Add MS 50860

BASS PART-BOOK, containing anthems by Pelham Humfrey, John Blow, William Turner, Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke, and Thomas Tudway, from a set of Chapel Royal part-books; bef. 10 Dec. 1677 (date of Blow's doctorate). Imperfect, by the loss of five leaves. Another part-book from the same set is a bass part in the Ohki Collection, Nanki Music Library, Tokyo (N-5/10). Both books were written by the copyists of the earliest surviving leaves in the Chapel Royal part-books, British Library, R.M.27.a.1-15, formerly R.M.23.m.1-6. The main hand is that of William Tucker (d. 28 Feb. 1679), gentleman of the Chapel Royal. See M. Laurie, 'The Chapel Royal part-books', Music and Bibliography, ed. O. Neighbour, 1980, pp. 29-32. (1) 'O praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord', by Pelham Humfrey, the anthems by whom, contained in this MS., are published in Musica Britannica, xxxiv, xxxv, 1972. f. 1;- (2) 'O give thanks unto the Lord for he is gracious', by Pelham Humfrey. ff. 1b-2;- (3) 'Thou art my King O God', by Pelham Humfrey. ff. 2b-3;- (4) 'When Israel came out of Egypt', by John Blow. Imperfect at the end. f. 3b;- (5) 'And I heard a great voice', by John Blow. Imperfect at the beginning. f. 4;- (6) 'Hear my crying O God', by Pelham Humfrey. f. 4b;- (7) 'O praise the Lord', by William Turner. The addition, 18th cent., at the foot of the page, appears to be the bass part of the introductory verse. See Add. MS. 31445, ff. 92b-93. f. 5;- (8) 'By the waters of Babylon', by Pelham Humfrey. ff. 5b-6;- (9) 'When the Lord turned', by John Blow. ff. 6-6b;- (10) 'My beloved spake', by Henry Purcell. See F. Zimmerman, Henry Purcell, 1963, pp. 25-6. ff. 7-7b;- (11) 'Hast thee O God to deliver me', by Pelham Humfrey. f. 8;- (12) 'Reioyce in the Lord', by Pelham Humfrey. f. 8b;- (13) 'O clap your hands', by Matthew Locke. See R. Harding, A Thematic Catalogue of the Works of Matthew Locke, 1971, p. 27. f. 9;- (14) 'God is gone up' by Matthew Locke. Imperfect at the end. Harding, p. 29. f. 9b;- (15) 'I beheld and lo a great multitude', by John Blow. ff. 10-10b;- (16) 'The Lord is my shepherd', by John Blow. ff. 10b-11;- (17) 'If the Lord himself', by Henry Purcell. Imperfect at the end. Also included in the bass part-book in the Nanki Library but otherwise unknown. See Zimmerman, pp. 63-4. f. 11b;- (18) 'Praise the Lord, ye servants', by Henry Purcell. Imperfect at the beginning. Also included in the bass part-book in the Nanki Library but otherwise unknown. See Zimmerman, pp. 66-8. f. 12;- (19) 'O come let us sing unto the Lord', by Thomas Tudway. ff. 12b-13;- (20) 'O be joyful in the Lord', by Pelham Humfrey. ff. 13b-14;- (21) 'The King shall rejoice', by Pelham Humfrey. Fragment, found pinned to f. 2b. f. 15. On f. iii is twice written 'William Crofts 1679'. Owned by Dr Edward John Hopkins (d. 1901), chorister of the Chapel Royal, and afterwards organist of the Temple Church, who gave it to William Hayman Cummings, 4 Oct. 1896 (f. i). Bookplate of Cummings on f. ii and notes by him on ff. i, iii. Sotheby's sale-cats. 17-24 May 1917, part of lot 19 at the Cummings sale, and 9-10 Apr. 1962, part of lot 105 in the Richard Border Collection.

Paper; ff. iii+15. Folio. Bef. 1678. Gaps in the original pagination, 1-37, indicate that two leaves have been lost between ff. 3b and 4, and single leaves between ff. 4b and 5, 9b and 10, 11b and 12. Brown calf binding, gilt-tooled, now separately preserved. Royal arms within the Garter and without supporters in a centre panel and 'BASSVS' on the front cover. Covers, with front and back pastedowns (ff. i, iii).