Anonymous treatise, 'The Art of Music collecit out of All Ancient Doctouris of Music,' with polyphonic examples. Some pieces in score format, with barlines. Copied by a single scribe, perhaps Andrew Buchan (d. 1583), master of a singing school at Edinburgh from 1579 to 1582, or John Black (d. 1587), master of a similar school at Aberdeen from 1556 to 1560 and after 1575 (MaynAS). Copied in Scotland, probably in Edinburgh or Aberdeen; most likely prepared for use in a song school for boys (MaynAS, who disputes earlier assertions that treatise was prepared for university students at Edinburgh or St. Andrews). Earliest known owner was Sir Francis Kinaston (1587-1642), of Oteley, Shropshire. Later owned by Sir John Hawkins (1719-89), who referred to it, with some inaccuracies, in his General History … (1776), and donated it to British Museum in 1778.
GB-Lbl Add. MS 4911 (Scottish Anonymous)
British Library, London, England
manuscript of polyphony: c. 1580
| Archive | British Library, London, England (GB-Lbl) |
|---|---|
| Shelfmark | Add. MS 4911 (Scottish Anonymous) |
| Surface | Paper |
| Numbering System | Foliation |
| Measurements | 331 x 191 mm |
| Other Identifiers |
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| Notations |
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| Copyists |
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| External Links | |
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| Contents | Contains 66 compositions, 22 from 19 composers, 44 are anonymous. |
General Description
Binding
Modern covers of maroon cloth and leather on boards.
Watermark
circle enclosing vertical line with several horizontal lines intersecting (not in Briquet)
Notation
Some chant notation and black mensural notation, but most examples in black void mensural notation
Date
Ca. 1580 (MaynAS).
Foliation
Original ink foliation, 1-128 (last folio not numbered); modern pencil foliation, 1-129.
Surface
paper
Census Catalogue of Music Description
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Anonymous treatise, "The Art of Music collecit out of All Ancient Doctouris of Music," with polyphonic examples: 6 Mass Ordinary sections, 16 Magnificat sections, 1 Te Deum, 7 office hymns, 1 processional hymn, 4 motets, 193 textless pieces or fragments (of which the following have been identified from concordant sources: 15 Mass Ordinary sections, 1 Mass Proper section, 1 psalm, 2 office hymns, 3 motets, 1 litany, 5 English sacred and secular pieces, 1 French secular piece) = 228
(Black?)-2, (Blackhall?)-1, (Cadéac)-1, Fayrfax-1, (Hermann Finck)-1, (Gafori)-3, (Heyden)-5, (Isaac)-1, (R.Johnson I)1, Josquin-6, (Josquin/La Rue)-1, (La Rue)-1, (Listenius)-1, (Mouton)-1, (Obrecht)-2, (Ockeghem)-1, (Ornithoparchus)-3, (Tallis)-1, (Verdelot)-1, (Vermont)-1, (Weerbecke)-1, anon-192
ii + 129 + ii paper folios, 331 x 191. Original ink foliation, 1-128 (last folio not numbered); modern pencil foliation, 1-129. Modern covers of maroon cloth and leather on boards. No index. Some chant notation and black mensural notation, but most examples in white mensural notation. Some pieces in score format, with barlines. Copied by a single scribe, perhaps Andrew Buchan (d. 1583), master of a singing school at Edinburgh from 1579 to 1582, or John Black (d. 1587), master of a similar school at Aberdeen from 1556 to 1560 and after 1575 (MaynAS). Watermark: circle enclosing vertical line with several horizontal lines intersecting (not in Briquet).
Ca. 1580 (MaynAS). Copied in Scotland, probably in Edinburgh or Aberdeen; most likely prepared for use in a song school for boys (MaynAS, who disputes earlier assertions that treatise was prepared for university students at Edinburgh or St. Andrews). Earliest known owner was Sir Francis Kinaston (1587-1642), of Oteley, Shropshire. Later owned by Sir John Hawkins (1719-89), who referred to it, with some inaccuracies, in his General History … (1776), and donated it to British Museum in 1778.
90r
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‡ denotes primary source study
Nakos, Debra Marion Livant. 2020. The Art of Music in GB-Lbl Add. MS 4911: A Case for Robert Carvor as the Anonymous Scot. Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, Master of Arts.
Woods, Isobel Paterson. 1988. A Note on "Scottish Anonymous". R.M.A. Research Chronicle, 21: 37-39.
Woods, Isobel Paterson. 1984. The Carvor Choirbook. Princeton University, Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Pages: I,7-11,174ff. Notes: contents list (partial); transcriptions (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Aplin, John. 1980. The Fourth Kind of Faburden': The Identity of an English Four-Part Style. Music and Letters, 61: 245ff. Pages: 247-50, passim. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Trowell, Brian. 1980. Faburden-New Sources, New Evidence: A Preliminary Survey. Modern Musical Scholarship, 28-78. Stocksfield, Boston, Henley, and London. Pages: 50, 62ff, 75, 77. Notes: mention of MS; contents list (partial).
Caldwell, John. 1978. The 'Te Deum' in Late Medieval England. Early Music, 6: 188-94. Pages: 190. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Ruhland, Konrad. 1975. Der Mehrstimmige Psalmvortrag im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Psalmodie auf der Grundlage von Faburdon, Fauxbourdon und Falsobordone. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (Munich), Ph.D. dissertation. Pages: l-156. Notes: contents list (partial); transcriptions (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Bray, Roger W. 1969. The Interpretation of Musica Ficta in English Music, C. 1490-C. 1580 [dissertation]. Oxford University, Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Pages: I, 156ff, passim; II, 71, 77, 88-9. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Warren, Edwin B. 1969. Life and Works of Robert Fayrfax. Musicological Studies and Documents, vol. 22. American Institute of Musicology. Pages: 56, 130-4. Notes: contents list (partial); transcriptions (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Maynard, Judson Dana. 1967. Heir Beginnis Countering. Journal of the American Musicological Society, 20: 182-96. Notes: contents list (partial); transcriptions (partial); facsimile (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Harrison, Frank Llewellyn (editor). 1963-. Early English Church Music. London: Stainer & Bell. Pages: IV, 128, 136-7. Notes: mention of MS; contents list (partial); transcription (partial).
Harrison, Frank Llewellyn. 1962. Faburden in Practice. Musica Disciplina, 16: 11-34. Pages: 12ff. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Maynard, Judson Dana. 1961. An Anonymous Scottish Treatise on Music from the Sixteenth Century, British Museum, Additional Manuscript 4911, Edition and Commentary. Indiana University, Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Pages: I-II. Notes: physical description; contents list; texts; facsimile (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Warren, Edwin B. 1961. Robert Fayrfax: Motets and settings of the Magnificat. Musica Disciplina, 15: 113-43. Pages: 128-31. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Warrem, Edwin B (editor). 1959-66. Robert Fayrfax (ca. 1464-1521): Collected Works. Corpus mensurabilis musicae, vol. 17. Neuhausen nr. Stuttgart: American Institute of Musicology. Pages: II, 57-8. Notes: transcription (partial).
Trowell, Brian. 1959. Faburden and Fauxbourdon. Musica Disciplina, 13: 43-78. Pages: 68-9. Notes: transcription (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
Hughes, Dom Anselm. 1953. Catalogue of the Musical Manuscripts at Peterhouse, Cambridge. Cambridge. Pages: III, 314. Notes: physical description (partial); contents list (partial).
Lewis, Anthony (editor). 1951-. Musica Britannica: A National Collection of Music. London. Pages: XV. Notes: contents list (partial); concordances (partial); transcriptions (partial); facsimile (partial).
Bukofzer, Manfred F. 1936. Geschichte des englischen Diskants und des Fauxbourdons nach den theoretischen Quellen. Sammlung Musikwissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen, vol. 21. Strasbourg. Pages: 84-8, 98-9, 158-60. Notes: transcriptions; exts of pieces (partial); mention of MS; discussion.
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DIAMM, 2016
Monday, 23 January, 2017
NB: Migrated from old site. Credit for notes may not be completely accurate. General Description; Binding Note; Watermark Note; Notation Note; Date Note; Foliation Note; Surface Note
Census-Catalogue of Manuscript Sources of Polyphonic Music 1400-1550
Monday, 23 January, 2017
NB: Migrated from old site. Credit for notes may not be completely accurate. Census Catalogue of Music Description