The Perfect Gluck, Cristoph Willibald. (1714–1787) Armide: Drame Héroique Mia En Musique...representée… Par L’academie Nat. De Musique Le 23 Septembre 1777. Collection [Ptmu6Z7O]

Full score, upright folio. Engraved title, [blank verso], [engraved “Catalogue…” page], [blank verso], I-279 pp, complete. Front cover with manuscript title plate. Hand-painted wrappers over spine with 4 raised bands. A generally clean and crisp copy, including the Des Lauriers catalogue of publications on the second leaf, the columns including 29/30 works. Hirsh, II, 268; Hopkinson 45A (f), an unrecorded third edition variant printed from the plates of the first edition, but not specified by Hopkinson (30 works listed as opposed to 31 in the right catalogue column).

Gluck's fifth production for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works, it was first performed on 23 September 1777 by the Académie Royale de Musique in the second Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris.