Sheet Music: No, Sir! c. 19th century

Curator: So, here we have a piece of sheet music, "Non, Monseigneur!", author unknown, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: Immediately, that cover illustration whispers a story to me—a gentle rebuke, perhaps a flirtatious refusal? Curator: The lithographic print method suggests mass production, reflecting broader access to music scores during the period. We see the name of B. Schott, a music publisher with locations in Mainz, Antwerp, and Brussels. Editor: I love thinking about hands holding this, voices rising from the pages... it's a tiny portal back to shared moments. Curator: Indeed, analyzing the paper stock and printing techniques could give us clues about its socio-economic context. What was the cost of the score, and who could afford to buy and play it? Editor: For me, it's less about who bought it and more about the spark the music ignited—did it fuel a revolution of the heart, or just a pleasant evening's entertainment? Curator: A beautiful reminder that even seemingly mundane artifacts are embedded in intricate systems of production and consumption. Editor: Absolutely. And for me, it’s a small, ephemeral object singing a silent song across time.