The Golden Lyre: A New Collection of Church Music, Adapted to the Various Metres Now in Use; Together with a New and Extensive Variety of Anthems, Sentences, and Chants, for Choirs, Singing Classes, Musical Associations and Social Sacred Music Circles

Utica, N.Y.: John W. Fuller & Co, 1850. Hardcover. Fair +. 378, [6] p.; 16 x 25 cm. Original calf spine with light green paper over boards. Cover title; publisher's advertisement for Taylor's Choral Anthems on back cover. Imprint includes many additional publishers in various cities. Virgil Corydon Taylor (1817-1891) was an organist in Hartford, Conn., for many years, as well as a composer. In this book, as in others he published, he writes the melody in a staff marked with his own invention as a tenor clef (the notes are the same as in the treble clef, but sung an octave lower by tenors). Many of the songs in this work are by Taylor. In spite of the many publishers involvement in this book's sale, a very scarce cork of antebellum church and social music. In Fair+ Condition: lacking pp. 3-6 and 11-14 (parts of Elements of Vocal Music); cover is heavily rubbed with loss along the front joint and the board edges; 7-cm. tear from fore-edge of title page, with loss along edge but no impact on printing; vertical crease in center of title page with 1-cm. tear at each end; light dampstain in lower corner through p. 70; upper corner dark throughout; scattered soiling and minor foxing.