LEFLER [Heinrich] and J[ospeh] URBAN (co-illustrators). W. LABLER (music by). Kling Klang Gloria. Wien. F. Tempsky und Leipzig: G. Freytag. 1907.

Landscape 4to; publisher’s mid-blue cloth-backed decorative floral paper-covered boards with integral oval title panel to upper cover, art nouveau floral endpapers; pp. [iii], 4-64 + [ii]; with decorated title, elaborate border designs to musical scores throughout and a total of 16 fine and striking chromolithographed plates in Jugendstil-style, again with extravagant patterned borders, printed on good coated stock; a very good, sound and attractive copy with none of the usual wear to spine and only minor abrasion to ends, light overall dusting, rubbing to edges and small wear to corners, very small paper loss (9 x 4mm) adjacent to upper joint, one wrinkle to bottom forecorner of upper cover (not visible on the reverse) and minor browning to lettering panel; internally almost entirely unmarked apart from occasional very faint marginal thumbing.

First edition.  A selection of forty-four German folk and children’s songs with accompanying music and memorable coloured plates by the illustrative partnership of Heinrich Lefler and Joseph Urban.  These two Austrian artists were in fact brothers-in-law.  Lefler (1863-1919) and Urban (1872-1933) both studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. The former was an artist and illustrator who became a mural painter, a theatrical and costume designer and designer of financial warrants, banknotes, and public events, such as the 1905 Schiller Festival Parade. The latter studied architecture, also at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and received his first architectural commission, to design the new wing of the  Abdeen Palace in Cairo, in 1891, at the tender age of nineteen. His distinguishing strengths are his innovative use of colour, his pointillist technique, and his strong decorative line. Together these collaborators created some very important works in the field of children’s book design, including this example which is regarded as a highlight product of their partnership.