Recueil D'Ariettes tirées Des meilleurs Operas-Comiques - 18th Century Copyist Manuscript

Used; Like New/Used; Like New. An intriguing volume of manuscript excerpts from eighteenth-century French opéras comiques in an unknown hand. The music collected here is from operas first performed between 1752 (Rousseau, Le Devin du village) and 1775 (Philidor, Les femmes vengées); the work that is represented with by far the most excerpts, Grétry's Zémire et Azor, dating from 1771. Oblong octavo, 8 x 6.5 inches (17.3 cm x 21.3 cm). 134 leaves. Title page with elaborate full-page engraving and lettering, "AU MONTPARNASSE RUE S JEAN DE BEAUVOIS PAR ROBERT BALLARD," indicating that the blank volume was likely issued in a much earlier era: the last Robert in the Ballard dynasty of Parisian music publishers, which held a royal privilege for the publication of music in France from 1752 to 1790, known as Robert III, lived from ca. 1610 to 1672, more than a hundred years before the music was entered in this album. Bound in gilt morocco with raised bands, small iron clamps and gilt edge. Initials "C.G.D.S.L." in gilt to upper and rear boards. An apparently somewhat later, Ex-libris, "Mr. le Chev[ali]er Grangier," ca. early 1800s to inside of upper board. Manuscript note, "Livre de musique pour M.D.S.L." written sideways to verso of front endpaper. Manuscript inscription to upper right corner of title, "à Mr. Grangier fils." Manuscript note, "Suite par moy [crossed out:] avec de [last word illegible] and more scribblings in the same ink to rear endpaper. A "chevalier Grangier" is mentioned as "doyen de conseil de préfecture" in the Journal des debate of September 3, 1816, p. 4.; the initials to the upper board ("C.G.D.S.L.") and the manuscript note, "Livre de musique pour M.D.S.L.", to the front endpaper seem to relate to each other but not necessarily to the subsequent owner "Chevalier Grangier."
The first approximately 12 leaves after the title have been cut from the volume, closely to the spine, with almost no remnants. Their former content is unknown, but it is likely that they were pre-lined with the same six staves of music (the first of them indented) as all the extant pages and filled with music. The following count ignores the cut leaves; the title is counted as folio 1. The first extant leaf after the title is a sub-title lettered, "RECUEIL / D'Ariettes tirées Des meilleurs operas-comiques / De Duni, Monsigny, phylidor et gretry – / appartenant à M-elle Chaptat[?]. (Collection of Marietta culled from the best opéras-comiques by Duni, Monsigny, Philidor and Grétry / belongs to Mademoiselle Chaptat[?]. The handwriting is hasty and not calligraphic.  Besides the composers named here—Egidio Duni (1709–1775), Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (1728–1817), François-André Danial Philidor (1726–1795) and André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (1741–1813)—more composers are represented: Adolphe Blaise (d. ca. 1772), Jean-Paul-Egide Martini (1741–1816), Jean-Joseph Rodolphe (1730–1812), Nicolas Dezède (ca. 1740–1792), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Antoine Albanese (1729–1800) and André-Joseph Exaudet (1710–1762). This sub-title page is followed by musical content—first, airs/ariettas for solo voice and then some duets. Only the vocal parts are given, on separate staves in the case of the duets. Any preludes or postludes are omitted. There is one instrumental piece in between (Exaudet's minuet). Only three items have text underlay, and only in a few cases the composer is identified (see below).
2v [Duni], Ariette de la fée Urgele ["A que l'amour est chose jolie"], D major 3r [Blaise], Ariette d' Annette et Lubin ["Pour mon Annette formons une maisonette"], A major3v [Martini], Duetto L'Amoureux de quinze ans ["On ne peut élever l'enfance"], A major4r [Rudolph], Duetto de L'aveugle de Palmire ["Des simples jeux de son enfance"], D major4v [Duni], Ariette de La clochette, D major5r [Philidor], Ariette de Tom Jones, B-flat major5v [Monsigny], Ariette du Deserteur, D major6r-v [Monsigny], Ariette du Deserteur, D minor7r [composer not identified] Vaudeville, D major7v-8v [Monsigny], Ariette du Deserteur, with text underlay, "C'est mon amant", A major9r-10r [Grétry], Ariette du Sylvain ["Ne crois pas qu'un bon menage"], A major10v [Philidor], Ariette de Tom Jones ["Amour qu'elle est donc ta puissance"], G major11r [composer not identified] Romance du Tounellies [?], G major11v [composer not identified] Romance de Chamere [?], A major (key signature of two sharps only)12r [Dezède], Romance de Julie ["Lison dormait dans un bocage"], D major12v-13r Menuet d'Exaudet, G major13v-14r [Dezède], Ariette de Julie ["Je suis simple née au village"], G major14v-15v [composer not identified] Ariette, G major16r [composer not identified]  Ariette d'avnetiude [?] in D major (same as piece in E-flat major with RISM ID no.: 806930505)16v [Philidor], Ariette de Femmes vengées, A major17r [Grétry], Ariette de Lucille, with text underlay, "O bien suprême helas je touchois", G minor17v [Grétry], Ariette de Lucille ["Qu'il est doux de dire"], A major18r [Dezède], Ariette de l'Erreur d'un moment, G minor18v-19r [Grétry], Ariette du Huron ["Si jamais je prend un époux"], C major19v [Rousseau], Rondeau [du Devin du village, "Allons danser sous les ormeaux"], A major20r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["Du moment qu'on aime"], E major20v-21r [Grétry], Ariette du Sylvain ["Tout le village m'envie"], D minor21v-22r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["Ne vas pas me tromper"], D major22v-23r [Dezède], Ariette de l'Erreur d'un moment, F major23v-24r [Grétry], La Fauvette Ariette de Zémire et Azor, G major24v-25r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["Azor en vain ma voix t'appelle"], C major25v [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["Rose chérie aimable fleur"], G major26r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor, C minor26v-27r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["La pauvre enfant"], G minor27v-28r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["Ah! Quel tourmant"], C minor28v-29r [Grétry], Ariette de Zémire et Azor ["La malheur me rend intrépide"], E-flat major29v-31r [Grétry], Duo du Sylvain ["Avec ton coeur s'il est fidèle"], F major31v-32r [Monsigny,] Duo du Roy et son fermiér ["Un instant il m'attend"], A major32v-33r Aria del Signor Gervaise [?], B-flat major (2 parts marked as "1-er dessus" and "2-ond dessus")33v-34r [Grétry], Duo de Zémire et Azor ["Amour quand ta rigeur"], A major34v Two false starts of the following, crossed out35r [Grétry], Duo de Lucille ["Chantons deux époux que sous se loix"], A major35v-37r Duo d'Albanese ["Viens dans ce verger"], G major37v-39r [Monsigny], Duo de Rose et Colas ["M'aime tu",] G major39v-40r [Duni], Ariette des Moissonneurs, B-flat major40v-42v [Grétry], Duo de Zémire et Azor, B-flat major
The remaining 94 leaves (folio 43-134) are lined with six staves like the others but left blank. An exception is fol. 109r, which contains scribblings in pencil, including the English word "love", apparently in a child's hand. These scribblings evidently from a later period. Folios 124v and 125r with small ink stains, further leaves lacking after folio 134.  Overall in fine condition.