James HOOK: Second Volume of Christmas Box...For Juvenile Amusement

Hook, James. (1746 - 1827) Second Volume of Christmas Box...For Juvenile Amusement...Set to music by Mr. Hook. London: A. Bland & Weller. [1798]. First edition. Engraved, folio. 1f., 14 pp. Modern marbled boards with leather title plate to spine. RISM H6606 (2 copies recorded). Contents as follows (with references to their appearance in Iona and Peter Opie, "The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes"): "Bounce buckram velvets dear" (Opie 104) "Dub a dub dub" (Opie 376, under 'Rub...') "High ding a ding" (Opie 341) "I'll sing a song of sixpence" (Opie 395) "Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree" (Opie 372) "Little Boy Blue" (Opie 98-9) "Little Tom Tucker" (Opie 416-7) "Robin a bobbin a bilberry hen" (Opie 372) "The gooseberry grows on an angry tree" (Opie 373) "There were two blac birds" (Opie 147) "There was an old woman liv'd under a hill" (Opie 285, 432, 433) "When I was a little boy I wash'd my mother's dishes" (Opie 97) It will be noted that the texts in the present volume often vary from those in Opie. Hook, who wrote over 2000 songs - mainly for specific singers to perform in the London Pleasure Gardens - was a major figure in the revival and dissemination of nursery rhymes for young children. "A prolific composer in many fields, with an astonishing facility for writing catchy melodies of all kinds" (Grove), his "Christmas Box," which appeared in three independent volumes in 1797-8, provided the largest printed anthology to date of nursery rhymes with full accompaniment. The present songs are set for 2 or 3 voices with piano accompaniment, apart from one which is for three unaccompanied voices. The "Christmas Box" predates Sarah Catherine Martin's "Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard," not published until 1805 which built on the present collection's popularity. Schubertiade Music & Arts LLC - BUY WITH CONFIDENCE! ***ALL AUTOGRAPHS GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC WITHOUT LIMIT*** I was the President of the Professional Autograph Dealers Association from 2013-2018 and a leading and trusted authenticator of autographs, including for many of the world's auction houses and for James Spence (JSA). Schubertiade Music & Arts are also members in good standing of ABAA/ILAB, the most exclusive consortium of Rare Book and Manuscript Dealers in the world, as well as the MLA (Music Librarian Association), and MARIAB (Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers). You can read more about us by searching for Schubertiade Music & Arts and may buy with utmost confidence! SCHUBERTIADE MUSIC & ARTS deals in Music, Entertainment, Literary and other Autographs, Antiquarian Music, Books, Prints, Photographs & Paintings and Ephemera. Please read more about us in our "about me" page by clicking next to our username / feedback listing. We issue seasonal and occasional catalogues - please contact us if you would like to receive notifications or let us know about your collection. Everything we offer is guaranteed authentic without limit and is so stated on the signed and detailed receipt which comes with every item. Because this Guarantee is attached to an actual and meaningful money-back guarantee (see our Terms for further details), this is much more significant than most COAs which are generally but worthless pieces of paper if not issued by recognized experts in the field and backed by a real authenticity return policy. We accept payment by ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS, Check, and by Paypal. Shipping Charges are as listed and are not subject to negotiation. We will of course be happy to combine shipments and do NOT charge multiple shipping charges except for large/heavy items which naturally affect the cost. We ship exclusively via insured FedEx and pride ourselves on our thorough and expert packaging.