Christ Church Library music catalogue: Mus. 434

Mus. 434

Manuscript. Bass partbook from a set of probably three, containing fantasia-suites for treble, bass and organ by Christopher Gibbons; autograph. (This layer is copied at what is now designated as the rear of the volume.) Also four songs by John Wilson; copyist unidentified. (This layer is copied at what is now designated as the front of the volume.) Both layers: English, third quarter of the 17th century.

Mus. 434 is not foliated in a continuous sequence. In the inventory below, items 1-4 (Wilson) are copied on leaves that were foliated '1-4' by the copyist. Items 5-10 (Gibbons), at the rear with the volume inverted, are copied on leaves that bear a separate foliation system in modern pencil (which is here denoted by the prefix 'R').

Table of titles and composers in modern form. Display form found in manuscript.

1	John Wilson	Take, O take those lips away	f. 1^r
2	John Wilson	O fair Content, where dost thou dwell?	f. 2^r
3	John Wilson	Not roses couch'd within a lily bed	ff. 2^v-3^r
4	John Wilson	Come, constant hearts that so prevail	ff. 3^v-4^r
5	Christopher Gibbons	Fantasia-suite no. 1 in d minor, for treble, bass and organ (VdGS 1-3): Fantasy, Almain, Galliard; bass only	R[0]v-R1^r
6	Christopher Gibbons	Fantasia-suite no. 2 in d minor, for treble, bass and organ (VdGS 4-6): Fantasy, Almain, Galliard; bass only	R2^r-R3^r
7	Christopher Gibbons	3 two-part airs in d minor (VdGS 64, 74, 75); bass only	R4^r
8	Christopher Gibbons	Fantasia-suite no. 3 in D major, for treble, bass and organ (VdGS 7-9): Fantasy, Almain, Galliard; bass only	R5^r-R6^r
9	Christopher Gibbons	Fantasia-suite no. 4 in D major, for treble, bass and organ (VdGS 10-12): Fantasy, Almain, Galliard; bass only	R7^r-R8^r
10	Christopher Gibbons	Air in d minor for treble, bass and organ (VdGS 61); bass only, opening only	R9^r

Upright format, 293 x 197 mm. 46 leaves, not foliated in a continuous sequence. The four leaves containing Wilson's songs have been foliated '1-4' in ink by the copyist; the ten leaves containing C. Gibbons's instrumental works have been foliated '[0]-9' in modern pencil; the remaining leaves are unfoliated. Collation: A6 (ff. 1-[6]), B6, C6, D6, E8, F6 (of which F5-6 = ff. R8-9), G8 (= ff. R[0]-7). Unused ruled staves on f. 1v, on all pages between f. 4v and R9v, and on ff. R[0r], R1v, R2v, R3v, R4v, R5v, R6v, R7v and R8v. Mid-17th-century binding of brown leather over boards; the upper and lower covers are indentically gold-tooled with fillets enclosing a centrepiece. Bookplate 2. 19th-century shelfmark: I.5.44.

Provenance: from the Aldrich bequest; listed in Archives 1717, position H3, as 'Wilson's Catches'. In Mus. 434 itself, the shelfmark 'H.3' is written in ink on the inside upper cover.

Microfilm: manuscript music, reel 17.

For other items at Christ Church associated with Christopher Gibbons, see the list following the entry for Mus. 92.