KERN, Jerome 1885-1945

Show-Boat (Mississipi[!]) Opérette en 2 Actes et 16 Tableaux d'Après le Roman de Mme. Edma[!] Ferber Livret de Oscar Hammerstein 2nd Adaptation Française de Alexandre Fontanes Lyrics de Lucien Boyer ... Partition Piano et Chant, net: 40 francs.

Paris: Éditions Francis Salabert [PN SEMFA 923].

Quarto. Original publisher's dark ivory wrappers illustrated wrappers printed in red and blue. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 1f. (recto named cast list, verso blank), 1f. (recto table of contents, verso blank), 9-164 pp. With copyright T.B. Harms Co. 1928 and SEMFA 1929 to title and "Imp. Laroche (S.A.) - XXIX" and Grandjean Grav." to foot of final page of music.

Named cast for the first performance at the Théâtre Châtelet in Paris on 16 March 1929 includes, in order of appearance, d'Hirlaux, Zehr, Husson, Fignolita, Boido, Pagès, Orly, Max, Florence, Helly, Allard, Morrin, Bourdeaux, Darbel, Ellinger White, Duncan, Zehr, Noel, Vigneau, Réal, Husson, the Sisters Lungla, Vanier, Sirey, Fabrizi, de Zybine, Lemay, Vasty, Percin, Holder, Vigneau, Le Moal, and Zaida. The performance was conducted by Pierre Chagnon with Gontscharowa as ballet mistress.

Wrappers worn and browned; partially detached; small chips to edges with minor loss; spine partially lacking, reinforced with clear tape; Uniform internal browning.

First French edition.

Show Boat was first performed in New York at the Ziegfeld Theatre on 27 December 1927.

"In 1927 Kern produced his most important work, Show Boat, a musical play with words by Oscar Hammerstein II, and perhaps the most influential Broadway musical play ever written in that it impelled composers of Broadway musicals to concern themselves with the whole integrated production as opposed to writing Tin Pan Alley songs for interpolation. At least six songs, which are integral to the characterization and story, have become standard favourites, including ‘Ol’ Man River’, ‘Can’t help lovin’ dat man’, ‘Make Believe’, and ‘Why do I love you?’. Show Boat has been filmed three times, and was the first musical to enter an opera company’s repertory (New York City Opera, 1954). The rediscovery of the original performing material, with orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett (Kern’s regular orchestrator from 1923) led to a large-scale recording in 1987 and widespread opera house productions. ...

[Kern] was one of the most significant composers in the history of American popular musical theatre. His songs established a pattern for American show songs, and his theatre scores provided the bridge by which the 19th-century Ruritanian operetta style evolved into that of the specifically 20th-century American musical, with its close integration of book, lyrics and music." Ronald Byrnside and Andrew Lamb in Grove Music Online.

Item #39212

Price: $250.00  other currencies