"Ours. Love's Secret. Valse by J. Meredith Ball. Introducing The Celebrated Song, 'Chanson de Fortunio' (Love's Secret) sung by Miss Fanny Josephs." The sheet is dedicated to Miss Josephs.

A genuine Victorian music sheet with an illustrated cover, published in London by Hopwood & Crew (publisher's details lost in the trimming of the sheet, but 'H&C 2130' at the bottom of each page of music.

Another wonderful cover by Alfred Concanen: in a verdant wooded glade, a couple whisper sweet nothings to each other, while the senior couple (parents?) are clearly not talking to each other at all. Is Concanen suggesting that this the fate of all relationships?!

The music by Meredith Ball is based on a tune from Offenbach's La Chanson de Fortunio which was premiered in 1861. The English premiere seems to have been in 1871, which makes one wonder if this sheet was published in that year. However, the collection in the Irish Sheet Music Archives clearly states 1870.

Size and number of pages: the sheet measures approx. 34cms x 24.5cms. Complete on 11 pages.

Condition: Disbound from an album, and cropped. Spine held by thread. Cover a little browned, but generally good. Complete on 9 pages.   Please study the photographs.

There are, in my view, a number of reasons for valuing Illustrated Music Sheets. They are often of historical interest, marking special events, or illustrating historical figures. They may be of topographical interest. They may give an insight into Victorian values, often the humour of the time, or perhaps simply the fashions and designs found in their houses and clothing. Music illustration was always at the forefront of advances in publishing, and the covers are therefore of interest too in seeing the development of colour printing, as well as typographic and layout fashions. Sometimes, even the music is of interest! I will be offering a huge collection on ebay. Please see my other items.

Postage: unfortunately, most music sheets are just too large for 'Large Letter' prices. So £4.75 within the UK. £12.00 to Europe, £18.00 to USA, etc. I will always combine shipping costs for more than one item purchased. Please purchase the items you want, but delay paying for them. I can then adjust the invoice accordingly. If you do pay for them, I can always refund any excess via paypal.

I have other antique items in my ebay shop - antique art, prints, music, maps, books etc. Please see my other items.