Collection of Early American and 19th-Century Music Books (5 Volumes, 1785–Early 1900s)
Includes:
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The Hour of Singing — L.O. Emerson & W.S. Tilden, Oliver Ditson & Co., c.1881.
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Cantus Ecclesiae, or The Sacred Chorister — H.W. Berray & J.F. Sandbridge, Philadelphia, mid-1800s.
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Church Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes — Joseph Mainzer, Columbia, mid-1800s.
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Songs of the Nation — S.W. Burdett & Company, Boston, late-1800s patriotic school songbook.
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Thomas Jefferson: Monticello Music 1785 — Cary H. Randolph, St. Louis, modern reprint (mid-20th century).
Description
A charming group of historic American music and hymn books spanning over a century of cultural change—from early psalmody and sacred chorister manuals to patriotic songbooks and Jefferson-era re-creations.
Together they illustrate how music education, religious expression, and national pride were taught in homes, schools, and churches from the colonial period through Reconstruction.
Highlights include:
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The Emerson & Tilden Hour of Singing—one of Oliver Ditson’s leading 1880s teaching manuals.
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Cantus Ecclesiae and Church Collection, early mid-19th-century hymnals in their original bindings.
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Songs of the Nation, decorated with an American flag cover design.
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Monticello Music 1785, a small-press reproduction of Jefferson-era compositions.
All show period wear, but most are complete and solid—a ready-made display or reference set for collectors of early American music or religious publishing.
Condition
Varied: bindings worn, toning, some losses or detached boards; Hour of Singing and Songs of the Nation remain intact and readable.
Sold as a group for historical and decorative interest.
