Poems and Lyrics
Except otherwise stated, all results below include the premium.
See also : Literature Literature in French Books Incunabula Prints Ancient prints Ancient England The Beatles
Chronology : 1460-1479
See also : Literature Literature in French Books Incunabula Prints Ancient prints Ancient England The Beatles
Chronology : 1460-1479
1470 Virgil
2013 SOLD for £ 1.18M by Christie's
Before the invention of printing, the poems of antiquity were transmitted through illuminated manuscript copies. Despite the acrimony of the destroyers of paganism, Virgil and Ovid survived. Over the centuries, the admirers of Virgil's perfection supported him by presenting him as a prophet, and he became untouchable thanks to the homage made by Dante.
In 1468 Venice hosts its first printer, Johann of Speyer, who had been a goldsmith in Mainz. Johann starts the task of publishing the masterpieces of Latin literature. The quality of his typography and layout is due to a clever imitation of the manuscripts.
In 1470, Johann died prematurely. His brother and collaborator Wendelin maintained until 1477 this excellent workshop now subject to the competition from Jenson. The tradition of the literary editions of Venice was launched. It will make the fame of Aldus.
On June 12, 2013, Christie's sold for £ 1.18M from a lower estimate of £ 500K the works of Virgil published in 1470 by Vindelinus de Spira, lot 82. This book combining the Bucolica, Georgica and Aeneid along with comments (argumenta) is luxuriously printed on vellum and remarkably complete.
The Virgil of Wendelin is not the editio princeps but it is equally remarkable because it was built from a manuscript of a high literary fidelity.
In 1468 Venice hosts its first printer, Johann of Speyer, who had been a goldsmith in Mainz. Johann starts the task of publishing the masterpieces of Latin literature. The quality of his typography and layout is due to a clever imitation of the manuscripts.
In 1470, Johann died prematurely. His brother and collaborator Wendelin maintained until 1477 this excellent workshop now subject to the competition from Jenson. The tradition of the literary editions of Venice was launched. It will make the fame of Aldus.
On June 12, 2013, Christie's sold for £ 1.18M from a lower estimate of £ 500K the works of Virgil published in 1470 by Vindelinus de Spira, lot 82. This book combining the Bucolica, Georgica and Aeneid along with comments (argumenta) is luxuriously printed on vellum and remarkably complete.
The Virgil of Wendelin is not the editio princeps but it is equally remarkable because it was built from a manuscript of a high literary fidelity.
1477 The Canterbury Tales printed by Caxton
1998 SOLD for £ 4.6M by Christie's
William Caxton travels in the service of Edward IV. His function is both diplomatic and trading, and in 1462 he is appointed governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London, acting in Flanders which was then under Burgundian rule.
He is a very important promoter of English literature, himself making many translations of secular texts. He understands the cultural incentive of the printing press during a visit to Cologne in 1471. He immediately transfers a printing press to Bruges.
Translated from French by Caxton and printed in Flanders in 1473, the Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye is the very first incunabula in vernacular English. A copy was sold for £ 1.08M by Sotheby's on July 15, 2014, lot 502.
After his successful experience in Flanders, Caxton returned to London in 1476. His expertise in the new art of printing was eagerly awaited. He instals a press in Westminster, the first of its kind in England.
His passion for English literature is heightened by this possibility of dissemination. He is a great admirer of Chaucer, which he publishes without resorting to sponsors. Chaucer's masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, becomes in 1477 the first masterpiece of English printing. This achievement is all the more meritorious as Caxton later complained of the poor literary quality of the manuscript at his disposal.
About ten copies of this original edition have survived, plus three important fragments. The only complete copy, which had belonged to King George III, is in the British Library. The illuminated copy kept in Oxford has been completed.
On July 8, 1998 at lot 2, Christie's sold for £ 4.6M the only copy in private hands, which is also one of the most complete with only 4 lacking leaves.
He is a very important promoter of English literature, himself making many translations of secular texts. He understands the cultural incentive of the printing press during a visit to Cologne in 1471. He immediately transfers a printing press to Bruges.
Translated from French by Caxton and printed in Flanders in 1473, the Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye is the very first incunabula in vernacular English. A copy was sold for £ 1.08M by Sotheby's on July 15, 2014, lot 502.
After his successful experience in Flanders, Caxton returned to London in 1476. His expertise in the new art of printing was eagerly awaited. He instals a press in Westminster, the first of its kind in England.
His passion for English literature is heightened by this possibility of dissemination. He is a great admirer of Chaucer, which he publishes without resorting to sponsors. Chaucer's masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, becomes in 1477 the first masterpiece of English printing. This achievement is all the more meritorious as Caxton later complained of the poor literary quality of the manuscript at his disposal.
About ten copies of this original edition have survived, plus three important fragments. The only complete copy, which had belonged to King George III, is in the British Library. The illuminated copy kept in Oxford has been completed.
On July 8, 1998 at lot 2, Christie's sold for £ 4.6M the only copy in private hands, which is also one of the most complete with only 4 lacking leaves.
BLAKE
Intro
From his childhood and throughout his life, William Blake claims to have visions of God and the Angels. To please the archangels, he writes poems on the other world, illustrated in hand-colored engravings. That world shelters the dead, with whom he also communicates.
Of modest origin, son of a hosier, he follows an original path, wishing the union of all religions, in a hostile reaction against the evil philosophers of Reason.
To prepare his illuminated books, he develops in 1788 a technique of relief etched copper printing.
A prophetic book by Blake is made of individual etched plates. Each page contains the text of a poem supplemented or amended by a correlated illustration. Each copy is hand painted with another set of color by the poet-artist and his wife. They were unprecedented examples of what is now known as artists' books.
The sets titled There is no Natural Religion, in 1794, and All Religions are One, in 1795, clearly position Blake's mystical target.
Of modest origin, son of a hosier, he follows an original path, wishing the union of all religions, in a hostile reaction against the evil philosophers of Reason.
To prepare his illuminated books, he develops in 1788 a technique of relief etched copper printing.
A prophetic book by Blake is made of individual etched plates. Each page contains the text of a poem supplemented or amended by a correlated illustration. Each copy is hand painted with another set of color by the poet-artist and his wife. They were unprecedented examples of what is now known as artists' books.
The sets titled There is no Natural Religion, in 1794, and All Religions are One, in 1795, clearly position Blake's mystical target.
1
1795 Songs of Innocence and of Experience
2024 SOLD for $ 4.3M by Sotheby's
Originally in 1789, Songs of Innocence is a collection of 23 poems dealing with a happy childhood and juvenile education in a pastoral harmony, a temporary and vulnerable condition rejecting the dogma of the original sin. Their 26 counterparts dealing with the fallen world including child labor and aging, conceived in 1794, are the Songs of Experience. Each plate is 11 x 7 cm.
Some songs may jump from one series to the other, and a combining of both in one volume is titled from 1794 as Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. The whole is the cornerstone of Blake's social commentary.
24 copies of the full set are known. Some of them are composite. The apart production of the Songs of Innocence was about 18 copies.
A composite set of 53 plates including the intermediate frontispieces is identified as the Copy J. Plates were inlaid to a larger sheet 20 x 12 cm in the later 19th century and bound in one volume ca 1900. It was sold for $ 4.3M from a lower estimate of $ 1.2M by Sotheby's on June 26, 2024, lot 1. It includes a detailed manuscript appreciation established by Coleridge in 1818, ranking the quality of the images.
The poems were certainly intended by Blake to be sung. They were to inspire many musicians including Vaughan Williams, Britten and Dylan and albums were released by Allen Ginsberg and U2.
Some songs may jump from one series to the other, and a combining of both in one volume is titled from 1794 as Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. The whole is the cornerstone of Blake's social commentary.
24 copies of the full set are known. Some of them are composite. The apart production of the Songs of Innocence was about 18 copies.
A composite set of 53 plates including the intermediate frontispieces is identified as the Copy J. Plates were inlaid to a larger sheet 20 x 12 cm in the later 19th century and bound in one volume ca 1900. It was sold for $ 4.3M from a lower estimate of $ 1.2M by Sotheby's on June 26, 2024, lot 1. It includes a detailed manuscript appreciation established by Coleridge in 1818, ranking the quality of the images.
The poems were certainly intended by Blake to be sung. They were to inspire many musicians including Vaughan Williams, Britten and Dylan and albums were released by Allen Ginsberg and U2.
Songs of Innocence and of Experience by #WilliamBlake
— ArtHitParade (@ArtHitParade) June 16, 2024
For sale by @Sothebys https://t.co/RhaAwpHufD
Targeting the Top 10 of #Poems and #lyrics https://t.co/D7RY0lrdUK
> 1794 Songs of Innocence and of Experience
1989 SOLD for $ 1.32M, auction house to be identified
Copy D of Songs of Innocence and of Experience has 54 prints and sold in 1989 for $1,320,000. Known as the Houghton-Garden Ltd. version.
3
1794 Urizen
1999 SOLD for $ 2.53M by Sotheby's
The First Book of Urizen, conceived by Blake in 1794, is a parody of the Book of Genesis. In the invention of the artist, the long white bearded elderly patriarch is the evil God who manages the fall of the world at its origins. He is combining deism, the laws of Newton and the laws of Moses. The four elements are his sons.
8 copies are known. Only one, described as Copy E by Bentley, is in private hands. It was sold for $ 2.53M from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on April 23, 1999, lot 535 in the Whitney estate sale.
This 24-leaf book was presented in a slim green morocco slip case. Other copies had up to four more plates.
8 copies are known. Only one, described as Copy E by Bentley, is in private hands. It was sold for $ 2.53M from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on April 23, 1999, lot 535 in the Whitney estate sale.
This 24-leaf book was presented in a slim green morocco slip case. Other copies had up to four more plates.
1897 Jamais un Coup de Dés n'abolira le Hasard by Mallarmé
2015 SOLD for € 960K by Sotheby's
In 1897, two revolutionaries of the artistic language manage together an unusual editorial project.
Stéphane Mallarmé is 55 years old. An admirer of Poe and translator of The Raven, he removes any narrative from poetry for developing free lines, sonority and also repetitive emotions brought by the juxtaposition of words. He reportedly told Valéry: "Do not you think that this is an act of insanity?".
Mallarmé is close to artists and had composed texts for musicians. With "Jamais un coup de dés n'abolira le hasard", he properly becomes an artist by designing the arrangement of the words within the pages. This poem is the forerunner of a great tradition by which French speaking poetry became inseparable from art, through Apollinaire and Cendrars.
Ambroise Vollard is 31 years old. His gallery in Paris is already well established and he is determined to shake up the art world by unprecedented initiatives. He meets Mallarmé.
Mallarmé authorizes a first edition of the Coup de dés without the participation of Vollard. The format of the magazine does not please him. Vollard proposes to do better. He imagines that the poem can be illustrated by Redon and chooses as printer the Firmin-Didot company.
Mallarmé is a perfectionist who requests that his typographic instructions are executed in the smallest details. Firmin-Didot prepares five successive states. The last proof is done in November 1897 but unfortunately Redon has not yet provided his illustrations.
On October 15, 2015, Sotheby's is devoting a sale to the library of Mallarmé.
The autograph model prepared by Mallarmé including many instructions for the typography was sold for € 960K from a lower estimate of € 500K, Lot 163.
Lot 164 gathers six prints spanning the last four states of the Firmin-Didot proofs. One of the two sets from the last state is again corrected by the hand of Mallarmé for further improvements. It was sold for € 123K.
Lot 160, sold for € 62K, is the autograph of a preliminary draft for the Coup de dés.
The project is abandoned by Vollard after the sudden death of the poet in September 1898.
Stéphane Mallarmé is 55 years old. An admirer of Poe and translator of The Raven, he removes any narrative from poetry for developing free lines, sonority and also repetitive emotions brought by the juxtaposition of words. He reportedly told Valéry: "Do not you think that this is an act of insanity?".
Mallarmé is close to artists and had composed texts for musicians. With "Jamais un coup de dés n'abolira le hasard", he properly becomes an artist by designing the arrangement of the words within the pages. This poem is the forerunner of a great tradition by which French speaking poetry became inseparable from art, through Apollinaire and Cendrars.
Ambroise Vollard is 31 years old. His gallery in Paris is already well established and he is determined to shake up the art world by unprecedented initiatives. He meets Mallarmé.
Mallarmé authorizes a first edition of the Coup de dés without the participation of Vollard. The format of the magazine does not please him. Vollard proposes to do better. He imagines that the poem can be illustrated by Redon and chooses as printer the Firmin-Didot company.
Mallarmé is a perfectionist who requests that his typographic instructions are executed in the smallest details. Firmin-Didot prepares five successive states. The last proof is done in November 1897 but unfortunately Redon has not yet provided his illustrations.
On October 15, 2015, Sotheby's is devoting a sale to the library of Mallarmé.
The autograph model prepared by Mallarmé including many instructions for the typography was sold for € 960K from a lower estimate of € 500K, Lot 163.
Lot 164 gathers six prints spanning the last four states of the Firmin-Didot proofs. One of the two sets from the last state is again corrected by the hand of Mallarmé for further improvements. It was sold for € 123K.
Lot 160, sold for € 62K, is the autograph of a preliminary draft for the Coup de dés.
The project is abandoned by Vollard after the sudden death of the poet in September 1898.
1965 Like a Rolling Stone by Dylan
2014 SOLD for $ 2.05M by Sotheby's
An inspired poet must not follow the pre-established rules. After Rimbaud and Kerouac, Bob Dylan is also a social activist who sang in the largest anti-racist rally of his time on August 28, 1963 after the speech 'I have a dream' of Martin Luther King.
Dylan is a teller who builds his music, sometimes rudimentary, from the rhythm of his speech, with his hoarse and monotone voice. In the bohemian life of Greenwich Village, his culture is a synthesis of all popular musics : blues, folk, jazz.
He will use this versatility to unnerve his audience whenever he can. It was a bold but winning path as his public eventually accepted all forms of his art, blowing forever the boundaries between folk and rock.
On June 24, 2014, Sotheby's sells the final autograph draft of the lyrics for two of the most important songs of Bob Dylan.
When he wrote A hard rain's a gonna fall in December 1962, Bob is 21 years old. This poem is a political scream saying the impotence of the poet facing the endless violence of the Cuban missile crisis.
This manuscript from his folk period consists in two 23 x 15 cm pages torn from a spiral notebook. It was sold for $ 485K, lot 141.
The long song Like a rolling stone whose title was inspired from the Rollin' stone by Muddy Waters is a philosophical poem. The topic reminding some chansons réalistes of the early 20th century is anti-romantic and ambiguous when the forfeiture of Miss Lonely is considered as a blessing for her because she is freed from previous constraints.
After two legendary episodes confirming the genius of Bob to thwart any conformism, this song was his biggest hit.
The recording was difficult because the atmosphere was not suited to the author. He found the solution by entrusting the organ to a musician who had never played such instrument. This song also had a major role in the revolution of the Newport Festival where Bob forced his fans to hear his electric guitar.
This manuscript which opened the way to the American rock and roll is a four-page document 24 x 15 cm on hotel stationery, with many corrections and additions, written in June 1965. It was sold for $ 2.05M fro a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 146.
Dylan is a teller who builds his music, sometimes rudimentary, from the rhythm of his speech, with his hoarse and monotone voice. In the bohemian life of Greenwich Village, his culture is a synthesis of all popular musics : blues, folk, jazz.
He will use this versatility to unnerve his audience whenever he can. It was a bold but winning path as his public eventually accepted all forms of his art, blowing forever the boundaries between folk and rock.
On June 24, 2014, Sotheby's sells the final autograph draft of the lyrics for two of the most important songs of Bob Dylan.
When he wrote A hard rain's a gonna fall in December 1962, Bob is 21 years old. This poem is a political scream saying the impotence of the poet facing the endless violence of the Cuban missile crisis.
This manuscript from his folk period consists in two 23 x 15 cm pages torn from a spiral notebook. It was sold for $ 485K, lot 141.
The long song Like a rolling stone whose title was inspired from the Rollin' stone by Muddy Waters is a philosophical poem. The topic reminding some chansons réalistes of the early 20th century is anti-romantic and ambiguous when the forfeiture of Miss Lonely is considered as a blessing for her because she is freed from previous constraints.
After two legendary episodes confirming the genius of Bob to thwart any conformism, this song was his biggest hit.
The recording was difficult because the atmosphere was not suited to the author. He found the solution by entrusting the organ to a musician who had never played such instrument. This song also had a major role in the revolution of the Newport Festival where Bob forced his fans to hear his electric guitar.
This manuscript which opened the way to the American rock and roll is a four-page document 24 x 15 cm on hotel stationery, with many corrections and additions, written in June 1965. It was sold for $ 2.05M fro a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 146.
1967 A Day in the Life by Lennon
2010 SOLD for $ 1.2M by Sotheby's
Anything that directly affects the creation of a Beatles song has the value of a relic. On July 10, 2008, Christie's sold for £ 420K a manuscript of Give Peace a Chance, which was not even autograph. John had problems to read his own poem and made it being copied by a girl.
In 1967 the fame of the Beatles is already huge but still contested. John Lennon wrote in bulk on a sheet the lines of "A Day In The Life" and brought many reworks. Happy with his work, he copied his poem in a more structured manner on the back of the same sheet. This original piece, so typical of the spontaneous creation of John, was sold for $ 1.2M from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on June 18, 2010.
The words are simple but the thought is dark enough to generate dream and interpretation. After an addition by Paul McCartney, the final version of the song will be banned by the BBC which saw therein a hidden apology on LSD, the serious bone of contention between the generations at that time. Such a case of censorship is extremely rare in England.
In 1967 the fame of the Beatles is already huge but still contested. John Lennon wrote in bulk on a sheet the lines of "A Day In The Life" and brought many reworks. Happy with his work, he copied his poem in a more structured manner on the back of the same sheet. This original piece, so typical of the spontaneous creation of John, was sold for $ 1.2M from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on June 18, 2010.
The words are simple but the thought is dark enough to generate dream and interpretation. After an addition by Paul McCartney, the final version of the song will be banned by the BBC which saw therein a hidden apology on LSD, the serious bone of contention between the generations at that time. Such a case of censorship is extremely rare in England.
1968 Hey Jude by McCartney
2020 SOLD for $ 910K by Julien's
Returning to the matrimonial home, Cynthia Lennon finds Yoko Ono in a bathrobe, having tea with John. She says : "Oh hi". Adultery is obvious and separation is inevitable.
Paul McCartney was close to Cynthia and Julian. He hums Hey Jules with the idea of comforting the five-year-old boy. He visits Cynthia in June 1968 with this song project. It will be Hey Jude, for a reason of sound. John lets it go. It will be the Beatles' biggest 1968 hit. It was bringing tears to Cynthia's eyes, and Julian was very grateful to Paul for it.
The autograph manuscript was listed for auction by Christie's for April 30, 2002. Paul successfully opposed it in court by disputing the ownership.
There are two almost identical copies of a 33 x 20 cm lyric instruction sheet. Both are unsigned autographs by Paul. The poem is limited to a few lines of the four verses, interspersed with the instructions Break, Middle, and Ending or Ending-Fading.
One of these recording notes was sold by Christie's for £ 62K on June 20, 2014, lot 93. The other, which was used in the studio and comes with a sheet music for the same song, was sold by Julien's on April 10, 2020 for $ 910K from a lower estimate of $ 160K, lot 205.
Paul McCartney was close to Cynthia and Julian. He hums Hey Jules with the idea of comforting the five-year-old boy. He visits Cynthia in June 1968 with this song project. It will be Hey Jude, for a reason of sound. John lets it go. It will be the Beatles' biggest 1968 hit. It was bringing tears to Cynthia's eyes, and Julian was very grateful to Paul for it.
The autograph manuscript was listed for auction by Christie's for April 30, 2002. Paul successfully opposed it in court by disputing the ownership.
There are two almost identical copies of a 33 x 20 cm lyric instruction sheet. Both are unsigned autographs by Paul. The poem is limited to a few lines of the four verses, interspersed with the instructions Break, Middle, and Ending or Ending-Fading.
One of these recording notes was sold by Christie's for £ 62K on June 20, 2014, lot 93. The other, which was used in the studio and comes with a sheet music for the same song, was sold by Julien's on April 10, 2020 for $ 910K from a lower estimate of $ 160K, lot 205.
1971 The Day the Music Died by McLean
2015 SOLD for $ 1.2M by Christie's
The American dream was fragile. James Dean died at 24 in a car accident in 1955 and Buddy Holly at 22 in a plane crash in 1959.
During his very short career, Buddy Holly had embodied the development of rock and roll. When he dies, his fan Don McLean is barely out of childhood. Before entering adult life, he appreciates the transience of music, of life and of relationships between boys and girls. He decided to become a musician and poet.
American Pie is a long poem in four verses, a chorus, an intro and an outro, written in 1970 and 1971 by Don McLean and recorded by him in May 1971. The sentence The Day the music died jumps into the American popular culture. Madonna sings in 2000 a shortened satanless version of the poem.
The considerable success of this modern anthem is linked to its enigmatic text, blending the tragic events of rock and roll with apocalyptic allusions, and also to an exceptional control of the sound of the English language. McLean never explained how the text and even the title must be understood.
The poet had gathered his working manuscripts including the final version. This group includes unused sections and numerous revisions unknown to this day for which we do not yet know if they will clarify or darken the prophetic message of the troubadour. This set was sold for $ 1.2M by Christie's on April 7, 2015, lot 1.
During his very short career, Buddy Holly had embodied the development of rock and roll. When he dies, his fan Don McLean is barely out of childhood. Before entering adult life, he appreciates the transience of music, of life and of relationships between boys and girls. He decided to become a musician and poet.
American Pie is a long poem in four verses, a chorus, an intro and an outro, written in 1970 and 1971 by Don McLean and recorded by him in May 1971. The sentence The Day the music died jumps into the American popular culture. Madonna sings in 2000 a shortened satanless version of the poem.
The considerable success of this modern anthem is linked to its enigmatic text, blending the tragic events of rock and roll with apocalyptic allusions, and also to an exceptional control of the sound of the English language. McLean never explained how the text and even the title must be understood.
The poet had gathered his working manuscripts including the final version. This group includes unused sections and numerous revisions unknown to this day for which we do not yet know if they will clarify or darken the prophetic message of the troubadour. This set was sold for $ 1.2M by Christie's on April 7, 2015, lot 1.
1975 Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury
2023 SOLD for £ 1.38M by Sotheby's
The four performers of Queen rock band used to compose their songs independently one another before submitting to the group for a collective decision.
About four years after creating the group, Queen's front man Freddie Mercury was more ambitious. Using the benefit of his musical knowledge and of his three octave vocal, he conceived a long song in three parts without a refraining chorus. It is made of an operatic passage between a ballad in pop music for the beginning and in loud rock for the end. A utmost attention was brought to the harmonies of that unprecedented fantasy, increasingly louder with more distorted vocals.
He coined the poem with a priority to the sound, going to a full nonsense of Italian words and names for the opera. He did not comment the meaning of the ballad but fatalism, sin and guilt are present throughout and the leading line "Mama, just killed a man" has certainly a psychoanalytic interpretation, possibly a ritual passage to maturity. Brian May later said "I don't think we will ever know".
The 6 minute song was released by Queen in 1975 as Bohemian Rhapsody as a single extracted from their fourth album A Night at the Opera. It became the most streamed song of the 20th century. The guitar solo music is by Queen's Brian May.
An early autograph draft had been prepared by Freddie Mercury in pencil and ball point through the 15 leaves of a stationery 29 x 21 cm with a 1974 calendar.
This working document attests of the creative process. It reveals that a scrapped title was Mongolian Rhapsody which has approximately the same sound as the Bohemian but without a reference to European musical tradition. It also includes the tests for finding the sonorous Italian words of the operatic interlude.
This preparation of symphonic or progressive rock was sold for £ 1.38M from a lower estimate of £ 800K by Sotheby's on September 6, 2023, lot 42. The musical composition had been started at Freddie's home on an upright piano and completed at the Yamaha baby grand that sold for £ 1.74M in the same sale at lot 44. A silver snake bangle worn by Freddie in the 1975 video was sold for £ 700K as lot 28.
Another attempt by Queen to mingle pop and opera is Barcelona, staged and sung in 1987 by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé.
About four years after creating the group, Queen's front man Freddie Mercury was more ambitious. Using the benefit of his musical knowledge and of his three octave vocal, he conceived a long song in three parts without a refraining chorus. It is made of an operatic passage between a ballad in pop music for the beginning and in loud rock for the end. A utmost attention was brought to the harmonies of that unprecedented fantasy, increasingly louder with more distorted vocals.
He coined the poem with a priority to the sound, going to a full nonsense of Italian words and names for the opera. He did not comment the meaning of the ballad but fatalism, sin and guilt are present throughout and the leading line "Mama, just killed a man" has certainly a psychoanalytic interpretation, possibly a ritual passage to maturity. Brian May later said "I don't think we will ever know".
The 6 minute song was released by Queen in 1975 as Bohemian Rhapsody as a single extracted from their fourth album A Night at the Opera. It became the most streamed song of the 20th century. The guitar solo music is by Queen's Brian May.
An early autograph draft had been prepared by Freddie Mercury in pencil and ball point through the 15 leaves of a stationery 29 x 21 cm with a 1974 calendar.
This working document attests of the creative process. It reveals that a scrapped title was Mongolian Rhapsody which has approximately the same sound as the Bohemian but without a reference to European musical tradition. It also includes the tests for finding the sonorous Italian words of the operatic interlude.
This preparation of symphonic or progressive rock was sold for £ 1.38M from a lower estimate of £ 800K by Sotheby's on September 6, 2023, lot 42. The musical composition had been started at Freddie's home on an upright piano and completed at the Yamaha baby grand that sold for £ 1.74M in the same sale at lot 44. A silver snake bangle worn by Freddie in the 1975 video was sold for £ 700K as lot 28.
Another attempt by Queen to mingle pop and opera is Barcelona, staged and sung in 1987 by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé.
