4/77 Mandoline Zither Tabatiére circa -
No. 4976; Circa 1875/76
Bought at auction January 2024.
A very unusual and rare Tabatiére Mandoline Zither in a beautiful Amboyna case and with a pristine tune sheet.
Originally retailed by C Scotcher & Sons, Musical Box Importers, 36 Bull Street, Birmingham and previously part of the David Tallis Collection, as noted in The Cylinder Music Box Handbook published by Graham Webb in 1968.
Hardly a mark on the case or movement, though there were just a few pins that needed straightening.
Described as being made circa 1870 but likely to have been a few years later.
A very unusual and rare Tabatiére Mandoline Zither in a beautiful Amboyna case and with a pristine tune sheet.
Originally retailed by C Scotcher & Sons, Musical Box Importers, 36 Bull Street, Birmingham and previously part of the David Tallis Collection, as noted in The Cylinder Music Box Handbook published by Graham Webb in 1968.
Hardly a mark on the case or movement, though there were just a few pins that needed straightening.
Described as being made circa 1870 but likely to have been a few years later.
Possibly made in Sainte Croix by Paillard Vaucher et Fils as a similar movement has been spotted carrying the PVF logo.
Paillard invented the zither in about 1870.
Tune sheet hitherto unknown so maker still unsure.
Paillard invented the zither in about 1870.
Tune sheet hitherto unknown so maker still unsure.
Tune 1
Le jet d'Eau Op.17 [1862] - One of several works written by Sydney Smith (1839-1889).
Used as the theme tune for The Foley Family, a serial drama about the comic lives of a Dublin family from 1952 to the late 1960's
Le jet d'Eau Op.17 [1862] - One of several works written by Sydney Smith (1839-1889).
Used as the theme tune for The Foley Family, a serial drama about the comic lives of a Dublin family from 1952 to the late 1960's
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Without Zither
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With Zither
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Tune 2
The Carnival of Venice is based on a Neapolitan folk tune called "O Mamma, Mamma Cara" and popularized by violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini, who wrote twenty variations on the original tune. He titled it "Il Carnevale Di Venezia," Op. 10. In 1829, he wrote to a friend, "The variations I've composed on the graceful Neapolitan ditty, 'O Mamma, Mamma Cara,' outshine everything. I can't describe it."
The Carnival of Venice is based on a Neapolitan folk tune called "O Mamma, Mamma Cara" and popularized by violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini, who wrote twenty variations on the original tune. He titled it "Il Carnevale Di Venezia," Op. 10. In 1829, he wrote to a friend, "The variations I've composed on the graceful Neapolitan ditty, 'O Mamma, Mamma Cara,' outshine everything. I can't describe it."
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Without Zither
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With Zither
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Tune 3
Victoria Grande Valse was written for piano by Jules Schulhoff in 1846. Originally titled Grande Valse Brilliant, Op.6. Some enterprising publisher later added the sub-title "Victoria" but I cannot establish when - presumably in the 1850's or 1860's.
Victoria Grande Valse was written for piano by Jules Schulhoff in 1846. Originally titled Grande Valse Brilliant, Op.6. Some enterprising publisher later added the sub-title "Victoria" but I cannot establish when - presumably in the 1850's or 1860's.
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Without Zither
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With Zither
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Tune 4
Home Sweet Home is a song adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne's 1823 opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan. The song's melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. Bishop had earlier published a more elaborate version of this melody, naming it "A Sicilian Air", but he later confessed to having written it himself.
Home Sweet Home is a song adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne's 1823 opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan. The song's melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. Bishop had earlier published a more elaborate version of this melody, naming it "A Sicilian Air", but he later confessed to having written it himself.
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Without Zither
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With Zither
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The burning question is "do you prefer the tunes with, or without, the zither?