EARLY MUSIC

Part 2: Music Manuscripts, 1500-1793, from the National Library of Scotland

The National Library of Scotland has one of the largest music collections in Britain. It has nearly 200,000 music scores, and its holdings of books about music and music periodicals have been enhanced by the library’s status as a copyright depository library. Music manuscripts are also a strength and the National Library of Scotland holds a high proportion of the surviving sources for early Scottish music. These are complemented by significant manuscripts concerning English and French music. Highlights are:

The Scone Choir Book - dating from the first half of the 16^th century and containing masses and motets composed by Robert Carver and others.

The Leyden Song Book - of c1639, including works by John Bartlet, Thomas Campion, John Dowland, Robert Jones, Lady Anne Ker, John Leyden, and Thomas Tallis.

The Skene Manuscript - of c1615-1635, offering 117 pieces in tablature for the mandora, including tunes from several Jacobean masques.

The Panmure Music Books - comprising 30 volumes: 12 from before 1675 containing Scottish and English music (with compositions by Duncan Burnett, John Bull, William Byrd, William Kinloch, Gautier le Vieux, Vincent, Pinel, Bouvier, Rene Mesangeau, Christopher Simpson and John Jenkins); 11 volumes of French music brought to Scotland by James and Harie Maule between 1678 and 1683 (featuring Lully, de Ste Colombe and Marin Morais); 6 volumes of opera scores and parts acquired by James Maule when in exile in Italy after the 1715 rising (featuring Albinoni, Bononcini, Gasperini and Sabatini); and a collection of Scottish dances.

Agnes Hume’s music book - of c1704, with 15 pieces for guitar, 4 psalm tunes and 8 songs, including Playford’s setting for Herrick’s Gather Ye Rosebuds while ye may and works by Ford and Lawes.

Margaret Sinkler’s music book of 1710 - containing mostly Airs.

The Cuming Music Ms and the MacArthur Ms - containing works for the violin and pipes.

Insufficiently known outside of Scotland this rich collection of music manuscripts will provide a platform from which to study comparative European compositions for the flute, guitar, lute, spinet, viol, violin, virginal and voice. It offers authentic sources of celtic music, including works for dances and social occasions, and shows how local traditions were fused with mainstream European music.