Manuscript divided into two volumes (referred to as 'Part I' and 'Part II') in 1950. Music in score format, with barlines.. Some pieces have text incipits or titles only.

The original owner was Francis Tregian the Younger (1574?-1619), a Catholic recusant - though Ruby Reid Thompson and latterly Oliver Neighbour (New Grove) have shown that he was not (as thought) the copyist, working at the manuscript while in the Fleet Prison in London.

Purchased by British Museum in 1950 at auction of library of James Edward Harris, 5th Earl of Malmesbury (1872-1950).

Folios trimmed in connection with earlier (18th-century?) rebinding, obliterating some marginal notes and pagination.

Both volumes rebound in identical modern covers of maroon leather and cloth over boards, with title 'Tregian's Madrigal Anthology' in gold. Portions of earlier (but not original) covers, of brown half-leather tooled in gold, glued inside front of Part I.

shield surmounted with fleur-de-lis; not listed in Briquet or Heawood.

black void mensural

each system of staves runs entirely across each opening.

Other numberings: Several sections (defined roughly by types of repertory), each with its own system of original piece numbering; second, independent system of original piece numbers provides running count of works by each composer. Both systems count partes of motets and madrigals as separate items.

Original ink pagination, 1-392 [Part I] + 393-1034 [Part II], with some errors, omissions, and inconsistencies. Modern pencil foliation, 1-198 [Part I] + 199-523 [Part II] includes several half-folios, scraps, and sheets pasted over old folios

Edges of folios painted blue; no other decoration

Incomplete index at beginning of Part I in 17th-century hand, but not hand of original scribe.

paper

3 Lamentations, 36 motets, 1 anthem, 830 Italian secular pieces, 26 English secular pieces, 9 French secular pieces, 6 Spanish secular pieces, 1 Latin secular piece, 126 textless pieces (mostly instrumental Fantasias, dances, In nomines, etc.) = 1038

Agazzari-20, Agresta-1, F. Anerio-13, Baccusi-2, Balbi-1, O. Bartolini-17, Augustine Bassano-4, Augustine Bassano-P. Philips-1, Bateson-4, Bati-1, Bellasio-4, Girolamo Belli-7, Bertani-1, Bianciardi-2, Borchgrevinck-1, Byrd-1, (Byrd/R. Farrant/R. Parsons I)-1, Caccini [J; Julio Romano]-55, Girolamo Casati-1, M. Casentini-4, Caurroy-7, Cifra-8, Coperario-52, Coudenno-1, Croce-1, Deering-7, Deering/(Ward)-6, M. East-13, Eremita-3, D. Farrant-1, Fattorini-2, A. Ferrabosco I-83, A. Ferrabosco I/(D. Ferrabosco)-1, A. Ferrabosco II-56, Fontanelli-13, Formica-1, Gabbiani-1, A. Gabrieli-1, Gagliano-18, Giovanni Pietro Gallo-1, Gastoldi-3, Gesualdo [Principe di Venosa]-60, Giovanelli-5, Hassler-1, Holborne-P. Philips-1, Ingegneri-1, Isnardi-1, Lassus-2, Le Jeune-2, Leoni-2, J. Lupo-1, T. Lupo-22, Luzzaschi-1, Macque-1, Marenzio-102, Marsolo-1, Mel-6, Merulo-2, Mogavero-1, Molinaro-1, Philippe de Monte-1, Monteverdi-86, Morley-1, Morley-P. Philips-2, Mosto-5, J. or W.? Mundy-2, Nanino-9, Nenna-37, Nodari-18, Orlandini-1, Orologio-1, Palestrina-1, Pallavicino-93, G. Palma-1, R. Parsons I-1, Pecci-20, Pedersøn-8, P. Philips-14, Priuli-1, Quintiani-16, Recalchi-1, Rimonte-7, S. Rossi-18, Rubiconi-1, I. Sabino-2, M. Santini-1, Schieti-1, Soriano-1, Striggio-2, Strogers-1, Tomkins-1, Tregian the Younger [F.T.]-2, Turco-1, Valcampi-1, Valmarano-9, Orazio Vecchi-5, Venturi-2, (Verdelot)-1, Verdonck-3, Ward-6, Weelkes-2, Wert-5, Wilbye-9, Wilder [Maestro Phillippo di Fiandra]-1, Zoilo-1, anon-3

i + iv + 198 + viii + i paper folios [Part I]; i + 325 + i + iv paper folios [Part II], 412 x 266. Last original folio in Part II consists of 9 paper strips recovered in 1951 from earlier binding, reconstructed to form one complete folio; first two modern folios at end of Part II are photographs of sample pages from NYorkP 4302. Folios trimmed in connection with earlier (18th-century?) rebinding, obliterating some marginal notes and pagination. Original ink pagination, 1-392 [Part I] + 393-1034 [Part II], with some errors, omissions, and inconsistencies. Modern pencil foliation, 1-198 [Part I] + 199-523 [Part II] includes several half-folios, scraps, and sheets pasted over old folios. Several sections (defined roughly by types of repertory), each with its own system of original piece numbering; second, independent system of original piece numbers provides running count of works by each composer. Both systems count partes of motets and madrigals as separate items. Blank staves on ff. 15'-16, 32', 42'-43, 50', 85'-86', 185'198', 502'-504', 511'-513', 515'-516, and 523'; f. 154 blank. Manuscript divided into two volumes (referred to as "Part I" and "Part II") in 1950; both volumes rebound in identical modern covers of maroon leather and cloth over boards, with title "Tregian's Madrigal Anthology" in gold. Portions of earlier (but not original) covers, of brown half-leather tooled in gold, glued inside front of Part I. Incomplete index at beginning of Part I in 17th-century hand, but not hand of original scribe. Music in score format, with barlines; each system of staves runs entirely across each opening. Copied by Francis Tregian the Younger, who also wrote NYorkP 4302 and several other manuscripts not within scope of this catalogue. Edges of folios painted blue; no other decoration. Some pieces have text incipits or titles only. Watermark (shield surmounted with fleur-de-lis) not listed in Briquet or Heawood.

1613-9. Copied at Fleet Prison in London. The compiler, scribe, and original owner was Francis Tregian the Younger (1574?-1619), a Catholic recusant. Purchased by British Museum in 1950 at auction of library of James Edward Harris, 5th Earl of Malmesbury (1872-1950).

Vol 4

Contents: 3 Lamentations, 36 motets, 828 Italian secular pieces (2 without text), 28 English secular pieces (1 without text), 9 French secular pieces, 6 Spanish secular pieces, 1 Latin secular piece, 123 textless pieces (mostly instrumental Fantasias, In nomines, dances, etc.) = 1034

Composers: Change "Caccini [J; Julio Romano]-55" to "Caccini [Julio Romano] -1"; change "A. Ferrabosco I-83" to "A. Ferrabosco I-82"; change "Gesualdo [Principe di Venosa]-60" to "Gesualdo [Principe di Venosa]-59"; change "Marenzio-102" to "Marenzio-100"; change " Palestrina-1 " to "Palestrina-2"; change "anon-3" to "anon-56."