Vieilles Chansons Pour Les Coeurs Sensibles 1911 Illustrated French Music Book
 
Vieilles Chansons Pour Les Coeurs Sensibles 1911 Illustrated French Music Book. Colour illustrations and musical scores. Paris first edition
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Title: Vieilles Chansons pour les Cœurs Sensibles
Illustrator: Pierre Brissaud (ornée de trente-deux images)
Publisher: Chez Plon-Nourrit & Cie, Imprimeurs-Éditeurs, Rue Garancière No. 8, Paris
Printer: Achieved printing 15 October 1911 by Plon-Nourrit & Cie
Edition: Original 1911 colour-illustrated edition
Format: French illustrated songbook with music notation
Pagination: 32 pages (complete) including last page, which is not paginated.
Dimensions: approx. 30 × 23.4 × 0.7 cm
Weight: approx. 393 g
Language: French
 
Edition & Printing
 
First edition, published in Paris by Plon-Nourrit & Cie and finished printing on 15 October 1911, as stated on the final page (“Achevé d’imprimer le 15 octobre 1911”).
A small deluxe issue of 30 numbered copies on vélin de cuve des Papeteries d’Arches was produced; this example is from the standard first-edition trade printing, issued the same year and illustrated throughout with colour plates and musical notation.
 
About the Book
 
Vieilles Chansons pour les Cœurs Sensibles is a beautifully produced French anthology of traditional and art song melodies, harmonised and annotated from notable sources of French and Italian musical heritage. This edition is lavishly embellished with 32 colour images by Pierre Brissaud (1885–1964), a celebrated French painter and illustrator known for grace, elegance, and vibrant palette.
 
The songs include regional French melodies, poetic chansons, and harmonised airs (e.g., En passant par la Lorraine, Chanson des Métamorphoses, Amaryllis – Au bord d’une fontaine, Fuyez l’amour), drawn from approved anthologies and composed by noted figures such as J-B Weckerlin and Émile Desportes. Many pieces include music scores alongside text and illustration.
 
Features
 
Original 1911 French colour-illustrated edition
Rich visual programme with 32 colour illustrations
Music scores included
Large format (30×23 cm) — striking on the shelf
Historical music anthology collecting songs of France & Italy
Harmonised and annotated selections
 
Exterior Condition
 
Bound in marbled paper over card with colour pasted plates to front and back
Front board shows ornate title lettering and illustration
Back board retains vivid colour plate
Cover intact and structurally sound
Wear consistent with age:
paper rubbed from spine (exposes underlying netting in places)
light foxing and marks to boards
light edge rubbing
Small pen inscription on front board (“Bab Banfield”) – interesting provenance
 
Interior Condition
 
Green coloured pastedowns and endpapers – clean
No pen or pencil inside text block
Pages lightly tanned but neat and predominantly uncreased
Occasional very light foxing or small mark – does not affect imagery
A few very small edge nips (no text/score loss)
Light cracks in gutter in a handful of places – text block secure
All 32 pages present and accounted for including unnumbered final page
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
 
While not from the limited vélin issue, this is an original 1911 first edition of a finely illustrated French chanson collection, valued for its colour artwork, musical content, and Belle Époque design.
 
Standard first-edition copies are scarce but obtainable, particularly in complete condition. This example remains internally clean and visually appealing, though the fragile marbled-paper binding shows expected wear at the spine, reflected in the price.
 
An attractive and affordable entry point for collectors of:
illustrated French music books
early 20th-century chanson and folklore
Belle Époque decorative publishing