MS Mus. 1868

ff. 1-94. Volume of lute music thought to have been copied around 1755 or later, probably in Vienna or Prague. A title page, in a later hand and in English states: 'A collection of Allemandes, Courantes, Fantasias, Fuges, Gavottes, Menuets, Paisanes, Sarabandes &c. In tablature for the lute by the following composers: Weiss, Pichler, Logi, Igner, Picpler, Bohn, Weichenberg, Gallot, Kresch, Kuhnel &c &c'. Another later hand states 'GERMAN LUTE TABLATURES' at the top of the page, although the contents of this volume are all in French style tablature.

In all, the volume contains 249 pieces, with around 50 of them by Sylvius Weiss, who is depicted in a printed engraving pasted onto the verso of the title page (f. 2). Other composers include: Baron, Bohr, Durant, Emond, Falckenhagen, Fuchs, Gallot, Ginter, Gleinich, Hinterleithner, Igner, Kresch, Kühnel, Lauffensteiner, Losy, Meusel, Mouton, Muffat, Orlser, Pichler, Prahl and Weichenberg.

Inside the front cover there are signatures showing previous ownership of the volume by Thomas Taphouse (1838-1905) and by Arnold Dolmetsch, who gives his address as '7 Bayley Street, London WC'. Folio ii also carries a note signed by Arnold Dolmetsch stating: 'exchanged for a lute on Dec 10 1898'. A stamp on the title page (f. 1) comes from the International Inventions Exhibition, held in London in 1885, where this manuscript was exhibited.

This volume formed part of the Dolmetsch Library and previously carried the reference: II B 2. It was part of the portion of the library sold at Sotheby's in September 2021. A conservation treatment label at the back of the volume details work undertaken in August 2003, while the volume was still part of that collection.

For a volume of bass viol music also from the Dolmetsch Library, see MS Mus. 1868.

For another volume of lute tablature with music by Sylvius Weiss, see Add MS 30387.