., Smith, W. C., Music Publishing in the British Isles, Oxford University Press.
WorldCat, records related to the musical editions of N. C. Bochsa published by S. Chappell and Goulding & D’Almaine.