Christ Church Library music catalogue: Mus. 521-4

Mus. 521-4

Manuscript. Complete set of four vocal partbooks, containing at the front (items 1-16) fair copies by Henry Aldrich of motets by Palestrina, and at the rear (volumes inverted, items 17-19) three anthems by Aldrich in autograph fair copy, two of which are adapted from the Palestrina motets copied at the other end of the set. English, late 17th century. The Palestrina copies probably derive ultimately from Aldrich's copy of Festorum totius anni cum communi sanctorum quaternis vocibus (Rome, 1622) in Mus. 887-92(4). However, to judge from the precise durations given to final notes in each voice-part, they were almost certainly copied from an unidentified intermediate score. For other adaptations by Aldrich of Palestrina motets in this set, see the entry for Mus. 16.

Table of titles and composers in modern form. Display form found in manuscript.
The first column gives the modern numbering of the pieces; the second shows numbering used by the copyist(s).

				Mus. 521	Mus. 522	Mus. 523	Mus. 524
1	1	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Dies sanctificatus	ff. 1^r-v	ff. 1^r-v	ff. 1^r-v	ff. 1^r-v
2	2	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Lapidabant Stephanum	ff. 2^r-v	ff. 2^r-v	ff. 2^r-v	ff. 2^r-v
3	3	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Valde honorandus est	ff. 3^r-v	ff. 3^r-v	ff. 3^r-v	ff. 3^r-v
4	4	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Magnum haereditatis mysterium	ff. 4^r-v	ff. 4^r-v	ff. 4^r-v	ff. 4^r-v
5	5	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Tribus miraculis ornatum	ff. 5^r-v	ff. 5^r-v	ff. 5^r-v	ff. 5^r-v
6	6	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Hodie beata virgo Maria	ff. 6^r-v	ff. 6^r-v	ff. 6^r-v	ff. 6^r-v
7	7	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Ave Maria	ff. 7^r-v	ff. 7^r-v	ff. 7^r-v	ff. 7^r-v
8	8	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Jesus iunxit se discipulis suis	ff. 8^r-v	ff. 8^r-v	ff. 8^r-v	ff. 8^r-v
9	9	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	O Rex gloriae	ff. 9^r-v	ff. 9^r-v	ff. 9^r-v	ff. 9^r-v
10	10	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Loquebantur variis linguis	ff. 10^r-v	ff. 10^r-v	ff. 10^r-v	ff. 10^r-v
11	11	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas	ff. 11^r-v	ff. 11^r-v	ff. 11^r-v	ff. 11^r-v
12	12	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Lauda Sion Salvatorem	ff. 12^r-v	ff. 12^r-v	ff. 12^r-v	ff. 12^r-v
13	13	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Fuit homo missus a Deo	ff. 13^r-v	ff. 13^r-v	ff. 13^r-v	ff. 13^r-v
14	14	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Tu es pastor ovium	ff. 14^r-v	ff. 14^r-v	ff. 14^r-v	ff. 14^r-v
15	15	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Magnus Sanctus Paulus	ff. 15^r-v	ff. 15^r-v	ff. 15^r-v	ff. 15^r-v
16	16	Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina	Surge propera amica mea	ff. 16^r-v	ff. 16^r-v	ff. 16^r-v	ff. 16^r-v
17		Henry Aldrich	Give ear, O Lord	ff. 140^r-139^v	ff. 143^r-142^v	ff. 143^r-142^v	ff. 144^r-143^v
18		Palestrina; arr. Henry Aldrich	Why art thou so vexed [= 'Ave Maria']	ff. 139^r-138^v	ff. 142^r-141^v	ff. 142^r-141^v	ff. 143^r-142^v
19		Palestrina; arr. Henry Aldrich	O God the King of glory [= 'O Rex gloriae']	ff. 138^r-137^v	ff. 141^r-140^v	ff. 141^r-140^v	ff. 142^r-141^v

Oblong format, 205 x 155 mm. Each partbook contains c.18 gatherings each of 4 nested bifolios (= 8 folios). Of these, the first two gatherings have been used to copy items 1-16, and the last for items 17-19; the remaining gatherings contain unused ruled staves. Foliation is in modern pencil, and extends only through the three gatherings in which music is copied. Late 17th-century bindings of dark brown leather over boards, blind-tooled with fillets and small ornaments. (The tools used do not correspond to those of the standard 'Aldrich binding' type.) Bookplate 2 in all 4 volumes. 19th-century shelfmarks: I.7.23-6.

Provenance: from the Aldrich bequest. Listed in Dowding (main hand) at position M.2.3 as 'Latin Collects MS. / on all the Saints days set to music in 4. Vols'. By the time Burney compiled his catalogue, the set had been moved to position M.4.2. The shelfmark 'M.4.2' is written on the front flyleaf of Mus. 521, and is concealed or partly concealed under pastedown contents-lists by Weedon in the other volumes of the set.

Microfilm: manuscript music, reel 22.

Bibliography:

Robert Shay (ed.), Henry Aldrich: Selected Anthems and Motet Recompositions, Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era, 85 (Madison, 1998).