[Various English songs]

Scope and Content

"English Songs / No. 11 / Manuscript Collection".

Score. English songs and dialogues by composers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The title is from a pasted slip on the front cover [Mackworth's hand?]. Attributions, where given in the heading of each individual catalogue entry, generally occur at the end of the piece rather than forming part of the heading proper.

Casing: leather, with blind tooling. Inner front cover has the inscription, "James Lovett his Book Aprill 27 1701". According to an inscription found on p. 36 ("The last song sett by the late famous Henry Purcell in his sickness."), this volume could not have been copied before December 1695. Music is preceded by a "Table of Songs".

6-stave MS paper. In a single hand. Pagination [sic], in ink. The bass is generally figured; high treble voices have been consistently catalogued as soprano ("S"). Composers' names are given in full (and standardized) in the index.