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1. MS Mus. 1778

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778
Title:
Manuscripts of Sir Harrison Birtwistle
Scope & Content:
Manuscript scores, sketches, drafts and other papers largely relating to works composed by Sir Harrison Birtwistle before 1989. Purchased by the British Library in 2012. The collection includes extensive material for large-scale pieces including The Mask of Orpheus,Gawain, Earth Dances, and …a...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1940s-1990s
Extent:
22 volumes

2. MS Mus. 1778/5

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/5
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Correspondence and photographs
Scope & Content:
Letters, papers, and photographs. Letters and papers date mainly from the 1960s, with some from the 1970s and 1980s, and are of largely professional content; photographs from c.1950 – 1991.
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1950-1991
Extent:
2 volumes

3. MS Mus. 1778/4

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/4
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Miscellaneous and unidentified material
Scope & Content:
Miscellaneous and unidentified sketches and notes, grouped by size; also 3 pieces by other composers. MS Mus. 1778/4/1: Miscellaneous and unidentified, volume 1 MS Mus. 1778/4/2: Miscellaneous and unidentified, volume 2 MS Mus. 1778/4/3: Miscellaneous and unidentified, volume 3 MS Mus. 1778/...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1970-1989
Extent:
4 volumes

4. MS Mus. 1778/3

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/3
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Early works; music for school children
Scope & Content:
Material in this series includes several unpublished early works (1945-c.1955); and simple works, arrangements, and exercises dating from his time spent teaching music at schools including Cranborne Chase (1960-1965): MS Mus. 1778/3/1: Early works (c. 1945-1955) MS Mus. 1778/3/2: Music for schoo...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1945-1965
Extent:
7 volumes

5. MS Mus. 1778/2

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/2
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Orchestral, ensemble, and vocal music
Scope & Content:
Sketch material relating to orchestral, ensemble, and vocal music: MS Mus. 1778/2/1: Earth Dances (1985-6) MS Mus. 1778/2/2: Salford Toccata (1989) MS Mus. 1778/2/3: Endless Parade (1986-7) MS Mus. 1778/2/4: Entr’actes and Sappho Fragments (1964); Tragoedia (1965); Verses (1965); Nenia: The Dea...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1964-1989
Extent:
6 volumes

6. MS Mus. 1778/1

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/1
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Stage works and music for theatre productions
Scope & Content:
6 volumes containing sketch material for: MS Mus. 1778/1/1–2: The Mask of Orpheus (1973-5; 1981-3) MS Mus. 1778/1/3–4: Gawain (Act 1, 1989) MS Mus. 1778/1/5: Monodrama (1967) and Yan Tan Tethera (1984) MS Mus. 1778/1/6: Music for the Theatre: Lorca (1966), Hamlet (1975), Bow Down (1977), Volpone...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1967-1989
Extent:
6 volumes

7. MS Mus. 1778/5/2

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/5/2
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Photographs
Scope & Content:
18 photographs, arranged in approximate chronological order. These include: Birtwistle in a school orchestra, aged 16, dated 1950. Original and photocopy 8 headshots 4 portraits, including one by George Newson, signed and dated 1991 Portrait of the Pierrot Players, with heads cut out (one head –...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1950-1991
Extent:
1 volume

8. MS Mus. 1778/4/5

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/4/5
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Assorted notebooks
Scope & Content:
(1). ‘Book of Magic’. A4 squared notebook containing randomly-generated numbers and assorted sketches. Heavily worn, as it was used as a frequent source of reference for the composer. Front cover reads 'BOOK OF MAGIC - BEWARE!'. Inside annotation by HB reads: 'This notebook came from Bryn Mawr U...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1960-1999
Extent:
1 volume

9. MS Mus. 1778/3/2

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/3/2
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: Music for schoolchildren
Scope & Content:
Assorted material, including complete copies of unpublished works written while Birtwistle was a teacher at Cranborne Chase School (1960-1965): (1). ff. 1-6. 'Crescendo e diminuendo 'Nowell Nowell”, a complete short work for wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, cor anglais, bassoon). Frequent ‘...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1960-1965
Extent:
1 volume (31 folios)

10. MS Mus. 1778/3/3

Reference (shelfmark):
MS Mus. 1778/3/3
Title:
Harrison Birtwistle: 5 hardbound music books
Scope & Content:
5 hardbound music manuscript books, likely of nineteenth-century origin; from inscriptions on the spines, the books appear to have been used as partbooks for sacred works at Wardour Castle and Cranborne Chase School, where Birtwistle taught music between 1960-1965. Spare pages, interspersed betw...
Collection Area:
Music Collections
Languages:
English
Date Range:
1960-1965
Extent:
5 volumes