An Altus partbook from a set of six volumes, including polyphony-bearing flyleaves cut from older, unrelated music manuscript. The original owner and scribe was John Merro. Main corpus copied by John Merro, who also wrote most of LonBL 17792-6; music on flyleaves copied by two or three scribes. Main corpus probably copied in western England, perhaps at Gloucester; flyleaves also of English origin, but specific provenance unknown.

Front flyleaf missing (may be one of the Fayrfax fragments in Cleveland); rear flyleaf from a Bassus partbook, possibly from the same set as the book used for flyleaf of Drexel 4185 (FallDrex). Fallows suggests the piece on the recto is a continuation of the last piece on the verso (i.e. that the leaf is reversed). These and other related fragments are brought together in a 'virtual manuscript' here.

Owned in 19th century by the antiquarian Edward F. Rimbault; purchased by the Philadelphia banker and philanthropist Joseph W. Drexel (1833-88) at a Sotheby's sale of Rimbault's library in 1877. Drexel collection bequeathed in 1888 to Lenox Library, incorporated since 1895 in New York Public Library.

Rebound in 1950 in modern covers of dark brown leather.

not indicated

Staff height 13 (15-18 on flyleaves)

Original ink foliation in each book, with errors and omissions; some modern foliation.

A few small inked initials; no other decoration

paper

Digitized with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) for the Tudor Partbooks project at the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle.

1 Magnificat section, 1 Lamentation, 24 motets, 84 anthems, 3 fragmentary English sacred pieces (on flyleaves; see below), 82 English secular pieces, 10 fragmentary English secular pieces (on flyleaves), 25 Italian secular pieces, 31 instrumental pieces (Fantasias, In nomines, etc.), 2 textless fragments (on flyleaves) = 263

Amner-13, Bateson-1, (Bennet)-1, Bruster-1, Bull-1, Byrd-21, (Byrd/R. Farrant/R. Parsons I)-1, Byrd/(Gibbons)-1, Byrd/(T. Mudd II)-1, Byrd/(J. Mundy)-1, Byrd/Tallis-1, Clemens non Papa -3, (Coste)-1, M. East/(Simmes)-1, (Eremita)-1, (Faignient)-1, (Fayrfax)-1, A. Ferrabosco I-2, A. Ferrabosco I/Marenzio-1, A. Ferrabosco I/(Pinello di Ghirardi)-1, A. Ferrabosco II-1, (G. Ferretti)-1, Ford/(Byrd)-1, (A. Gabrieli)-2, (G. Gabrieli)-4, (Ellis Gibbons)-1, Gibbons-11, N. Giles-1, (Hilton the Elder)-1, Hooper/(Fox)-1, Ives-4, M. Jeffries-1, Jenkins-2, R. Johnson I-1, (Lassus)-3, T. Lupo-2, Marenzio-10, Morley-2, J. Mundy-3, (J. Mundy/W. Mundy)-2, (J. Mundy/W. Mundy/Shepherd/R. White)-1, (J. Mundy/Tallis)-1, J. or W.? Mundy [Mr. Mundie]-1, J. or W.? Mundy [Mr. Mundie]/(R. White)-1, W. Mundy-2, W. Mundy/Tallis-1, (W. Mundy/Tallis)-1, (Newark)-1, Nicholson-2, (Norcome)-1, (Palestrina)-7, (Pallavicino)-1, R. Parsons I-4, W. Randall-1, (Shepherd)-3, W.? Smith [Mr. Smithe]-1, Smith of Gloucester-1, Smith of Salop-1, Strogers-1, Strogers/(Shepherd)-1, Tallis-10, (Taverner)-1, Tomkins-21, (E. Tucker)-1, Tye-2, (Orazio Vecchi)-1, Weelkes-11 + 1?, R. White-1, R. White/(Byrd/ R. Parsons I /Strogers)-1, Wilbye -12, anon -47

6 paper partbooks (D-n + i + 190 + i + ii folios, A-ii + 191 + i + ii, T-ii + 196 + ii, B-ii + 192 + i + ii, Q-ii + i + 159 + i + ii, S-ii + i + 111 + i + it), 145 x 195. Original flyleaves cut from older, unrelated music manuscript; polyphony on these leaves included in summary of contents and composers above. Original ink foliation in each book, with errors and omissions; some modern foliation. Rebound in 1950 in modern covers of dark brown leather. Original indices at beginning of T and B books group pieces by number of voices; within each group, pieces listed in order of appearance (with some inconsistencies). Main corpus copied by John Merro, who also wrote most of LonBL 17792-6; music on flyleaves copied by two or three scribes. Staff height 13 (15-18 on flyleaves). A few small inked initials; no other decoration.

First half of 17th century (main corpus); ca. 1500 (flyleaves). Main corpus probably copied in western England, perhaps at Gloucester; flyleaves also of English origin, but specific provenance unknown. The original owner and scribe was John Merro. Owned in 19th century by the antiquarian Edward F. Rimbault; purchased by the Philadelphia banker and philanthropist Joseph W. Drexel (1833-88) at a Sotheby's sale of Rimbault's library in 1877. Drexel collection bequeathed in 1888 to Lenox Library, incorporated since 1895 in New York Public Library.