MUSIC -- Receuil de Duo, manuscript on paper with musical notation and lyrics, title-page with hand-coloured engraved border and imprint of Reveillon Md. Papetier, rue de l'Arbre Sec à Paris, [c. 1780].
Oblong 12° (94 x 133mm). 165 leaves. Each page with hand-coloured engraved border of flowers and shells. French songs occupy pp. 1-144, Italian songs pp. 181-275; pp. 146-179 and 276-287 are blank except for staves and borders; index on the last 20 unnumbered leaves. Contemporary French red morocco gilt, sides with dentelle, at centre a chain of flowers forming the letter 'M' surmounted by a wreath, flat directly lettered 'Recueil de duo 2me. dessus', with flower tool at head and large letter 'M' at foot, gilt inner dentelles, blue silk doublures, gilt edges (extremities lightly rubbed). Provenance: Mortimer L. Schiff (ex-libris; sale Sotheby's New York, 7 July 1938, lot 1145).
The letter 'M' in a festoon is characteristic of Derome, see for example his binding to David Garrick's copy of Lucretius (Amsterdam [Paris], 1754), where the covers contain a floral monogram of Gs surmounted by a wreath (see Schiff sale, lot 1021). The rich dentelle border is well-suited to the romanticism of the songs themselves whose refrains include 'Aimez moi comme je voues aime', 'Je veux toujours boire, chanter et rire', 'Ah! quelle recompense mon coeur nage dans le plaisir', 'L'amour est jaloux l'amour est jaloux de ses droites', 'Une égale tendresse va combler nos desirs, va combler nos dessirs', 'Dieu d'amour tes douces chaines valente mieux que la liberté'. A DELIGHTFUL SONG BOOK.