VERDI WRITES TO MARIA WALDMANN WHO APPEARED IN HIS FIRST PRODUCTION OF AIDA IN MILAN   GIUSEPPE VERDI. ALS: "G. Verdi", 1p, 4½x3½. Sant'Agate, 1889 November 18. To his close friend, Maria Massari Waldmann. In Italian, partially translated. In part: "Thank you, my dear Maria, and thanks to your kind Duke for the affectionate remembrance...Greetings to the Duke and a warm handshake...." On February 8, 1872, mezzo-soprano MARIA MASSARI WALDMANN starred as Amneris in the Milan premiere of Aida under Verdi's direction. At the time of this letter, Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) spent part of the year at the Villa Verdi at St. Agata diBusseto, close to his birthplace in Le Roncole, and part in Genoa in an apartment in the Palazzo Doria. Inscription on verso of Verdi's letter, in Italian: "To my dear/friend Margherita/from/Maria Massari/Zavaglia/Ferrara, 22-1-905". There is a collection of nearly 100 letters from Verdi to Waldmann in La Biblioteca del Conservatorio "G.B. Martini" in Bologna, Italy. Lightly stained. Overall, fine condition. read more...

THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS: JOHN PHILLIPS, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, DENNIS DOHERTY and CASS ELLIOT The Mamas and Papas sign a document to Dunhill Records, Inc., Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. and Wingate Music Corp. Rare Typed Document Signed: "John Phillips", "Michelle Gilliam Phillips", "Cass Elliot" and "Dennis Doherty", 3p, 8½x11, separate sheets. No place, 1967 September 28. In letter form to Dunhill Records, Inc., Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. and Wingate Music Corp. A listing of seven points to confirm the "understanding and agreement between you and the undersigned....". In part: "Trousdale agrees to cancel as of October 1, 1966 the 10% collection charge which was deducted in the computation of our writers' royalties for the last half of 1966...We acknowledge and agree that mechanical royalties are payable by Dunhill and its parent and affiliated companies to Trousdale and Wingate on 90% of gross sales and that writers' royalties are payable by Trousdale and Wingate on the same 90% basis...You and we hereby read more...

THE MAMAS and THE PAPAS: JOHN PHILLIPS, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, DENNIS DOHERTY and CASS ELLIOTT The Mamas and the Papas sign a document terminating their contract with Dunhill Records, Inc., Beverly Hills, California. Photocopied Typed Document Signed: "John Phillips", "Michelle Phillips", "Dennis Doherty" and "Cass Elliott" and by the President of Dunhill Records, Inc. in ink, 1p, 8½x11. No place, 1967 September 25. Termination of their contract in letter form to Dunhill Records, Inc., Beverly Hills, California. Begins: "Gentlemen". In full: "This will confirm our understanding and agreement with you that the letter agreement dated as of April 28, 1966 between your predecessor in Dunhill Records Ltd. and us (a photocopy of which is annexed hereto) is hereby cancelled and nullified." Additional photocopy mentioned in document is not present. The day after this contract, Lou Adler resigned from Dunhill Records and was hired by the Mamas and the Papas to be their producer and, as an independent contractor, to supervise, direct and produce their recording sessions. read more...

THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS: JOHN PHILLIPS, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, DENNIS DOHERTY and CASS ELLIOT The Mamas and the Papas sign a document amending their agreement with Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. Rare Typed Document Signed: "John Phillips", "Michelle Phillips", "Cass Elliot" and "Dennis Doherty", 1p, 8½x11. No place, 1967 August 17. To the Grammy Award-winning duo in letter form from Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. Amendment to their Agreement of October 4, 1965 (updated on April 28, 1966). In part: "Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. shall have the right to assign to Wingate Music Corp., all rights acquired by it pursuant to the terms of the Agreement including, without limitation the songwriting services of any or all of you and any copyrights acquired thereunder...." Also signed: "Larry Newton" as President of Trousdale Music Publishers, Inc. The Mamas and the Papas, who were formed in New York in 1964 and disbanded in 1972, had already had a Grammy Award-winning hit, "Monday, Monday" (1966), by the time they signed this document. read more...

BUDDY HOLLY He has signed his handwritten answers to a high school quiz, before he changed the spelling of his name! Autograph Manuscript signed: "Buddy Holley", 1 page, 8x10¼. Sheet of two-hole loose-leaf paper from his junior high or high school days in Lubbock, Texas. No date. The second page of a test graded with red pencil. Headed: "2". In full: "22. Hidalgo/23. nitrogen-humus/24. Pecan/25. Insurance-Retail trade-/Wholesale trade-manufacturing/26. Peanuts/27. Corn-Oats/28. Mineral water and salts/29. Federal Reserve Bank/30. Fourth/31.---/32. State capitol-Texas University/33.---/34. S.M.U. Southern Methodist University/35. T.C.U. Texas Christian University/36. Bal Baylor College/37. Price University University of Houston/38.---(Houston-University of Houston)/39.---(Houston-Baylor Medical College)/40.---(Houston-Texas School of Dentistry)". Number 22 ("Hidalgo") is marked wrong. #23 "nitrogen" is underlined, "humus" is circled, and "½" is written, probably giving half credit for the answer. Numbers 31 and 33 (no answers) are marked wrong. Born in 1936 in Lubbock, Texas, as Charles Hardin Holley, he became known as "Buddy". Holley attended J.T. Hutchinson Junior High in Lubbock. read more...

THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS: JOHN PHILLIPS, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, DENNIS DOHERTY and CASS ELLIOT The Mamas and Papas sign a document requesting that the royalties from Dunhill Records, Inc. be paid. Rare Typed Document Signed: "John Phillips", "Michelle Phillips", "Cass Elliot" and "Dennis Doherty", 1p, 8½x11. No place, 1967 September 26. To Dunhill Records, Beverly Hills. In full: "The undersigned hereby irrevocably instruct and direct you to pay a sum equal to twenty (20%) per cent of any and all royalties payable to us from Dunhill Records, Inc., attributable to the sale of records embodying our performances on master recordings produced by Lou Adler, to Mr. Lou Adler at 800 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles, California 90024. All recording costs are to be borne solely by us." Adler's name and address are crossed out in black pen, most probably before this document was sold to a collector/dealer. The day after this contract, Adler resigned from Dunhill Records and was hired by read more...

AUTHENTIC LEATHER COLLAR WORN BY BULLET, ROY ROGERS' "WONDER DOG"   [ROY ROGERS]. Dog Collar, unsigned. Black leather dog collar decorated with studs and red plastic "jewels", 19 inches long, one inch wide. "Roy Rogers" imprinted in capital letters in white on back. This collar, which was originally sold at an auction held at the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, California, was worn by Roger's "wonder dog", Bullet. A founding member of the Western music group, Sons of the Pioneers (1934), Roy Rogers (1911-1998) broke into films as a singing cowboy the following year. Beginning in 1938, he had starring roles in dozens of Western films. From 1951-1957, Rogers, "The King of the Cowboys", and Dale Evans, "The Queen of the West", whom Rogers married in 1947, starred in The Roy Rogers Show. Their co-stars included Trigger, Roy's golden palomino, Dale's horse, Buttermilk, Pat Brady (Roy's comic sidekick) and Bullet, the Wonder Dog. Normal wear at edges. Fine condition. read more...

TAX DOCUMENT REVEALS THAT GEORGE GERSHWIN GOT 60% AND IRA GERSHWIN RECEIVED 40% FROM THEIR COLLABORATIONS   GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN. Carbon Typed Document Signed: "George Gershwin" and "Ira Gershwin", 1p, 8½x13. Los Angeles, California, 1936 September 30. In part: "GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN each, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That he is one of the parties to the written agreement dated July 29, 1936, executed by and between RKO STUDIOS, INC. and GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN, under the terms and conditions of which the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin are employed by the said RKO Studios, Inc. and under the terms and conditions of which the compensation payable to the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin is paid to them jointly, without any allocation between them. That under the terms and conditions of an agreement existing between the said George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin all compensation received by them read more...

JEAN SIBELIUS and IRVING BERLIN Framed Gallery of History display (35x25), including Berlin's signature on a card attached to a musical biography; and a typed letter signed by Sibelius in 1953, politely declining to answer the question of whether Berlin is "America's greatest composer". TLS: "Jean Sibelius" in English, 1 page, 6x8½. Järvenpää, 1953 June 4. To Cyril Clemens, President, The International Mark Twain Society. In full: "Many thanks for your latest letter with your account of my life and career. It was very well written, indeed, with much ability and sympathy. Please accept my cordial thanks for it. The article about Irving Berlin I have read with much interest. His works are indeed performed here very often. If he is America's greatest composer, is of course difficult to say. America has many prominent composers by now. It is almost impossible to say such a thing about any composer. With all my kindest regards". Mid-horizontal fold, not at signature. Fine condition. In this letter to Cyril Clemens of the Mark Twain Society, JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957) expressed the difficulty of calling any one composer a country's "Greatest Composer". read more...