Circa 1875 – George Frideric circa 1875 Handel – Messiah: A Sacred Oratorio – Tonic Sol-Fa Pianoforte Score

A fascinating late Victorian edition of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah: A Sacred Oratorio, published in London by the Tonic Sol-Fa Agency, 8 Warwick Lane, E.C., and printed at the Tonic Sol-Fa Press, Plaistow.

Circa 1875, this substantial 248-page Tonic Sol-Fa pianoforte score is bound in burgundy cloth with leather spine and corner pieces, with “MESSIAH” gilt-stamped to the front.

Of particular interest is the personal history retained within this copy. Period newspaper clippings relating to Handel, Messiah librettist Charles Jennens, and “Handel’s organ at Packington” have been carefully added into the volume by a previous owner.

Also retained loose inside is an original programme dated Tuesday 15 December 1936 for a Recital of Christmas Musicat All Saints’ Church, Palmerston North, New Zealand, conducted by J. Holmes Runnicles. The programme includes numerous recitatives, airs and choruses from Handel’s Messiah.

The score bears the earlier ownership inscription “B. Black”.

Complete through page 248 and the concluding Amen. Decorative endpapers. Age-related foxing and toning throughout, with rubbing and wear to the leather corners and binding consistent with its age and evident history of use. Please refer to photographs for condition.

An unusual surviving Victorian Messiah score with an appealing collection of historical ephemera and New Zealand provenance.

Publisher: Tonic Sol-Fa Agency, London
Printer: Tonic Sol-Fa Press, Plaistow
Date: Circa 1875
Format: Tonic Sol-Fa Pianoforte Score
Pagination: 248 pages
Price when published: Seven Shillings
Condition: Antique / used, with age-related wear, foxing and toning; complete
Selling Price: $145 AUD