Monday, March 8, 2010

Antique books and sheet music finds

Hello everyone!
I thought I would share with you some lovely finds that I found at an antique store with some friends this past weekend! I was so shocked, excited, and astounded at what I had been blessed to find! In this post I will show you the antique music books and sheet music I was so happy to aquire!

This first book is not dated for its age, but by far its the oldest of my bunch of 10 different finds. It has notes in it by the previous owner of being played through as early as 1907!!!!!!! I was appauled at how old it was.

It is a series of beautiful, yet technical, and challenging piano exercises. EEEEPPPP!!!! It just makes me smile and want to shreak for joy! I love music so much and I could play the piano and sing all day if I was allowed to!!!! So these treasures really made by weekend so special and even more exciting besides getting to see new and old friends.




Here is one note where the owner dated it September 7/07 and I assumed that ment 1907 and not 2007. I hope so!!


Another place where it says May 07/07! I am so excited about this one because of the marks and writing in this lovely little book.




This book of choral music of Psalm 112 intrigued me because I am just fascinated with Handels works! I have wanted to sing the Messiah for a few years now at a local church, but it always conflicted with other activities. I am determined to do it next year! And I am want to maybe learn some of the soprano or alto solos in here for fun as well as look at the complex parts for the choir.



The owner even signed her name. Her name was Diana! How lovely I thought.










Look at the piano part compared to the voices!!!! Oh my goodness! the pianist would have had their work cut out for them!



This peice intrigued me by the cover as well as the peice that awaits me on the inside. It looks lovely to play on the piano forte.




It was only 50 cents! I still can't get over how the prices were so different way back when!




Ok when I saw this peice of sheet music in the wooden crate at the antique store I have to admit I almost bought it just because the cover was so stunning!!!!! But then I looked inside and it looks beautiful to play as well. I never knew a cover could be so amazing for a piano peice. :)

The person actually dated when they played it! September 21, 1928! I am just loving all the hand written notes, dates, and check marks by peices others have played way back when.



The inside is beautiful too.


This peice is a mazurka from a ballet and I just love that it says on the front cover for the piano forte, not for the piano. :)



This peice is from 1929 and it looks like lots of fun to play. :)



My mother said she used to love to sing this song! I want to learn it soon. :)


It even says the dates that the person who used to own this music performed the peice. The first date reads the 27th of february 1927, the 8th of january 1933, and the 18th of november 1934! This is at the top of the left hand corner of the cover of the sheet music. I thought that was so neat!



Only 75 cents for it when it was new!!

A little peak at the music.

This book is I think in the worst condition out of the 10 books and peices of sheet music I purchased on saturday. It smells more than the others! :) But it is wonderful! I love the cover art and the music is piano/organ arrangements of famous songs from various operas! I was excited of course!



Only 50 cents!!! Can you believe it!


even the table of contents is beautiful! I just love it!

This Opera entitled "Il Trovatore" looked so intruging and I had to have it. I plan to learn some of the songs from this book as well and it even has the whole opera with the music for voice and piano, as well as all the lines of the whole opera along side the music! wonderful I thought! I love operas! I have never seen one, but would love to see one someday or even be in one! hehe

The characters in the play listed here.



As you can see it has the songs they sing between their lines. It is all in italian, but they also have english translation beneath the itialian words. wonderful and brilliant I thought! Now I need friends who could also sing and they could do the whole opera with me! that would be so much fun to do together. Maybe in my second life! ;)

This book was such a great find!!! It has wonderful vocal exercise and when I finish my Vacai books and my other vocal exercises books using vowels I will start this one. I love the cover, but the music inside is also great!





A little peak of the inside, the exercises are all numbered and this page shows some harder exercises.



The inside of the book also said this as well as that it was only $1.00 when it was originally sold!! Its old! But it does not have a date.


This book from Schirmer's music library caught my mother and I by suprise. We have so many of Schirmer's music libraries books and we had not heard of this one. They are as old as the 1930's, but we have new and old of other piano and vocal exercise and music books. This one is vocal exercises as well.


Look at the last exercise of the book!!!!!!! Its crazy! But I want to be able to do that by the next year or two! I love singing and challenges are so much fun! I am doing some italian right now that is quite challenging from my italian book of italian classics fo and I love it! its so dramatic, yet technical.



Well I hope you all enjoyed seeing these finds. I just still can't get over them and that I was blessed to find them. I guess I just have not been to an antique store or thrift store that had music in such a long time and I bought quite a bit. :) The guy that sold them to me had lots more and I looked through only about half of it. I may have to go back next time I visit my friends down in Fredricksburg.

God bless and have a blessed week worshipping Him!


In Christ,

Rebecca

8 comments:

Bramblewood Fashion said...

What wonderful finds! You would love all the old music sheets and books I have collected for the piano. Even though I can't read music or play much. =) Maybe I should post pictures on my private or Home Life blog?

Rebecca Ann said...

Ashley you definately should post pictures! I would love to see your collection!!!

Gaby said...

Thank you for posting the pictures! I love looking at old music books! I am a beginner in the music field so I can not play much but enjoy listening to others play. My younger sister and I love to sing together!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I can definitly see how those finds made your weekend (and your week, and maybe even the next few weeks!) Have fun playing!

Hannah

Rebecca Ann said...

Gabrielle and Hannah I am glad you all enjoyed looking!

Gabrielle that is wonderful you are learning and keep it up! I love singing with my sister and parents as well.

Yes Hannah it made my weekend! I cannot wait till tomorrow when I sit down and play through them some more!

Danielle Pajak said...

Beautiful! I am so happy for you that you were able to find these! I absolutely agree with you about the Noontide Reverie. Talk about a Graphic Designers dream! *sigh* I love finding old things like this. The only really old book I have is a French New Testament. It is pretty nice! A friend purchased it from a bookstore in England. Apparently there is a bookstore outside London or somewhere that is absolutely FILLED with old books like these ones you found! My sister has an old published sheet music of a piece by Beethoven.

Good post! You have such a passion for music that really comes through in this post. :-)

Rebecca Ann said...

I just love the art as well on old sheet music!!!

Oh your Old Testament sounds wonderful! I love old Bibles that are worn and well used and loved! You should post pictures on your blog!

Oh I went to London last september and we went to a little book store when we went to Bath and my sister and I loved it! We got a few great books for my mother and a friend. I wish I had gone to that book store too! maybe there will be another opportunity!

Oh thank you! I am glad that my love your music came through! Its really something I have always loved since I could sing, when I was 2 and it was my first love before cleaning, reading, sewing, crocheting, and many other things. So music is a great focus in my life and this blog I hope. :)

Danielle Pajak said...

I will post a couple of pics of the old Bible just for you! :)

You loved music ever since you were 2? That is really awesome! I have loved the arts only since I was 5! Haha! Whatever path God chooses for you in school and in your life, I know you will be able to use your music for His glory. I don't believe God gives us talents and passions for no reason at all. He will use your talents for the Church. :)