References
- See my discussion of this collection in Music and Letters XLIX/1 (1968) Correspondence, pp. 98–100. To the list of references there should be added John Ward's article (“Joan qd John and other Fragments at Western Reserve University,”) Aspects of Medieval and Renaissance Music ed. J. LaRue et. al., London, 1966, pp. 832–855; in particular, pp. 837–844.
- The entry in the catalogue (compiled by Hughes-Hughes) is: “Paper: after 1614. Belonged to Hugh Floyd in 1630; on f. lb. is the name John Swarland. The MS also contains a Chamber Quartet, Duets (secular), Lute Music, Madrigals, a number from an Opera, Songs (sacred and secular) of the same date; also an index to a collection of Hymns, after 1599”.
- Harwood, Ian. “Rosseter's Lessons for Consort of 1609”, Lute Society Journal, VII (1965) 15–23. See in particular p. 15, footnote 1.
- Morley, Thomas. The First Book of Consort Lessons (1599 and 1611), reconstructed and edited by Sidney Beck. The “standard” combination of instruments in the broken consort was treble viol, flute, bass viol, lute, cittern and pandora. See the Introduction, p. 9, footnote 25a, which sets out the tuning of the instruments.
- For a discussion of music in children's plays and for examples of the nature and function of the songs see the following articles by A.J. Sabol: “Two Songs with Accompaniment for An Elizabethan Choirboy Play”, Studies in the Renaissance, V (1958) pp. 145–159. “Ravenscroft's Melismata and the Children of Paul's”, Renaissance News, XII/1 (1959), pp. 3–9. “Two Unpublished Stage Songs for the ‘Aery of Children’”. Renaissance News, XIII/3 (1960), pp. 222–232. A comparison with the music in later plays—those of Beaumont and Fletcher in particular—can be made with reference to the transcriptions in Cutts, J.P. La musique de la troupe de Shakespeare, Paris, 1959.
- See Brett, Philip. “The English Consort Song, 1570–1625”, Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, (1961–1962), pp. 73–88. Consort songs were usually for soprano or alto solo accompanied by a consort of viols—either three or four.
- For a discussion of the influence of Seneca on the set speech in pre-Shakespearean English tragedy and the emphasis (theoretical at least) on its serious function in drama see Clemen, Wolfgang. English Tragedy Before Shakespeare, translated T. S. Dorsch, London, 1961, pp.23–24.
- Many other consort songs, and particularly laments, do however appear to have had a dramatic context and the nature of the vocal line suggests in any case that they were written for children. Peter Warlock has edited some of these consort songs in his Elizabethan Songs with String Quartet, 3 Vol., London, 1926, and Philip Brett's Consort Songs, Musica Britannica XXII, London 1967, gives a more recent edition of some of these and others as well. It is generally considered that “Awake ye woeful weights” is the earliest instance of a musical lament in a play. The song occurs in Richard Edwards's Damon and Pithias (1564).
- In Music on the Shakespearean Stage, London, 1913, p. 60, G.H. Cowling suggested that the broken consort pieces in Leighton's collection were possibly used as incidental music in the theatre. He cited no evidence for this.
- I use the conventional method of referring to the pitch of the notes: C = two octaves below middle c, c = one octave below middle c, c' = middle c, and soon.
- See Sternfeld, F.W. “Shakespeare's Use of Popular Song,” in Elizabethan and Jacobean Studies, ed. H. Davis, Oxford, 1959, pp. 150–166. C.R. Baskervill, The Elizabethan Jig, Dover, New York, pp.21 and 254, refers to wooing games in which the “rejected” lover stands apart wearing a willow garland. The “Willow Song” which Desdemona sings in Othello also occurs in the 15117 manuscript, see below pp. 67 and 71.
- See Parsons's “Pandolpho” in Christ Church, Oxford, MSS Mus 984–988. See also below, p. 69.
- See Morley, Thomas. Madrigals for Four Voices (1594), no.1.
- Vivian, Percival. The Works of Thomas Campion, Oxford, 1909, 1966, prints the words of the version in Campion's Second Book of Ayres on p. 139 and on p. 364 the words of the 15117 version are given together with a note on the song.
- The songs by Byrd in the 15117 manuscript do, in fact, name the Superius as the “first singing part” in their consort versions. One might except “Alack when I look back” (f.6v-7) but in this case the complete arrangement is for alto solo with consort and chorus. The 15117 version gives the alto solo part as the vocal part and omits the chorus altogether.
- It is known from the dedication of Morley's five-part Canzonets published in 1597 that he made a lute arrangement of the four lower parts as an accompaniment to the Cantus so that Sir George Carey might play and sing them alone. The lute tablature accompaniment occurs on certain pages in the Cantus part-book. It is possible, although no specific evidence exists for this, that Morley arranged several other madrigals in the same way.
- See also Ward, John. “Joan qd John and other Fragments at Western Reserve University” in Aspects of Medieval and Renaissance Music, p. 842, footnote 35. a.
- Caccini, Giulio. Le nvove mvsiche de Givio Caccini detto Romano… Nouamente con somma diligenza reuiste, corrette, e ristampate. In Venetia…M.D. CII. Sig.B.2—B.2v.
- See for example St. Michael's College, Tenbury, MS 1018, f. 39; B.M. MS Royal Appendix 55, f. 7v-8.
- See the article by Philippe Oboussier, “Turpyn's Book of Lute Songs”, Music and Letters, XXXIV/2 (1953), 149, which dates the manuscript as c.1615.
- The same text, set by Thomas Ford in six parts, occurs in manuscript part-books in the Library of Christ Church, Oxford, MSS Mus. 56–60 (Bass part missing). This setting bears no relation to either setting discussed here and its date is not known.
- See Warlock, Peter. Elizabethan Songs with String Quartet, Vol. III pp. 1–3 and the Introductory Notes. See also Ward, John, “Joan qd John and other Fragments at Western Reserve University”, op. cit. pp. 837–844.
- See Warlock, op. cit., Introductory Notes. There is a recent pencil note on “Defiled is my name” in the Cantus part-book of the B.M. MSS add. 30480–3 version indicating that the song was written by Anne Boleyn. This note is also given in the notes to the edition of this setting in Musica Britannica Vol.XV.
- “O Deathe” has also been ascribed to Anne Boleyn's brother, Viscount Rochford. It is said to have been written by him while in the Tower awaiting execution for incest with his sister, Anne, the Queen.
- Hughey, Ruther. The Arundel Harington Manuscript of Tudor Poetry, Columbus, Ohio, 1960. The poem occurs on f.34.v. of the manuscript (see Vol.1, no. 68). The discussion in favour of attributing the poem to Walter Devereux is in Volume II, pp. 68ff.
- Fellowes ascribes the song to Byrd in his edition of The Collected Works, Vol.XV, pp. 28–30. The music is ascribed to Byrd in St. Michael's College, Tenbury, MS 389, p. 103. Fellowes attributes the poem, mistakenly, to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. As far as I know there is no evidence to support such an ascription. For the consideration of the evidence supporting the ascription to Nicholas Strogers see Brett, Philip, The Songs of William Byrd, Typescript Ph.D. Dissertation (1965) in the University Library, Cambridge, p.329, and Consort Songs, Musica Britannica XXII, p.180. Dr. Brett considers that the most reliable source for the song is the single contra-tenor part-book in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Mus. Sch. e.423, which was written between 1575 and 1586.
- This has been transcribed and edited by Peter Warlock, Elizabethan Songs with String Quartet, Vol.III, pp. 19–20, and by Philip Brett in Consort Songs, Musica Britannica, XXII, p. 19.
- See the consort songs in the first part of Brett, Consort Songs, op. cit., pp. 1–33, especially nos. 1, 3, 4, 7 and 9.
- See the edition of the Egerton manuscript by Helen Estabrook Sandison, The Poems of Sir Arthur Gorges, Oxford, 1953, p.xxviii. The poem is printed on pp. 118–123.
- Baskervill, C.R. The Elizabethan Jig. Dover reprints, New York, 1965, p.199.
- See above, p. 59. and footnote 11.
- Sternfeld, F.W. Music in Shakespearean Tragedy. London, 1963, p.35.
- Dart, Thurston. “Morley's Consort Lessons of 1599”. Procedings of the Royal Musical Association, (1947–48), p. 7. The plates which follow are reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum with the exception of Plate 4b which is reproduced by permission of the Governing Body of Trinity College, Dublin.