French Vocal Music Collection, ca. 1780-1862

French Vocal Music Collection: Collection of Romances: FVM 1.

Collection of 61 French Romances; pieces for one or two voices with accompaniment. A bound volume, folio, ‡ red leather, gilt edge with gilt-lettered crest "Mm, la Comtesse de Saint Didier," the apparent composer of some of the works. Almost all published in Paris, principally by Maurice Schlesinger, J. Meissonnier, A. and Ph. Petit, and Pacini. Most items have lithographed title vignettes, some charming, some striking, most by Engelmann, a few by Johanii and Langlum. Most pieces bear the stamped Timbre, "Royal Seine 5 c.".

French Vocal Music Collection: FVM 2-111.

A Collection of French songs and romanceswith piano accompaniment, ca. 1820-1840, including 77 printed editions, all published in Paris, and 33 contemporary manuscripts. Forty-one of the printed songs have lithographed pictorial title pages, many of these satirical in style, and two of the manuscripts include original drawings in ink illustrating the songs. A number of the works are inscribed to a Mr. or Mme. Le Carpentier, evidently one of a family of musicians of that name. The volume includes published songs by Adolphe-Clair Le Carpentier, Aristide Le Carpentier and Jules Le Carpentier, and also a manuscript by Adolphe-Clair (1809-1869), a pianist, teacher and composer who had studied with Fétis at the Paris Conservatoire. A violinist named Carpentier (apparently Adolphe-Clair's father) is named in TNG as a teacher of the noted tenor Gilbert Duprez, who contributed a published song and a manuscript to the present collection.

This large collection includes works by many of the most prominent composers of romances in early 19th-century Paris, as well as some by lesser-known artists. The music, the texts and the many illustrations combine to give a vivid picture of French life at that period, during which the French romance was at the peak of its popularity. These often sentimental strophic songs were taken from opéra comiques from the time of Rousseau, and came to be written expressly for drawing-room performances as well. "By the turn of the [19th] century there was a continuous flow of these songs, affirming their immense popularity. Leading composers of the genre [at that time] include Gossed, Méhul, Rodolphe Kreutzer, C.-H. Plantade, P.J. Garat and Boieldieu ... The most successful composers during this [later] period [ca. 1830] were A. Romagnési, Pauline Duchambge, Auguste Panerson, Loïsa Puget, and F. Masini. The romance continued to appear in opéra comique, especially in the works of Méhul, Cherubini, Boieldieu and Auber." TNG Vol. 16, p. 124.

French Vocal Music Collection: FVM112-267

Collection of French songs, romances and opera excerpts in keyboard-vocal scores. A total of 174 title, most published in Paris, early to mid-19th century; about 30 late 18th-century items are included. Folio. Disbound.

July 1999 Music Library Staff musique@acsu.buffalo.edu http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/music/spcoll/fvmhome.html