GB-Och Mus. 984 (Dow Partbooks)

Christ Church, Oxford, England

partbook: 1581-8

Archive Christ Church, Oxford, England (GB-Och)
Shelfmark Mus. 984 (Dow Partbooks)
Surface Paper
Numbering System None / Unknown
Format landscape
Measurements c. 200 x 150 mm
Other Identifiers
  • CCM: OxfC 984-8
Notations
  • black full mensural
  • black void mensural
Copyists
Relationships
External Links
Provenance
Contents 126 pieces from 28 composers
General Description

A Discantus partbook from a set of five volumes. Copied by Robert Dow (1553-88), fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, except for nos. 53-4, which were copied by John Baldwin, and nos. 99-100, which were copied by an unidentified person. At Dow's death the partbooks passed to Giles Thomson, a former colleague of Dow's at All Souls, and later Dean of St George's Chapel, Windsor; he died in 1612. The Windsor connection helps explain the additions made to the partbooks by John Baldwin (d. 1615), who was a singing-man at St George's Chapel. From Thomson, the books passed to Gregory Baker (d. 1637), then to his son Giles Baker (d. c. 1661). The next trace of the set is as part of the Aldrich bequest, where it is listed in Dowding at position N.2.4 as 'Latin Psalms / By Tallis &c MS. 5 voc. 1581'. Possibly the set was acquired by Aldrich together with Mus. 979-83, copied wholly by John Baldwin, which is also of Windsor provenance.

John Milsom, 2010
Binding

Early l7th-century covers of brown leather on cardboard, tooled in gold with decorative borders and initials 'G.T.'

John Milsom, 2010
Notation

Black void mensural; cantus firmus in some pieces in black mensural

John Milsom, 2010
Ruling

printed red staves

John Milsom, 2010
Foliation

Other numberings: Dow himself numbered items 1-52. Baldwin numbered items 53-4 (also adding '55' in error in Mus. 984-5). The remaining contents were left unnumbered until the 19th century. Various later hands (including that of Havergal) continued the numbering system, in sequences that do not always agree with one another

John Milsom, 2010
Foliation

No foliation or pagination

John Milsom, 2010
Decoration

No initials, but some text incipits copied in ornamental script. Latin epigrams on various folios include comments on the art of music and evaluations of particular composers (see BoydE).

John Milsom, 2010
Index

Modern index on flyleaves at beginning of Discantus book lists pieces alphabetically by composer (R. White works listed first, out of order).

John Milsom, 2010
Surface

paper

John Milsom, 2010
DIAMM Note

There were some exposure problems in photographing the first two books. This has largely been corrected in processing, but there may be some residual over-exposure.

Digitized with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) and included in the Tudor Partbooks project at the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle.

DIAMM 2023
Census Catalogue of Music Description

This information is reproduced here by kind permission of the publishers. It is COPYRIGHT and copying/reproduction of this content without permission may result in legal action.

1 Magnificat section, 5 hymns, 1 set of Lamentations, 49 motets, 22 anthems and English sacred pieces, 28 English secular pieces, 4 French secular pieces, 3 Italian secular pieces, 1 textless canon, 13 instrumental pieces = 127

Bruster-1, Bull-1, Byrd-56, (Edwards?)-1, R. Farrant/(Byrd/R. Parsons 1)-1, A. Ferrabosco I-2, N. Giles-1, (Hunnis?)-1, R. Johnson I-1, Lassus-3, Mallorie-1, Mocheni-2, W. Mundy-1, R. Parsons I-6, R. Parsons I/(Byrd)-1, R. Parsons I/(Wilder)-1, Shepherd-1, Strogers-6, J. Tailer [Mr. Tayler; Tailer]-1, Tallis-6, Taverner-1, Tye-4, Tye/(Maillard?)-1, Tye/(Verdelot/Wilder)-1, R. White-13, R. White/(M. White)-1, Wilder [Phillips]-1, Woodcocke-2, anon-9

5 paper partbooks (D-ii + i + 93 folios, Medius-ii + 93 + i, AT-ii + 95 + i folios each, B-ii + 89 + i), 142 x 194. No foliation or pagination. Original numbering of Latin pieces at beginning, 1-54; modern ink and pencil numbering of pieces in remainder of manuscript, 55-99 + 99b-133 ("133" applied to three different pieces; some partes counted separately). Early l7th-century covers of brown leather on cardboard, tooled in gold with decorative borders and initials "G.T." Modern index on flyleaves at beginning of D lists pieces alphabetically by composer (R. White works listed first, out of order). Black void mensural notation on orange staves; cantus firmus in some pieces in black mensural notation.

The main scribe was probably Robert Dow the Younger. Pieces #53-54 are slightly later additions in the hand of John Baldwin (see below), who also copied LonBLM 24 d.2, OxfC 979-83, part of OxfBMS e.376-81, and "My Ladye Nevells Booke" (last-named manuscript not within scope of this catalogue). #98-99 possibly copied by Dow, using less formal hand, or may be work of a third, unidentified scribe. No initials, but some text incipits copied in ornamental script. Latin epigrams on various folios include comments on the art of music and evaluations of particular composers (see BoydE).

1581-8, with slightly later additions (BernsCE). Copied in Oxford. The compiler and original owner was Robert Dow the Younger (ca. 1554-1588), fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Later owned by John Baldwin, a singer and clerk at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and gentleman of the Chapel Royal from 1594; Baldwin added two pieces. Later owner "G.T." added present bindings stamped with his initials. Acquired by Henry Aldrich (1647-1710), Dean of Christ Church, Oxford; bequeathed to Christ Church Library in 1710.

Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music 1400-1550

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