221 - [MUSIC] HAHN, Reynaldo, and MONTÉGUT, Louis. *Au Clair de Lune*. *Contes en Musique*.

[MUSIC] HAHN, Reynaldo, and MONTÉGUT, Louis. *Au Clair de Lune*. *Contes en Musique*. A beautiful copy of the first edition, richly annotated by Reynaldo Hahn and accompanied by a signed and dated autograph score. Paris, Librairies-imprimeries réunis—formerly Maison Quantin, n.d. [1892]. In-4 (350 x 270 mm), publisher’s binding in midnight blue percaline, plain, unmarked spine, front cover adorned with a large design comprising a black-and-gray lily and a silver moon set within the “C” of the gilt title, beveled covers, gilt edges, original illustrated front cover preserved. 44 pages. Normal scuffing, worn caps and corners, stain on the lower cover. First edition of this “musical tale” that Reynaldo Hahn brought back from a stay he made in Münster-am-Stein in the spring of 1891. The work opens with a preface by his friend and mentor Alphonse Daudet. The eleven pieces in this collection comment on the various parts of the tale; each is preceded by a text and an illustration by Louis Montégut. An exceptional copy, enriched for each of the 11 pieces with a short commentary in the composer’s own hand. These handwritten notes in black ink form, as the pages unfold, a notebook of often amused reflections on his work, sometimes inspired by the legend accompanying the illustration, as in the 7th piece (“Glowworm”): “What? A glow-worm scares them away?! If this charming young girl had a gaze as brilliant as Cléo’s, she would easily outshine even the brightest lights of this pesky little creature! ” On the reverse of the colophon page is an autograph score of two measures signed by Reynaldo Hahn, dated January 1893. A child prodigy who entered the Conservatoire at age ten, Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947) was only sixteen when he composed these pieces. In the early 1890s, the young musician was already the rising star of Parisian salons and the protégé of Alphonse Daudet. In 1894, he met Marcel Proust, becoming his companion and closest confidant, leaving an indelible mark on the sensibility of the Belle Époque. A fine copy in good condition.