MS Mus. 1778/3/3

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 between written-out parts for masses by composers including Mozart and Zingarelli (not in Birtwistle’s hand), are used extensively for sketches for early published works, complete unpublished works – mainly for schoolchildren – and teaching exercises.

(1). Hardbound manuscript partbook, spine labelled ‘Alto’ and cover titled ‘Masses’. Includes written-out parts for movements of masses by Zingarelli, Mozart, and Schmidt (not in the composer’s hand). Material by Birtwistle includes:-

• ff*: a largely-continuous copy of unpublished music for a play entitled Mime, with annotation ‘performed first Cranborne Chase School, 7.6.1961. Divided into short movements; scored for 2 clarinets, 2 flutes, extensive percussion. An early example of Birtwistle using characters such as the Green Man (Beard 2015 notes that the play was titled ‘Green Man’ in the Cranborne Chase magazine). -
• ff*: a sketch for ‘Tragoedia’: 3-stave counterpoint of increasing complexity.-
• ff*: leaves of very early sketches for ‘Punch and Judy’. Material relates to Punch’s lullaby (‘Dancy baby diddy’); and a drawing labelled by the composer ‘My sketch for baby. PJ. C. 1960’.-
• 1 additional leaf of pitch jottings and melodic ideas.

(2). Hardbound manuscript partbook, spine labelled ‘Treble’ and cover titled ‘Tantum Ergo & Salutaris’. Material by Birtwistle includes:-

• ff*: sketch on three staves for an arrangement of Tallis, ‘Iste Confessor’. Teaching material noted at the top of the page.-
• ff*: melodic jottings for ‘Narration: A Description of the Passing of a Year’ (1963). Pencil doodles of a face, resembling the Green Man.-
• ff*: a largely-continuous draft of an arrangement of Gabrieli, ‘Sacrae Symphoniae 1597’, for small orchestra. Written for Cranborne Chase School players, names of whom are listed next to instrument labels.

(3). Hardbound manuscript partbook, spine labelled ‘Bass’ and cover titled ‘Masses’. Includes written-out part for a Zingarelli mass (not in the composer’s hand). Material by Birtwistle includes:-

• ff*: ‘Arrangement of Medieval Carol for Port Regis School’: approximately 70 bars, scored for flutes, clarinets, recorders, trumpet, cello, guitar, percussion.-
• ff.*: short melodic and harmonic sketch fragments, including lines of text, for ‘Music for Sleep’.- Loose programme for 1963-4 Grinnell College Concert Series

(4). Hardbound manuscript partbook, spine labelled ‘Bass’. Material by Birtwistle includes:-

• f.*: Partial arrangement of William Byrd, ‘Wolsey’s Wilde’, for clarinet and piano.-
• f.*: Partial arrangement of Giles Farnaby, ‘His rest’, for clarinet and piano.-
• f.*: Exercise for clarinet (‘using upper notes’) based on a Bach chorale (‘Befiehl du deine Wege’, from BWV 244).-
• f.*: Short exercise sketch for clarinet and piano based on a Haydn movement labelled ‘Vivace’.-
• f.*: Short exercise sketch for clarinet and piano based on a Beethoven movement labelled ‘Minuet & Trio’.-
• 7 further leaves of miscellaneous notes, including ideas for a series of easy clarinet pieces.-
• Loose black and white photograph of an unidentified woman.

(5). Hardbound music partbook, spine labelled ‘Wardour Chapel’ and cover titled ‘Masses’. Includes written-out tenor parts for mass movements by Zingarelli, Bordese, and others (in various hands). Includes numerous annotations on the mass movements, some of which appear to be in Birtwistle’s hand. Material by Birtwistle includes:- Assorted unidentified jottings throughout the book, interspersed between mass material, including 1 leaf of a sketch for an ‘Alleluia’.