The Huntington Library Part Books, Ellesmere MSS EL 25 A 46-51

Abstract

While the early printed music in the Huntington Library is known to scholars through the published catalogue of 1949 compiled by Edythe N. Backus,' it is not so well known that the library has a small collection of music manuscripts, of which one of the most interesting older items is a group of English part books with music by Italian and English composers. These part books are catalogued as Ellesmere MSS EL 25 A 46-51 and have been known to a number of scholars for some time. However, scholarly references to these part books are extremely brief, if not tantalizing, and appear without any investigation of the manuscripts and without any list of their contents.2 In view of the importance of these manuscripts to scholars interested in the composer John Coprario (ca.1575-1626), and in view of the absence of any published study of their physical characteristics, copyists, provenance, and contents, it seems timely that a detailed notice should be recorded in print. Ellesmere MSS EL 25 A 46-51 comprise six part books which are identical in size and have individual leaves measuring 301mm. x 202mm. with the outside covers measuring 308mm. x 206mm. The volumes are bound identically in dark brown leather with a gilt-stamped oval decorative device between the initials W H on both the front and back covers. Each volume also bears the voice for which it was intended stamped in gilt above the oval decorative device, and these are designated respectively: Canto, Quinto, Basso, Tenore, Alto, and Sesto. These six part books are foliated as follows: EL 25 A 46: ii + 72 + ii [the paste-down in this volume is still pasted down but has been counted here to be consistent with the other volumes in which the paste-down is free and hence counted] EL 25 A 47: ii+71+ii EL 25 A 48: ii+69+i EL 25 A 49: ii+70+ii EL 25 A 50: ii+72+ii EL 25 A 51: i+68+i