1746 FREYMÅURER-LIEDER FIRST COLLECTION OF GERMAN MASONIC SONGS FREEMASONRY RARE

Description

"Sacred Bond of Friendship of Faithful Brothers!...Known to the World, and yet Rich in Secrets! Holy great Order!...On Bricklayers! Sing, let the World hear today: the Day to which this Song is dedicated, A Glorious, Great Day of Honor, A Great Festival of Loyalty and Unity...This is a Day full of Joy, Well-Being, and Salvation; And wherever Reason Works and Acts in Freedom, one takes part in Our Happiness today."
Freymåurer-
Lieder
.
[THE FIRST GERMAN LANGUAGE MASONIC SONGBOOK]
Ludwig Friedrich Lenz. [Altenburg]:
PUBLISHED ANONYMOUSLY
,
Im Jahr
1746
.
First Edition
. Rare 8vo. 43, [1] pages, errata; 10 page introduction, signed "L". Dedicated
"To those Worthy and Noble Brothers of the Lodge to the D. R. B."
The collection includes 9 songs, with their score
(of which the composer is not known);
some are preceded by a quote from Horace. Illustrated with decorative engravings by Bernigeroth with title page plate depicting Archimedes with his famous quote, the Latin inscription
"NOLI TURBARE CIRCULOS" ("DO NOT DISTURB MY CIRCLES")
and plate at head of introduction with Latin inscription:
DEME SUPERCILIO NUBEM ("COME DOWN FROM YOUR CLOUD").
An unsophisticated, unrestored copy, bound in publisher's original gray wraps exhibiting edgewear, creasing; head of upper cover chipped at corner; evidence of old tape, remnants of old library label and numbered rubberstamp; spine perished. Interior with extremities dusted, tidemarks to several leaves, else textblock clear and unmarked.
The first German language Masonic Songbook. Compiled by Lenz, a member of the Archimedes Lodge in Altenburg, best known for being the author of the first poem in the collection:
Lob-Gesang auf Die feierliche Johannisloge
, whose first stanza was also set to music by Mozart.
WorldCat notes less than a handful of institutional copies