Selected Piano Classics, Oliver Ditson Co.- 1893-free 'rare' score/piano pieces

[49410enrique]

Ive been meaning to get this thing scanned for months but with the help of the KIC machine (see the link int he post your purchases thread), i was able to scan this in short order without damaging my book (which i was afraid to with tranditional scanners).

This is my oldest score, original publication  1893, what i love about this is how clear it is even without a modern typset.  also for a 120 year old book it is in remarkably good condition, only some mild damage to the binding and a few of the pages.

feel free to download from my scribd shelf. I wanted to host a download link but i maxed the settings at 600 dpi so the file size is  massive adn i do not want to go in and re scan the entire thing in one file one piece format.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/104746102/Selected-Piano-Classics-1893

Hope you all enjoy it. I hope to start working out of it someday in the future (not near future but future still).

[49410enrique]

Dear Pianostreet,

Thanks for all the info, laughs, feedback, praise, etc. Here's my gift back to you. My alter ego "El Don"  has created an alternate download method. Note this will require you to log in but it is free and only takes a few seconds (to sign up, the download depending on your connection might take a while best to just start it and go drill some passages or make a sandwich, preferrably both, not at the same time, in whatever order you prefer). Also, you get the added beni of what I think is the best free deal out there right now at 15 GB of storage and so far as I can tell, no upload size limits as this was the only file hosting account I have (of several) that didn't spit this back at me asking for money.

https://www.4shared.com/office/Jz1mV96a/Selected_Piano_Classics_1893.html?refurl=d1url

Yours Most Sincerely,
49410

[outin]

Hope you all enjoy it. I hope to start working out of it someday in the future (not near future but future still).

That was interesting. Thanks!

Most of those composers quite unknown today. I hope you will soon post recordings of the pieces for us to judge whether they should not be

[49410enrique]

That was interesting. Thanks!

Most of those composers quite unknown today. I hope you will soon post recordings of the pieces for us to judge whether they should not be

i don't know that my shinnanigans should be used as a litmus test for the compositions, I will say that many of them though not well known were (and are still today amongst smaller 'in the know' circles), regarded as incredibly fine composers. Note the age and title of the work, these were 'classics' or were considered 'soon to be classics' , this was the time of parlor recreational recitals and salon concerts.  Americans at this period were increasingly having the funds to afford an instrument (just think about the LONG list of piano builders around at this time) and could afford lessons to play them. So performing for recreation and enrichment, personal enjoyment, and for friends and family, public, etc  for entertainment and such was super common.

The kids at the publishing company would have chosen 'known works' or works in a style of known works they felt would be pleasing to the masses i.e would sell well.  It would not make business sense to put out a 'popular' or 'pop' set of pieces no one had heard of or would likely not enjoy.

There may be some recordings of some of these out and about, I will check my normal sources and the music recordings library at school soon and will post what I can find.  I will eventually get around to playing out of this so if/when that happens at it at least has some semblance of piano music, I will of course be happy to post.

[49410enrique]

example one. will post more as I am to find them.

The first title in the contents page (pg 85 of score, pg 89 of PDF),
Chaminade Cecile, Callirhoe - Air De Ballet

she was kind of a babe. I think I can see why Moritz Moszkowski fell for her little sister Henriette (poor chap, she would eventually run off with his best friend. it wrecked him)

[49410enrique]

more from that hottie Cecile.

Serenade -pg 59 score, pg 63 PDF

[chopin2015]

Beautiful book!!

[49410enrique]

Beautiful book!!

i'm glad you like it, hopefully you'll find some great music in it to play! (some pieces are not super rare, though somewhat rare nonetheless, but some of the them I have not come across them anywhere but here!

a couple more, I'll continue to try and hunt some of these down, if the score is obcure, imagine the odds of finding a recording, then, a decent recording, then a recording in a digital format (I have access to a large collection of Vinyl LP's but I do not yet have the usb LP player that allows for conversion of the audio to a 'savable' format).


Rubenstein - Kamennoi-Ostrow [(Rocky Islands), album of 24 portraits, Op.10]
pg 30 score/ pg 34 PDF

this is really a 'grand piece', so much variety and contrasts in slow lyrical, and robust louder and 'earthly' or 'earthy' (i think has a nice character contrast to the 'angelic' beginning)

"This collection of 24 pieces, or portraits, represents Rubinstein's largest effort for solo piano. The composer wrote it when he was in residence at one of the palaces of the Grand Duchess, Elena Pavlovna, sister-in-law of the Tsar. The palace, located at Kamenniy-Ostrov (Rocky Island)—hence, the name of this collection—was also occupied by a large number of the Duchess' attendants and members of court. These 24 pieces are actually portraits of them and show the influence of many other prominent composers of the day.
The best know portrait in the collection is No. 22, marked Andante. It features a memorable opening theme of ethereal quality, matching well the piece's nickname, "Angelic Dream." The alternate theme is Schumann-esque, and when the opening melody returns, it carries a more muscular cast. "

Pietro Mascagni-Intermezzo (transcription for piano solo from his opera Cavalleria Rusticana)
Pg 76 score/pg 80 PDF

[outin]

more from that hottie Cecile.

Serenade -pg 59 score, pg 63 PDF

Just curious, do you know who is playing these?

[49410enrique]

Theodore Lack, Op 97, Arretta
pg 52 score/pg 56 PDF

Lack (1846-1921) studied and later taught at the Paris Conservatoire. It was his pedagogical "Methode de piano" of 1909 that introduced Debussy's "Le petit negre" to the world.

Cabaletta Op 83
Pg 48 score/pg 52 PDF

Auguste Durand Op 77 Air de Ballet
pg 130 score/pg 134 PDF

The influential French composer and publisher (Marie-) Auguste Durand (1830-1909), established the eponymous publishing house in 1869, and went on to publish works of Saint-Saëns, Fauré, D'Indy, Debussy, Dukas, and other major composers

[49410enrique]

Just curious, do you know who is playing these?

I do but would rather PM it to you as I would need to double check if these are recorded from a commercial release or of they are live, I probably could have searched yt but had these for my own archives so i left out the pianist since i uploaded a file and though you can play it via the forum i think it can be downloaded to (i don't think there's a 'play only' option or i would have used that).

check your messages, thanks for listing and asking


Mr. Sears is a nice guy, I've commented on his videos and messaged him and he has always been super gracious. Incredible reading and sight reading abilities (not much of a memorizer but we all have our strengths and he certainly has run with his, good pianist and I love his effort to bring many of these salon pieces to us ).

Charles Godard : Danse d'Etoiles - Valse , Op. 66
pg 118 score/122 pdf

Charles Godard ' is a pseudonym of the prolific German composer of salon music, Franz Behr (1837-1898). Behr is best known today for the polka which forms the basis of Rachmaninov's 'Polka de W.R.'. He presumably wrote under the name Godard either for copyright reasons, or to compete with salon music written by Frenchmen or in a French style. He also wrote pieces with French titles under the name George Bachmann.