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Mus. 1114

Manuscript. A volume with a complex history. Possibly begun as a song-book in the mid 17th century. Also used by three further copyists for adding instrumental music; in this capacity, the volume may have functioned as a partbook. The book may then have been used by John Blow to draft item 36. Further items, largely vocal, were subsequently added in Oxford by Richard Goodson Sr, Richard Goodson Jr, and various unidentified hands that are probably choristers; these additions extend the period of copying into the early 18th century. In the inventory below, items 1-20 are copied from what is here designated as the front of the volume, items 21-38 from the rear with the volume inverted. Copyists as follows:

'First-layer copyist': items 1-3, 5 and 35. The songs (voice-parts only) are notated on double-page spreads, with the music notation and first stanza on the left-hand page, continuation stanza(s) on the right.
'Second-layer copyist A': items 7-8 and 21-7. Instrumental parts, heavily ornamented, using idiosyncratic signs and abbreviated instructions; they appear to be largely for violin.
'Second-layer copyist B': items 28 and 34 (bass parts).
'Second-layer copyist C': items 29-31 and 33 (parts for consort music).
Item 36: apparently in the hand of John Blow.
Richard Goodson Sr: items 9 and 13.
Richard Goodson Jr: items 4, 12, 17, ?18-19 and 20.
Choristers: items 6, 10-11, 14-16, 32 and 37-8.

Many leaves have been excised from this volume; others have been partially torn or cut away. The principal mutilations are as follows:

Before f. 1: at least one leaf has been excised.
Right-hand side of f. 1 is torn away.
Between ff. 5 and 6: probably 3 leaves excised.
Between ff. 7 and 8: 3 leaves excised.
Between ff. 9 and 10: 3 leaves excised.
Between ff. 19 and 20: at least 2 leaves excised.
Most of f. 22 is torn away. Fragments of music notation remain; they are not included in the inventory below.
Upper portion of f. 24 has been cut away.
Between ff. 29 and 30: probably 2 leaves excised.
Much of f. 30 is torn away.
After f. 30: at least one gathering has been torn out.

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

1			[Unidentified song, largely excised]	f. 1^r
2		[Henry Lawes]	[Go, thou gentle whispering wind]	ff. 1^v-2^r
3		[Henry Lawes]	Come lovely phyllis	ff. 2^v-3^r
4			[Opening of an instrumental movement in B flat major; treble and bass]	f. 3^r
5		[Henry Lawes]	I preethee send mee back my hart	ff. 3^v-4^r
6			[Miscellaneous musical jottings]	ff. 4^v-5^r
7			Of all the arts [ornamented bass line]	f. 5^v
8			Wandring in Love's wildernesse [ornamented bass line]	f. 5^v
9		[John Blow]	{Venus and Adonis; solo vocal parts only, opening missing]	ff. 6^r-10^r
10			[Miscellaneous musical jottings]	ff. 10^v-11^r
11		[Samuel Akeroyde]	From aberdeen to edinbrough	f. 11^v
12			[Solmization exercises]	ff. 11^v-12^r
13		[Henry Aldrich]	Praise the Lord O yee his servants	ff. 12^v-15^r
14		[John Blow]	Turn thee unto me o Lor[d] [opening only, treble and bass]	f. 15^v
15			[Miscellaneous musical jottings]	f. 15^v
16			O lord rebuke me not ('vers')	ff. 16^r-v
17		[Henry Purcell]	['Fairest isle', from 'King Arthur', Z628/38; untexted treble part]	f. 17^r
18		Mr Simon Ives	Boy go down, and fill the other quart ('a 3 voc')	f. 17^v
19		Mr John Hilton	Boy go up and see what makes them mad ('a 3 vo')	f. 18^r
20			[Solmization exercises]	f. 18^v
21	7		Canzonetta [ornamented treble part, mulitated: page torn]	f. 30^v
22	8		Ritrosetta [ornamented treble part, mulitated: page torn]	f. 30^v
23			Regalia [= 'When the king enjoys his own again'; ornamented treble part]	f. 29^v
24			Luscinia [with heading 'The Nightingale'; ornamented treble part]	f. 28^v
25			Inamorato [ornamented treble part]	f. 27^v
26			Jocosa [ornamented treble part]	f. 27^r
27			Intrada/Parola/Riposta/Battaglia/Victoria [ornamented treble part]	ff. 26^r-25^v
28			Ayre [in G major; bass part only]	f. 24^v
29			[Treble part in D major]	f. 24^r
30			[Treble part in ?g minor]	f. 23^v
31		Alfonso Ferabosco [(ii)]	[Alman a5 no. 1; VdGS 1; treble and bass parts, copied on what are now facing pages; f. 22 is largely torn away]	ff. 23^r-22^v
32		[Orlando Gibbons]	Behold thou has made my days [treble part, abandoned opening only; see no. 37 below]	f. 23^r
33			[Tablature or fingering chart?]	f. 21^v
34			[Bass part in G major]	f. 21^r
35		[?John Banister (i)]	Sing aloud harmonious Spheeres	f. 20^v
36		[John Blow?]	[Draft of piece in d minor without text or title; treble and bass parts in score; incomplete at end, possibly owing to excised leaves]	f. 20^r
37		[Orlando Gibbons]	Behold thou has made my days [treble part only, incomplete at end; see also no. 32 above]	f. 19^v
38			[Miscellaneous musical jottings]	f. 19^r

Oblong format, 195 x 145 mm. Collation not researched because of the many excised leaves (see above). Unused ruled staves on ff. 25r, 26v, 28r, 29r and 30r. Mid 17th-century binding of brown leather over boards; upper and lower covers gold-tooled with fillets surrounding a central ornament. The inside upper cover is annotated with pen-trials, including the names of 'Richard Thornton' and 'Mr Goodson'. No early bookplate. 19th-century shelfmark: I.7.99. Formerly Mus. 597.

Provenance: presumably from the Goodson bequest; not listed in any of the 18th-century catalogues of the Christ Church music collections.

Microfilm: manuscript music, reel 37.

This is one of the many music manuscripts at Christ Church copied by Richard Goodson Sr.
For a full list of music manuscripts at Christ Church copied by John Blow, see the entry for Mus. 14.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Watkins Shaw, 'John Blow and Oxford', Bodleian Library Record, 16 (1997-8), 133-50 (at p. 142)