MUTH-RASMUSSEN, [Paul Diderich]. Zwei Lieder für 4 Männerstimmen und dem Studentensingverein in Copenhagen gewidmet von Muth-Rasmussen.

Presented by Composer to Music Director

MUTH-RASMUSSEN, [Paul Diderich]. Zwei Lieder für 4 Männerstimmen und dem Studentensingverein in Copenhagen gewidmet von Muth-Rasmussen. Copenhagen: I.G. Salomon for C.C. Lose & Olsen. 1841.

8vo; publisher’s printed self-wrappers; pp. [3], [1 (blank)]; text in Danish and German; some soiling to wrappers, old tape repair to spine; moderate spotting; a good copy; 1846 presentation inscription to title ‘Musikdirectorat Brandt | til erindring | Muth Rasmussen‘loosely inserted leaf (pp. 2) with lyrics in Danish (in Brandt’s hand?, see below).

First edition of these two songs for four male voices to be sung by the Copenhagen student choir, with lyrics in German and Danish, presented by the author to Danish music director Christian Brandt (1815–1895).

Muth-Rasmussen (1806–1855) was singing master at Oslo’s Christiania Theatre from 1837 to 1839; this work was published whilst he was on tour throughout Denmark; he subsequently worked as organist and city musician of Horsens from 1844 to 1853, also producing several songbooks and music textbooks for schools. Presented here are a mourning song for a young musician and a drinking song composed for the play Ein kaiserlicher Einfall. Muth-Rasmussen also wrote the music for the 1835 drama Yelva, written by Eugène Scribe and Théodore Ferdinand Vallou de Villeneuve and premiered in Copenhagen.

The Copenhagen Studenter-Sangforeningen (also known as Studentersangerne), one of Denmark’s oldest male-voice choral institutions, was established in 1839. Loosely inserted in our copy is a leaf of song lyrics in four stanzas, dedicated (by Brandt?) to Muth-Rasmussen.

Provenance: Christian Brandt was born in Allborg and became a musician in the 2nd Jutland Regiment in 1827; in 1842 he travelled to the Mediterranean aboard the frigate Thetis as the conductor of the ship’s band. Muth-Rasmussen presented this copy to him in 1846, the year he became music director of the Travelling Actors’ Company of Lange; he was later inaugural music director and singing instructor of the Casino Theatre (built by the founder of Tivoli Gardens in 1847 and converted into a theatre in 1848) and the Dagmar Theatre.

OCLC finds copies in Denmark only; not on Library Hub.

On Brandt, see Sohlmans Musiklexikon.

SKU: 2126410