A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Novello, Ewer & Co.
NOVELLO, EWER, & Co., Music Publishers. The foundation of this firm dates from the year 1811, when Vincent Novello, already well known as a professor of music and organist, put forth his first publication, 'Novello's Sacred Music as performed at the Royal Portuguese Chapel.'
Vincent Novello, while much engaged both as teacher and organist, found time to compose, edit, and issue from his private residence from time to time many important works, amongst others, 'Twelve Easy Masses' (3 vols. folio); 'Motetts and other Pieces principally adapted for the Morning Service' (2 vols. folio); 'Evening Service, being a collection of Pieces appropriate to Vespers, Complin, and Tenebræ' (2 vols. folio), and many others enumerated in the preceding article. At this time he also commenced his greatest work, 'Purcell's Sacred Music' (4 vols., large folio). The publication of this, which, when completed, consisted of upwards of 1000 pages, was finished after his son, Joseph Alfred Novello, had begun business as a regular music-publisher at No. 67, Frith Street, Soho, which he did in 1829. From Frith Street he removed in 1834 to more extensive premises at No. 69, Dean Street, Soho, which house, in conjunction with No. 70, is still occupied by the present firm as a printing-office. In those early days no less than 18 masses by Mozart and 16 by Haydn, of which only 8 and 7 respectively had previously been published, and that only in full score, were issued under the editorship of Vincent Novello in the practical and useful form of vocal scores. In thus taking up sacred music, Novello was the first legitimate successor to John Day, since whose time the publication of sacred music in England had been limited to the issue of works such as Barnard's 'Selected Church Music,' Boyce's 'Cathedral Music,' Croft's 'Musica Sacra,' etc., which were issued on subscription by the editor or composer.
Joseph Alfred Novello was the first person who made the practical discovery that music could be supplied in large quantities at a much lower rate than had hitherto been charged, and that the necessary demand might be created by bringing out what were then considered extraordinarily cheap editions of standard works. How different the meaning of the term 'cheap' was at that early period from what it is now, may be gathered from the fact that the small engraved oblong editions of Haydn's and Mozart's Masses, then considered very low in price, were charged to the public at sums varying from 8s. 6d. downwards.
Mr. Alfred Novello soon advanced still further in the same direction, by turning his attention to type-printing, as the only means of meeting a really large demand. In 1846 he began the issue of music in 8vo—that form being then an entire novelty—printed from type. The 'Messiah' and the 'Creation' were issued in that year in sixpenny numbers, and were followed by many others. In 1857 the 'Messiah' was issued at 1s. 4d., and now (1880) not only that but 67 other oratorios and large works of Handel, Haydn, Bach, Mozart, Weber, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Gounod, Schumann, Brahms, Goetz, and many others are published at one shilling. Concurrently with the progress of the type-printing, a reduction in the price of sheet-music by about 50 per cent was made in the year 1849, thus placing it before a large section of the public by whom it had before been unattainable. But while thus lowering the price of music and extending its range, the firm has not been unmindful of excellence of execution. Vincent Novello's early productions are distinguished for a peculiar grace and neatness; and very recently, by introducing German engravers, his successors have produced, in the Purcell Society's volume for 1878, and in their complete edition of Mendelssohn's P.F. works, specimens of plate music equalling any that are turned out by the great foreign publishers, and fully up to the same very high level of excellence which distinguishes their type-music.
In the year 1861 the business began to be conducted under the style of Novello & Co., Mr. Henry Littleton, who had taken an increasingly active part in the house since 1841, and had for some years the sole direction of the business, being admitted a partner: five years later he became the sole proprietor, by the retirement of Mr. Novello; and in 1867 he purchased the business of Ewer & Co., thus acquiring the whole of the copyright works of Mendelssohn. In the same year the premises at No. 1, Berners Street, Oxford Street, were opened, and the firm became known under its present style of Novello, Ewer & Co. Later still, in 1878, large bookbinding establishments were opened at 111 and 113 Southwark Street. [App. p.732 "date of death of Henry Littleton, May 11, 1888."][ G. ]