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Consort Music Manuscripts in Archbishop Marsh's Library, Dublin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Richard Charteris
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Extract

Archbishop Marsh's Library, otherwise known as the Library of St. Sepulchre, is adjacent to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was founded in 1704 by Narcissus Marsh D. D. (1638–1713), Archbishop of Armagh. Today the library contains over 20, 000 books and 300 manuscripts; the manuscripts and special books, including some music books, are located in the manuscript room, which is on the main landing before entering the first gallery of the library - all items in the manuscript room bear the press mark ‘Z’. To be found among the general holdings is a small, but valuable, collection of music manuscripts and printed books on music; some of the items were collected by Marsh himself, and date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Among the seventeenth-century manuscripts is a group which contains instrumental consort music, and these are the ones which will be discussed in this article.

Type
Research Article
Information
R.M.A. Research Chronicle , Volume 13 , 1976 , pp. 27 - 63
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Musical Association, 1976

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References

1 The following three sources provide a comprehensive survey of the founding of Archbishop Marsh's Library: Richard Mant, History of the Church of Ireland (London, 1840); William Mason, The History and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick's, near Dublin from its foundation in 1190 to the year 1819 (Dublin, 1820); Newport J. D. White, An Account of Archbishop Marsh's Library (Dublin, 1926).Google Scholar

2 For information about the life of Archbishop Narcissus Marsh see: Marsh Library MS Z2. 2. 3b - a typescript of the manuscript copy (Z2. 2. 3a) of the Marsh Diary beginning December 20, 1690 and ending December 8, 1696; ‘Marsh, Narcissus (1638–1713)', Dictionary of National Biography, ed. by Sidney Lee (London, 1909), XII, pp. 1102–3; George Stokes, Some Worthies of the Irish Church (London, 1900); Newport J. D. White, Four Good Men (Dublin, 1927).Google Scholar

3 Private correspondence with the assistant librarian of Marsh's Library, Mrs. M. McCarthy.Google Scholar

4 cf. Newport B. White, ‘Manuscript and Printed Music in Marsh's Library', in Music in Ireland: A Symposium, ed. by Aloys Fleishmann (Oxford, 1952), pp. 319–21.Google Scholar

5 The manuscripts are: Z2. 1. 12, Z2. 1. 13, Z3. 4. 1–6, Z3. 4. 7–12, Z3. 4. 13 and Z4. 2. 16. This article embodies some of the findings detailed in Richard Charteris, Consort Music Manuscripts in the Marsh Library, Dublin: A Source and Contents Examination with Editorial Transcription of Pieces Selected from Z3. 4. 1–6 and Z3. 4. 7–12 (M. A. thesis, University of Canterbury, 1972).Google Scholar

I should like to thank the Assistant Librarian of Marsh's Library, Mrs. M. McCarthy, for kind co-operation during my work on these MSS in Dublin, and Commander Gordon Dodd, R. N., for providing material from the Viola da Gamba Society's Provisional Index of Viol Music.Google Scholar

6 cf. Appendix for an inventory of all the instrumental consort music in the manuscripts enumerated in n. 5.Google Scholar

1 With the exception of Coprario the spelling of composers’ names is standardised according to Eric Blom, ed., Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (9 vols., 5th ed.; London, 1954).Google Scholar

2 (2nd ed.; London, 1951), p. 100.Google Scholar

1 Everett Franklin Nelson, An Introductory Study of the English Three-Part String Fancy (Ph.D. thesis, University of Cornell, 1960), I, p. 164.Google Scholar

2 Ernst H. Meyer, Die Mehrstimmige Spielmusik des 17 Jahrhunderts in Nord- und Mitteleuropa (Kassel, 1934), p. 135.Google Scholar

3 Edmund H. Fellowes, op. cit., p. 100.Google Scholar

4 Ernst H. Meyer, op. cit., p. 139.Google Scholar

5 Tuned a fifth below the bass viol cf. Francis Baines, ‘Fantasias for the Great Dooble Base', Chelys, II (1970), pp. 37–8.Google Scholar

1 pp. 149–164.Google Scholar

1 These three pieces, nos. 6–8, do not appear to have been copied from the Matthew Locke autograph, British Library Additional MS 17, 799:piece no. 7 is identical except for the first half which contains material not found in Add. MS 17, 799.Google Scholar

1 Marsh bequeathed all his oriental MSS to the Bodleian Library, Oxford. cf. Madan, Falconer, H. H. E. Craster, et. al., eds., A Summary Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford (Oxford, 1953), III, p. 45ff.Google Scholar

2 The following is a list of Marsh's handwriting in the consort music manuscripts:Google Scholar

  1. a)

    a) Z2. 1. 12: p. 25 ‘Mr Lupo's 3pt Fantasies'.

  2. b)

    b) Z2. 1. 13: ff. 8a, 16a and 19a ‘Orlando Gibbons'.

  3. c)

    c) Z3. 4. 1–6: no. 19 à3, books 1 and 2 ‘Orlando Gibbons'; and no. 13 à6 book 1 ‘Mr. John Ward'.

  4. d)

    d) Z3. 4. 7–12: the indication of the number of parts for each piece at the top of most folios; no. 5 à4, book 8 ‘Brewer'; nos. 7, 15–17, 20, 21, 28–33, 36, 37, 49 and 50 à4, books 8, 9 and 10 ‘Alfonso’ and ‘True'.

  5. e)

    e) Z4. 2. 16: f. 1a ‘Dr. Gibbons’ and ‘Almaine'; ff. 2a and 2b ‘Dr. Gibbons': f. 3a ‘Dr. Gibbons’ and ‘Almain'.

3 Bodleian Library, Smith MSS 52. Letter dated February 4, 1696/7 written by Narcissus Marsh to Dr. Smith.Google Scholar

4 Undated letter written to Archbishop Boyle.Google Scholar

1 Marsh Diary, p. 9.Google Scholar

2 Dr. Matthew Hutton, music copyist and antiquarian, was a notable figure in Oxford musical life up until 1677, when he became Rector of Aynhoe in Northamptonshire, cf. Pamela J. Willetts, ‘Music from the Circle of Anthony Wood', British Museum Quarterly, XXIV (1961), pp. 71–5.Google Scholar

1 Jeffrey Pulver, A Biographical Dictionary of Old English Music (London, 1927), pp. 277–8.Google Scholar

2 Marthal C. Wohlforth, Orlando Gibbons’ Chamber Music (M. A. thesis, City College, New York, 1967), pp. 90–1.Google Scholar

1 cf. next section.Google Scholar

2 cf. Appendix.Google Scholar

1 The numbers refer to the thematic index in Ernst H. Meyer, op. cit., pp. 149–164.Google Scholar

1 Title: ‘Mr. Lupo's 3pt Fantasies'.Google Scholar

2 Fragmentary.Google Scholar

1 Misattributed to Orlando Gibbons.Google Scholar

2 Nos. 9–15 played on the violone: cf. n. 5, p. ? 3.Google Scholar

1 The title 'In Nomine' appears in this source.Google Scholar

2 Misattributed to Lupo.Google Scholar

3 Ibid.Google Scholar

4 Meyer attributes this piece to both Ward and White (Ward 11, White 1). In all the extant sources for this piece it is more often attributed to White and shows more affinity with the musical style of White than Ward. The opening section is based on the ascending hexachord and this may well be a companion piece to no. 24 à5 Z3. 4. 1–6 (cf. no. 1, p. ? 21).Google Scholar

1 The construction of the opening section of this piece is based on the descending hexachord.Google Scholar

2 In other manuscripts outside the Marsh Library, this piece is entitled: ‘Dovehouse Pavan'.Google Scholar

3 In this source this piece is entitled: ‘Alti Parole'.Google Scholar

4 The title ‘Deh preg amore', appears in this source.Google Scholar

5 Meyer attributes this In Nomine to both Ward (1) and Ives ([as fancy] 1). In all the extant sources it is attributed an equal number of times to both composers, however, stylistically it is more allied to other music by Ward.Google Scholar

1 This piece is textless and entitled: ‘Lempio'.Google Scholar

2 The title ‘Dulcis Memoria', appears in this source: cf. Frank Dobbins, ‘Doulce Mémoire': A Study of the Parody Chanson”. Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, XCVI (1969–1970), pp. 85–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

1 This set of variations is based on the tune ‘Walsingham'.Google Scholar

2 Listed as a fancy in Meyer's index.Google Scholar

3 Ibid.Google Scholar

1 These are three instrumental transcriptions of madrigals: no. 24, B. Pallavicino ‘Cor mio', no. 16 in the Sixth Book of Madrigals (1600); no.25, B. Pallavicino ‘O come vangegiate [sic]', no. 15 in the same publication; no. 26, C. Monteverdi ‘Luci serene e chiare', no. 8 in the Fourth Book of Madrigals (1603).Google Scholar

2 This piece was first published in 1599 at Hamburg in Cantiones sacrae de praecipuis festis totius anni 5, 6, 7, 8 vocum … by Hieronymous Praetorious. In this source it is correctly attributed and entitled: ‘Gaudet[e] omnes'. Meyer assigned it to Richard Dering, fancy no. 2, no doubt basing this on British Library Additional MSS 17, 786–91, where it is entitled: ‘Phantasia 6 voc: Richard Deeringe'.Google Scholar

3 The title ‘Ascendo, ’ appears in this source and the piece is published in Cantiones Sacrae … (cf. n. 2).Google Scholar

4 The title in this source for this set of variations is: ‘Goe from my Window'.Google Scholar

1 Two sections of this MS have been excluded from this catalogue: ff. 4a-6b which contain 10 keyboard pieces, and ff. 13a –32b which include 54 pieces for lyra viol.Google Scholar

2 Title: ‘Fantasies of Three Parts.'Google Scholar

1 Some of the pieces in this sub-section bear titles in this source: f. 73a ‘per far una [leggiadra]'; f. 74a ‘Fuggi [se sai fuggire]'; f. 75b ‘Occhi [miei con viva speme] ‘; f. 76b ‘Caggia fuoco [dal cielo] ‘; f. 78b ‘Dove il liquido argento'; f. 79b ‘La primavera'; f.81a ‘Fugga dunque la luce'; f. 82b ‘Ninfa crudeli'; f. 83b ‘Deh cara anima [mia]'; f. 84b ‘O misero mio [core]'; f. 86a ‘Cresce in voy'; f. 88b ‘Dolce ben mio'; f. 90a ‘Gittene ninfe'; f. 92b ‘Luci beate et chare'; f. 94b ‘Lucretia mia'; f. 96b ‘Rapina L'alma'; f. 98a ‘Lume tuo fugace'; f. 99b ‘Io piango'; f. 101b ‘Voy cara il mio'.Google Scholar