music in the peculiar lute notation. Among the more important articles acquired by purchase from time to time, are scores of operas—many, if not most, probably unpublished in score—especially by Rossini, Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Paisiello, Hasse, Winter, Ricci, and Mercadante; and church music, chiefly Italian, in 18th century copies, comprising compositions by Palestrina, the Scarlattis, Durante, Leo, Bai, Clari, Perez, Pergolesi, and others. There is also church music in the old notation, contained in ancient service-books, some of which is older than the invention of the stave-lines. The purchase of MS. music has been much more extensive since 1872 than before that date.
It remains to say a word on the subject of catalogues of the music. The only existing printed catalogue is that of the MS. music, which was published in 1842, having been drawn up by Thos. Oliphant, Esq., who was specially engaged by the Trustees for the purpose. Later acquisitions are duly registered in the catalogues of Additional and Egerton MSS. among the other possessions of the department, but cannot be found except by aid of an index, and then but imperfectly. A new edition of Oliphant's catalogue including all these recent acquisitions is urgently needed by musical students, and (as the works are already more or less perfectly described in notices scattered through the lists of Additional MSS.) would entail no great labour, nor be in itself a large or expensive book. For the printed music the existing MS. catalogue is all that readers can desire when once they are in the reading-room; but a printed catalogue which could be bought would be most valuable, especially as it would reveal at once the existence of much curious old music, which is now scarcely known even to antiquaries; it need not extend farther than the commencement of the present century at latest, as the more recent music might be assumed to be in the library.
[App. p.723 "The statement at vol. ii. p.419 that the collection is not strong in early printed music is no longer the case. The collection of madrigals is extremely fine, and there are no fewer than 12 works printed by Petrucci, of which only two are incomplete. The collection was increased in 1886 by the acquisition, from M. Kockx of Antwerp, of a large number of works printed at the press of Phalèse at Louvain and Antwerp. Many of these volumes were exhibited at the Brussels Exhibition of 1880, and described in Section D of the catalogue. The suggestion on p.420 for the publication of a catalogue of the music printed before 1800 will be shortly adopted, and a new catalogue of the MS. music, which is much needed, is also in contemplation."]
b. Royal Academy of Music. The library of this institution contains many interesting and valuable works, amongst which may be mentioned a collection of English glees (in 16 volumes) by Atterbury, Callcott, Danby, etc., and MS. operas by Leonardo Leo, Gasparini, Buononcini, Porpora, and others, which were presented to the Academy, together with the whole of his valuable musical library, by R. J. Stevens, Esq. There is also a collection of the works of Sebastian Bach, being the library of the (now defunct) Bach Society which was established by Sir Sterndale Bennett. The Royal Academy of Music also possesses a large collection of valuable compositions presented by the various London music publishers, containing especially orchestral works by Beethoven, Bennett, Hummel, Mozart, Schumann and Schubert.
c. Sacred Harmonic Society. This library is undoubtedly the best arranged and one of the most valuable in England. There is an admirable published catalogue, the last (3rd) edition of which appeared in 1872. The library then contained nearly 3000 works (4851 volumes), which are classified as Printed Music, MSS., and Musical Literature, these divisions being again subdivided. In the first of these divisions 'the extensive assemblage of early musical works printed from type, comprising church music, madrigals, songs, and other vocal and instrumental compositions, many of uncommon rarity, calls for particular notice. The madrigals include a nearly perfect series of the productions of that brilliant constellation of talented men—the English madrigal writers who flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries.' Amongst the chief treasures of this division (Printed Music) we may mention eight of the ten parts of that rare work Barnard's Church Music (1641); the 'Modulorum Hortus' and 'Canonicus de Silvestris a Barbarano' of Floridus [App. p.723 "for Canonicus de Silvestris a Barbarano read Has alteras Sacras Cantiones"]; early editions of motets by Palestrina; Willaert's Psalms (Venice, 1565); Antony and William Holborne's 'Cittharn Schoole' (1597)—probably unique; Starter's 'Friesche Lust-Hof (1627); and a large collection of English and Italian operas and musical pieces, comprising several hundred works. The MSS. include a full score (in the composer's autograph) of an unperformed opera, 'Armida,' by Joseph Haydn, and works of various descriptions by Durante, Clari, Geminiani, Purcell, Blow, Croft, Greene, Boyce and Arne. There is also a Pianoforte score of Mendelssohn's 'Elijah,' principally in the composer's own handwriting, being the version made for [App. p.723 "after"] the production of the oratorio at Birmingham in 1846. Seven volumes containing the collections from which Barnard compiled his 'Church Music,' and a collection of music in 19 volumes, chiefly in Dr. Cooke's handwriting, and consisting principally of his own compositions, may also be mentioned. There is also a small collection of autograph letters etc. of Beethoven, Boieldieu, Donizetti, Frescobaldi, Gibbons, Grétry, Handel, Lully, Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Spohr, Weber, Zingarelli, and other eminent composers. But it is in works comprised under the heading 'Musical Literature' that this collection is particularly rich, and these constitute its chief claim to occupy a unique position among English musical libraries. 'The musical literature in the Society's library consists of treatises and other works on the theory and practice of the art, including nearly every important work, ancient and modern, on the subject: works relating to the history of music, or the lives of its professors and others directly or indirectly connected with its practice: lyric and other poetry, including a large collection of the word-books issued for performances at the provincial and other festivals, concerts, etc., works showing the state of cathedral and other choirs, and the condition of church music at different periods: works on the drama, threatres, etc., illustrating the state of dramatic music: with others of a more miscellaneous character, but all tending to enlighten us as to the progress of music.' Amidst so many treasures it is difficult to name particular works, and our space will not allow of our doing more
