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[BURGESS, Anthony] WILSON, John Burgess.
Sonatina in G Major. For Anne Field.
Holograph music manuscript comprising the complete Sonatina written by Burgess as a Christmas gift to his first wife. Titled and annotated by him and signed at the end with the rare complete form of his signature John Burgess Wilson. Burgess famously wanted more than anything to be considered a composer and the present score comes some 6 years before his first published work of fiction. He wrote two books on music including his "Musical Autobiography" This Man And Music in which he boasts of his greatest work the "unplayable" Guitar concerto. Manuscript versions of his compositions are very scarce indeed - only one has appeared at auction in the past 35 years. We cannot imagine a more personally motivated example as this.
Folio. Pp 6. White wove paper lined in six double staves, with plain front wrapper titled in ink by Burgess. Wire stitched. Housed in a blue cloth ribbon tied chemise by The Chelsea Bindery titles to front gilt. Worn at fold with old repair newly conserved. Some signs of damp in a small area slightly effecting three of four notes. Some further edge wear.
