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Mus. 954

Manuscript. Arias for solo voice and continuo, drawn partly from operas by Antonio Giannettini, Alessandro Scarlatti and Bernardo Pasquini, but also including arias by Severo de Luca and Agostino Calderi; single unidentified Italian copyist, with pagination and index added by a second hand; 1690s or later. The same scribes were also responsible for making Mus. 957, which in many respects is a partner volume. Mus. 954 includes arias drawn from the following operas:

  • Antonio Giannettini, Irene e Costantino (first performance: Venice, 1681).
  • Alessandro Scarlatti, L'Aldimiro (first performance: Naples, 6 November 1683).
  • Alessandro Scarlatti, La Rosmene (first performance: Rome, 1686).
  • Alessandro Scarlatti,Il Pompeo (first performance: Rome, 23 January 1683).
  • Alessandro Scarlatti,Dal male il bene (commedia; revision of Tutto il mal non vien per nuocere; first performance of revised version: Naples, 1687).
  • Alessandro Scarlatti, Gli equivoci in amore (first performance: Rome, 1690).
  • Bernardo Pasquini, La caduta del regno dell'Amazzoni (first performance:Rome, 1690).
Table of titles and composers in modern form. Display form found in manuscript.
1 Antonio Giannettini Voglio ostinarmi a vincere (from 'Irene e Costantino') ff. 1r-3r
2 Alessandro Scarlatti Impiagami, tormentami (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 3r-5r
3   Bionda chioma con lucidi anelli ff. 5v-7r
4   Crini vezzosi ff. 7v-8v
5 Alessandro Scarlatti Già che Amor non fu bastante (from 'La Rosmene') ff. 9r-11r
6 Antonio Giannettini I turbini dell'alma (from 'Irene e Costantino') ff. 11v-12v
7   Altra che la tua bocca ff. 13r-14v
8   Ch'importa, mio core ff. 15r-18r
9   Va, va, mostro, saziati ff. 18v-20v
10   Acquietatevi, pensieri ff. 21r-24r
11 Bernardo Pasquini Dite, o Cieli ff. 25r-27r
12   Begl'occhi d'amore ff. 27v-28v
13   Non voglio più scherzar ff. 29r-30v
14   Ride l'alba al Gange in seno ff. 31r-32v
15 Antonio Giannettini Crudele fortuna (from 'Irene e Costantino') ff. 33r-35v
16   Cosi và, cosi và ff. 36r-38r
17 Alessandro Scarlatti Un vezzo, un guardo (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 39r-40v
18 Alessandro Scarlatti Foglio lieve (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 41r-42v
19 Alessandro Scarlatti Lusingami speranza (from 'Il Pompeo') ff. 43r-44v
20   A scolpire dell'alma ff. 45r-46v
21 Alessandro Scarlatti Spirto eccelso, il cui valore (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 47r-48r
22 Alessandro Scarlatti S'ape amante io giungo a suggere (from 'Dal male il bene') ff. 49r-50v
23 Alessandro Scarlatti Non dar più pene, o caro (from 'Gli equivoci in amore') ff. 51r-52v
24 Bernardo Pasquini Biondi crini che stringete l'alma mia (from 'La caduta del regno dell'Amazzoni') ff. 53r-54r
25 Severo de Luca Vieni, o mia cara ff. 55r-56v
26 Alessandro Scarlatti Amor seconda il bel desir (from 'La Rosmene') ff. 57r-58v
27 Alessandro Scarlatti Di morir già non paventa (from 'La Rosmene') ff. 59r-60v
28   Bambino spietato ff. 61r-64r
29   Vi sento, soavi contenti ff. 65r-68v
30 Alessandro Scarlatti Due vaghe pupille (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 69r-70v
31 Alessandro Scarlatti Questa destra (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 71r-73r
32   Opri il fato ff. 73v-75v
33   Nò, nò, nò, non amerò ff. 76r-77v
34 Alessandro Scarlatti Se versasti da tuoi lumi (from 'La Rosmene') ff. 79r-80v
35   S'il mio labro un 'sì' dicesse ff. 81r-82r
36 Alessandro Scarlatti Chi l'alma m'ha tolta (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 83r-84r
37   Bella bocca di cinabro ff. 84v-85v
38   Tu fuggisti, o cara notte ff. 86r-88r
39   Memorie dolenti lasciatemi ff. 88v-90v
40 Alessandro Scarlatti Tanto basti per farmi morire (from 'L'Aldimiro') ff. 91r-92v
41   Amare, tacere ff. 93r-95r
42   Val più un vezzo ff. 95v-97r
43   Volante arciero che così fiero ff. 97v-99v
44   Occhi belli, rubelli d'amore ff. 100r-101r
45   Che ti giova l'esser bella ff. 101r-102v
46   È dolce, mio core ff. 103r-105r
47   Non paventa dolori o tormenti ff. 105v-110r
48   Non hai più strali ff. 111r-112v
49 Alessandro Scarlatti Taci, o crudo (from 'Dal male il bene') ff. 113r-114r
50   Begli occhi, perdonatemi ff. 115r-117r
51   Che ne dite, o miei pensieri ff. 117v-119r
52   Crudel, mi vuoi morto ff. 119v-120v
53   Aspre pene, deh cessate ff. 121r-125v
54   La saëtta del nume volante ff. 126r-127v
55   Fiero Amor nell'alma mia ff. 128r-129r
56 Agostino Calderi Per far certa la vittoria ff. 131r-134r
57 Agostino Calderi Resisto ma in vano ff. 135r-137r
58   Fra tanti contrasti ff. 137v-140r
59 Agostino Calderi Chi non sa che sia l'amare ff. 141r-143r
60   Non t'el diss'io ff. 145r-151v

Oblong format, 277 x 110 mm. Physical structure: i + 152 + i leaves, foliated in late 17th-century ink. Collation: largely gatherings of two quired bifolia (A4, B4, etc), interspersed with unquired bifolia. The quires were formerly numbered in ink on the top right-hand corner of their first pages; traces of these numbers are visible throughout the volume. Some of the arias are copied across quires, but elsewhere pages of unused ruled staves occur at the ends of quires, as if marking the ends of layers; the unused pages occur at the following places: ff. 24v, 38v, 64v, 78r-v, 82v, 110v, 114v, 128v-130v, 134v, 140v, 143v-4v and 152r. Small segments of blank stave precede each aria, on which ornamental capitals could have been added. The hand that foliated the volume (and also Mus. 957) also added a contents list on f. 152v and the recto of rear flyleaf [i]. Late 17th-century binding of cream vellum; edges stippled in red and black. (The binding of the partner collection of arias, Mus. 957, is similar but not identical.) Annotation in 18th-century ink on inside upper cover: 'Caldara'. Bookplate 2 on inside upper cover. Annotation apparently by Malchair at the end of item 21 (f. 48v): 'In the 2d V[olume]. p. 93 the same cantata apears - but in the kay of C'; this refers to Mus. 955, item 19.19th-century shelfmark: E.1.19.

Provenance: from the Aldrich bequest, listed in Dowding at shelfmark Q2 as 'Airs in parts / 4 Vols.'; this entry also covers Mus. 939, Mus. 940 and Mus. 955. In Mus. 954 itself, the shelfmark 'Q. 2. Vol. 1' is written on the front flyleaf.

Microfilm: manuscript music, reel 53.

The inventory above incorporates information kindly supplied by Michael Talbot.