The Gyffard partbooks I

Abstract

The Gyffard Partbooks form one of the most significant collections of Latin music from sixteenth-century England. They contain music by a variety of composers: Philip Alcock, Thomas Appleby, Robert Barber, John Blitheman, Richard Bramston, William Byrd, Robert Cowper, John Ensdale, John Hake, Christopher Hoskins, Thomas(?) Hyett, Robert Johnson, Thomas Knyght, John Mundy, William Mundy, Robert Okeland, John Redford, John Sheppard, Oliver(?) Stenyng, Thomas Tallis, John Taverner, Christopher Tye, Philip van Wilder, William Whitbroke, Robert White and Thomas Wright as well as several appearances by the ubiquitous Anonymous.¹ Although some of the works within this valuable source have appeared in earlier modern editions, most notably the wellestablished Early English Church Music series of which this offering is part, there still remains a substantial body of music to which access has been hitherto limited. The importance of this undertaking is not lost on the work's editor, Dr. David Mateer, currently on staff at The Open University. As he so correctly points out, the Gyffard Partbooks are important on three main accounts. Firstly, unlike so many other manuscripts, they have survived in full; and, secondly, they contain a sizeable proportion of works not preserved elsewhere. Finally they have: