[Many well-known names] Album amicorum of pianist Fanny de Bas (The Hague, b. c. 1837)

Album with 21 international, manuscript contributions, nearly all well-known names (several very famous), of which 16 signed musical greetings and 5 signed poems, dated 1851-1865 (2x The Hague, else mostly Brussels), ± 30 unused leaves, loose-leafed in bookshaped, blindstamped and gilt-lettered green morocco box, all edges of leaves and box gilt, 19.5 x 26 cm.

Box with some edgewear (leather dry) and lacks the top strip. Large-size album amicorum, understandable given its purpose: contains 16 original short music pieces signed by Henry Charles Litolff (1818-1891), Émile Prudent (1817-1863), Johannes Joseph Herman Verhulst (1816-1891), J. Vivier (addressed to Fanny Tilmont, she was married to Léon Tilmont), B. Fours Jr., Maurice Hageman (1829-1906), Elisa Blaes Meerti (1815-1878), M. Pleyel, Adolphe Samuel (1824-1898), Jacques Bosenhain or Jacob Rosenhain (1813-1894), Édouard Grégoir (1822-1890), Hanny Lauterbach (1832-1918), A. Oudshoorn, J. Blae (?), Fétie (?), H. Levriares (?). Also signed poems by Augustine-Malvina Blachecotte (1830-1897), Elias Marcus Calisch (1806-1880), Victor Lefèvre, François-Vincent Raspail (1794-1878) and even by Alexandre Dumas Père (1802-1870, "Billet d'Hamlet à Ophelie"). Considering the names in the album, Fanny de Bas must have been a musician of high standing, but at this time little is known about her. "Op zaterdag 9 februari 1850 gaven Cecilia Leich en Fanny de Bas, een getalenteerde 13-jarige pianiste, ook uit Den Haag, samen een concert "voor hun vertrek naar Parijs". Blijkbaar waren beiden van plan hun studie aldaar voort te zetten." (website of the Pianola Museum)