beautiful numbers in a remarkable program of "Gothic " vocal music given under his direction in the chapel of the former imperial palace, at Vienna, during the Beethoven celebrations in March, 1927. From Miss Hannah Fox, Philadelphia, through the kindness of Miss Frances A. Wister, a selection of early American sheet music, some of it printed before 1800, comprising popular songs and dances of the day, including "the favorite air danced by Madam Saqui and the Messrs. Saquis on the tight rope." From Mrs. Eleanor Everest Freer, Chicago, further products of her industrious pen, including the holograph vocal score of her latest opera (A Legend of Spain) and settings of several poems by Mrs. Edith Rockefeller McCormick. From the estate of the late Nina Lea, Philadelphia, 300 volumes and pieces of vocal music, gathered during many years of musical training and travel abroad. From Miss Mary Atherton Leach, Philadelphia, photographs of certain Ephrata material belonging to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. From Leo R. Lewis, Esq., Tufts College, the holograph of Vagabondia, part-song for men's voices, by his brotherin-law, the late Frederic Field Bullard. From Mrs. William Duncan McKim (Leonora Jackson), Washington, 35 orchestra scores (with parts) of violin concerti and concert numbers, and 30 volumes and pieces of music for violin and piano, many of them dating from the time when the giver was a brilliant pupil of Joseph Joachim. From the Honorable Vincent Massey, minister from Canada, the services of the Hart House String Quartet (Messrs. de Kresz, Adaskin, Blackstone, Hambourg) of Toronto, at a concert of chamber music in the auditorium of the Library on February 2, 1928. From Henry D. Maxwell, Esq., Easton, Pa., by the kind initiative of Mrs. Alvin A. Parker, four volumes of the Ephrata community; one a manuscript, Das Lied der Liederen, welches ist Salomons (ca. 1750), which has the characteristic pen and ink ornaments, some of them col ored, peculiar to the work done by the "sisters" of the sect; two printed volumes, Das Gesäng der Einsamen und Verlassenen Turtel-Taube (1747), and Paradisisches Wunder-Spiel (1766, 8vo. edition of the words only); the fourth book is the extremely rare quarto edition of the Paradisisches Wunder-Spiel with words and music (1754), in which the words are printed and the music is added in manuscript. From Joseph Muller, Esq., Closter, N. J., the quaint libretto of The Students' Excursion. A cantata composed expressly for the Beethoven Society of Yale College, and performed at their annual concert . . . April 1, 1861. Music composed by Mr. W. F. Muller. Words by a member of the society. From the Musical Quarterly (O. G. Sonneck, editor) a small bronze portrait plaque (4 by 6 cm.) of Rafael Joseffy (1853-1915), made in 1911, offered "as a token of appreciation for courtesies extended by the music. division." From Mrs. Francis Tazewell Redwood, Baltimore, among other Americana, a copy of "An original collection of psalm tunes extracted . . . by Arthur Clifton, organist of the first Presbyterian church of Baltimore [1819]." This is a very rare collection, in the original covers, containing adaptations from Marcello, Corelli, Pergolesi, Hasse, Haydn, Dussek, C. P. E. Bach, Mozart, Gluck, Handel, etc., showing an early desire for the introduction of a better style of compositions into American church music. From Kaikhosru Sorabji, Esq., London, the holographs of six of his compositions: Sonata No. I for piano (1919), Sonata No. II for piano (1920), Sonata No. III for piano (1922), Fantaisie Espagnole for piano (1919), Valse Fantaisie for piano (1925), Symphony for organ (1924). These manuscripts not only are interesting as the personal documents of a strangely gifted composer, but are veritable museum pieces of the most complex musical notation combined with unusual calligraphy. From Messrs. Steinway & Sons, New York, the continued loan of an upright piano for the use of readers in the division engaged in research and reference work. PURCHASES: Wolffheim sale. From Frederick A. Stock, Esq., conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, seven bound volumes containing the program books for the 29th-35th Chicago concert season (1919-1926), needed to complete the Library's set. From the Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J., 175 double-face disks of the latest recordings as additions to the Library's phonographic archives destined for reference use only. Of the 1,222 items purchased during the last year, by far the greater number consists of material that is needed in the broad and systematic development of the music collection. While this development forms the main task, its efficient pursuit is rather a matter of course and should require no special mention. The following pages, therefore, are devoted to only the more exceptional and interesting items. But their comparative richness must not create the impression that the stabler fare of bread and butter is suffering neglect for the sake of what is no more than an occasional and wholesome indulgence in cake and raisins. The first part of the splendid music library of Dr. Werner Wolffheim has been dispersed by auction. The sale took place June 13-16 in Berlin. It attracted bidders from far and near. Patriotic as well as musicological considerations entered into the bidding. Determined efforts were made by certain German libraries and private collectors to prevent the greatest rarities from going out of the country. The Library of Congress, with equal determination but limited funds, tried to bring some of these rarities to the United States. Under these circumstances it is gratifying to report that the Library, among the five items obtained, captured the most highly prized piece of the whole collection-the tablature book of Hans Judenkunig, printed in Vienna in 1523. It was the last copy likely to be for sale. Only four other copies of this book are known to exist and they are in permanent keeping. It is not in the British Museum, nor in the State Library of Berlin. The copy acquired by the Library of Congress is in a wonderful condition; it belonged at one time to the collection of Geheimrat Wagener at Marburg. |