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Mus. 90-1

*** This is an INTERIM entry ***

Manuscript. Two partbooks (treble and bass) apparently from a set originally of three, lacking the first treble, containing instrumental works, accompaniments to stage songs, and music for dramatic dialogues; English, late 17th century. Probably compiled by Oxford musicians, including the 'Mr [John] Dowdon' whose name is written on the inside lower cover of Mus. 91, and whose compositions feature prominently among the musical contents. The partbooks later belonged to Richard Goodson Jr, who filled unused pages with sketches and drafts of his own instrumental works (items 26-7, 36-8 and 44).

In the description and inventory that follow, no attempt is made to distinguish between the various copyists of individual pieces, none of whom has been positively identified. One of them may be Francis Pigott (organist of St John's College, Oxford in the mid 1680s, and organist of Magdalen College, Oxford in 1686-8), if he can be identified as the scribe responsible for copying items 25, 28-35 and 39-43. (For a list of other manuscripts at Christ Church in which this scribe's hand occurs, see the entry for Mus. 865(A).) Another of the hands may be the copyist of Mus. 941.

In the inventory below, items 1-27 are copied at what is now designated as the front of the volumes, items 28-44 at the rear with the volumes inverted. The music copyists used neither a pagination nor a foliation system, but instead designated numbers to 'openings', in two separate sequences, the first counting from the front of the volumes, the second (inconsistently) from the rear. In each sequence, the opening recto is numbered '1'; the ensuing opening (= double-page spread, equivalent to ff. 1v/2r) is numbered '2' at the top left-hand corner of the opening; the next opening is '3'; and so on. In microfilms made before 1983, this double-ended structure is the only numbering system that will be visible. It was replaced in 1983 by a mix of pagination and foliation, arranged in a single numerical sequence, in which the opening leaf of each partbook is paginated as 'pp. 1-2', and the remaining leaves foliated 'f. 3' onwards. This replacement system is used in the inventory below. Readers of microfilms will therefore need to use the following 'conversion table'. Its left-hand column shows 'OPENING' numbers (as designated by the copyists) for items 1-27. (Items 28-44, copied at the rear, are largely texted, and are therefore easy to identify by incipit.) The letters 'L' and 'R' designate left-hand and right-hand pages of 'openings'. The right-hand column shows the CURRENT pagination/foliation system, as used in the inventory.

  1. p. 1

OPENING: CURRENT:
2L/2R p. 2 / f. 3r
3L/3R ff. 3v / 4r
4L/4R ff. 4v / 5r
etc. etc.
Attributions: the copyists' consistent use of 'Mr' instead of first names makes it impossible to be sure which composers are represented here. The following identifiable Oxford musicians may have been intended: 'Mr [John?] Withy', 'Mr Oldridge' [Henry Aldrich?], 'Mr [William?] King', and 'Mr Picket' [Francis Pigott?]. Observations on individual pieces:
  • Item 14: the first treble part of this piece is in Mus. 362, f. 9r.
  • Item 17: the title may refer to the tuning of the violin part(s).
  • Items 39-40: other sections of these works, copied by the same hand, are in Mus. 1211. (For a full list of manuscripts at Christ Church copied by this scribe, see the entry for Mus. 865(A).)
Table of titles and composers as shown in the manuscript. Display in modern form.
 Mus. 90Mus. 91
1 J[ohn] D[owdon] [Five binary-form movements in a minor; treble and bass] 1 1
2   [Five binary-form movements in A major and D major; bass only]   2-3r
3 Mr [John] Dowdon [Three binary-form movements in B flat major; treble and bass] 3v 3v
4 Mr [John] Dowdon [Three binary-form movements in F major; bass only]   4r
5 Mr [John] Dowdon [Three binary-form movements in G major; treble only] 4v  
6 Mr Pike an Antick tune [bass only]   4v
7 Mr [John] Dowdon [Two binary-form movements in g minor; treble and bass] 5r 5r
8   [Binary-form movement in a minor; bass only]   5r
9   [Two binary-form movements in g minor; treble only; possibly part of no. 10 below] 5v  
10 Mr Pike [Two binary-form movements in g minor; bass only; possibly part of no. 9 above]   5v
11 Mr [John] Dowdon [Binary-form movement in g minor; bass only]   5v
12 Mr Smyth [Five binary-form movements in B flat major; treble and bass] 6r 6r
13 Mr [Edward] Judd [Seven movements in g minor; treble and bass; at end, 'Ricut Sute of Ayers'] 6v-7r 6v-7r
14 Mr Hall [Binary-form movement G major; treble and bass] 7r 7r
15 Edw[ard] Judd [Three movements in B flat major; treble and bass] 7v 7v
16 Edw[ard] Judd [?'Battle' suite in B flat major; treble and bass; movements include 'Preludium', 'The Releif', 'Trumpet & bels' and 'The seamans dance'] 7v-8v 7v-8v
17 Mr [John] Dowdon Mr Dowdans 2 forths & a 5th [= binary-form movement in D major; bass only]   9r
18 Mr Oldridge [Six binary-form movements in a minor; treble and bass; possibly continues as no. 19 below] 9v-10r 9v-10r
19 Mr Alderidg [Three binary-form movements in a minor; treble and bass; possibly continued from no. 18 above] 10v 10v
20 Mr [John] Dowdon [Three binary-form movements in G major; bass only]   11r
21 Mr Oldridg [Four binary-form movements in g minor; treble and bass] 11v-12r 11v-12r
22 Mr [John] Dowdon [Three binary-form movements in G major; treble and bass] 12v 12v
23 Mr Withy [24 variations on a ground, in g minor; treble and bass] 13v-14r 13v-14r
24   [Eight binary-form movements in B flat major; treble and bass] 14v-15r 14v-15r
25 Mr Oldridge [Four binary-form movements in C major; treble and bass] 16r-17r 16r-17r
26 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Four-voice fugue in D major; opening only, sketched in short score] 18v-19r  
27 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Drafts of passages for an instrumental movement a5 in C major, in open score]   17v-19v
28 mr [William?] King Tell me oh Tell me some powers that are kinde [bass only]   32v
29 W. Sp. We must assemble &c [text from Charles Davenant's 'Circe'; untexted treble and bass] 32r 32r
30 W. Sp. Come every Demon who &c [text from Charles Davenant's 'Circe'; untexted treble and bass] 31v 31v
31 W. Sp. Lovers Who to theire first &c [text from Charles Davenant's 'Circe'; and] Ritornello [untexted treble and bass] 30r 31r
32   Last Night When all the village slept [untexted bass]   30v
33   Young phaon &c [text from Charles Davenant's 'Circe'; untexted bass]   30r
34   Maids in Wishes &c [text from Charles Davenant's 'Circe'; untexted bass]   29v
35   [Untexted bass in B flat major]   29r
36 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Draft of passage in A major for two bass instruments] 29r  
37 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Draft of passage a4 in C major, in open score ]   28r
38 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Four-voice fugue in D major; opening only, sketched in open score; copied with volume inverted] 26v  
39 [?Francis Pigott] [Dialogue between Grumpo and the Witch] 26r-23r 27r-24r
40 Mr [?Francis] Picket [= Pigott] Dialogue Between Love Hymen Fortune & Time 22v-22r 24r-23v
41   Now Now The Sights Done &c [untexted bass]   23r
42   A cruel Bloody fate &c [untexted bass]   23r
43   Hail to The Mirtle shade &c [untexted bass]   23r
44 [Richard Goodson (ii)] [Draft of movement a3-5 in C major, in short score]   22v-20v

Upright format, 297 x 195 mm. Physical descriptions:

  • Mus. 90: 32 folios. Collation: A6 (= pp. 1-2, then ff. 3-7), B6 (ff. 8-13), C6 (ff. 14-19), D6 (ff. 20-25), E8 (of which E2 is excised; ff. 26-32). Unused ruled staves on p. 2 and ff. 3r, 4r, 9r, 11r, 13r, 15v, 18v-21v, 24v, 27r-28v, 29v, 30v-31r and 32v.
  • Mus. 91: 31 folios. Collation: A6 (= pp. 1-2, then ff. 3-7), B8 (ff. 8-15), C6 (ff. 16-21), D6 (ff. 22-7), E6 (of which E6 is excised; ff. 28-32; the upper half of f. 31 is missing; f. 32 is torn horizontally but otherwise intact). Unused ruled staves on ff. 13r, 15v, 20r, 27v and 28v.
Late 17th-century bindings of white vellum over thick card. Outside upper cover of Mus. 90 faintly inscribed 'William [illegible]'. Inside lower cover of Mus. 91 inscribed 'Mr Dowdon [twice] / and ffor my Loveing frend / C.M.P'. No early bookplates. 19th-century shelfmarks: I.1.54-5.

Provenance: presumably from the Goodson bequest, on account of the presence of music copied by Richard Goodson Jr. Not listed in any of the 18th-century catalogues of the Christ Church music collections.

Microfilm: manuscript music, reel 10.