RPS MS 392-402

C. Catalogues of the Society’s music

RPS MSS 392-402. Catalogues of music in the Society’s library, and analytical registers of works performed at its concerts; circa 1823-1913. RPS MSS 392-398 comprise catalogues of music in the Society’s library; RPS MSS 399-402 are registers of works performed. The most used of the first group were (a) RPS MS 392, the Directors’ annotated copy of the first catalogue, in use until the 1840s, (b) RPS MS 394, a detailed catalogue of single vocal items compiled in the 1830s and in use for the rest of the century, made necessary because, though vocal numbers were performed at every concert, the first catalogue allocated little space to them, (c) RPS MS 395, the catalogue of orchestral music and of scores of complete operas and oratorios, compiled in the 1840s and 1850s and still in use after 1900, and (d) RPS MS 398 of 1913[?]. The first three employ three different series of catalogue numbers; in RPS MS 392 numbers are allocated only to orchestral music, then in RPS MSS 394 and 395 two separate new series were introduced, one for vocal, the other for instrumental music. Complete scores of operas, oratorios, etc. are listed in an addendum to RPS MS 395 employing yet a third numbering system. In all these catalogues numbers are allocated to works rather than to individual scores or sets of parts. In RPS MS 398 these confusing numbering systems were abandoned in favour of a simple alphabetical composer sequence. An account the history of the Society’s music library and of the 19th-century catalogues is given in King, Musical Pursuits, pp. 164-9.

Eleven volumes.