Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/435

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MUSICAL LIBRARIES.
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bound for the use of the opera at Hanover; the organ compositions of Frescobaldi; many full scores of operas by Lully, Mozart, Christian Bach, Graun, etc.; and a very fine collection of madrigals (including a complete set of part-books of madrigals by Rinaldo del Mel), most of which were formerly in the possession of Sir John Hawkins. The collection is in particularly good condition, and is rich in fine copies; additions are still made to it from time to time. The present Director of Her Majesty's Music (Mr. Cusins) is preparing a new catalogue for the press, in place of the old MS. list made at the beginning of the present century.

b. The library of the Rev. Sir F. A. G. Ouseley, Bart., contains nearly 2000 volumes, mostly rare full scores and treatises. It includes the old Palais Royal collection, with the French royal arms on the covers, consisting of scores of operas, motets, etc., by Lully, Colasse, Destouches, Lalande, Campra, and many other French composers now forgotten. Sir Frederick Ouseley has also a very large collection of MS. Italian sacred music of the Palestrina school, copied from the magnificent library of the late Abbate Santini, of Rome. He is also the possessor of a very valuable MS. of Handel's 'Messiah,' partly in the composer's own autograph, and partly in that of J. C. Smith. It was from this copy that Handel conducted the work on its first performance in Dublin, and it contains some various readings and curious annotations in his own handwriting. Amongst the autographs in this library may be mentioned a large collection of curious vocal music, original and selected, in the handwriting of Dr. Crotch; a full score of one of Spohr's symphonies; and autographs of Orlando di Lasso, Orazio Benevoli, Blow, Croft, Bononcini, Travers, Boyce, Arnold, Mozart, Paganini, and Mendelssohn. Probably the only copy in England of Eslava's 'Lira Sacro Hispana' is in Sir Frederick Ouseley's library, which also contains copies of all the treatises of Gaforius, including the earliest and rarest one, published at Naples in 1480. For further information as to the rare and valuable treatises in this collection we must refer to a paper read before the Musical Association on March 3, 1879.

c. Mr. Julian Marshall possesses an extensive and valuable library of instrumental and vocal works (both MS. and printed), psalmodies, theoretical and bibliographical dictionaries, and histories of music. Among the printed works in this collection the following rarities are worthy of mention:—Marcello's psalms (Venice, 1724); 17 editions of Playford's Introduction; a complete set of the celebrated controversy between Salmon and Lock; R. Dowland's 'Musical Banquet' (1610), probably unique; early treatises by Aron, Gaforius (1496, etc.), Galilei, and Cizzardi; Kapsberger's works (engraved, 1604, etc.); Muffat's 'Componimenti Musicali'( Vienna, 1727); Binder's 'Sei Suonate' (Dresden, 1730); original editions of the works of early English, Italian, French, and German composers; many early English madrigals, songs, and song-books; musical playing cards; a large collection of early English and foreign libretti, etc. The MS. part of the collection ineludes a 'Graduale Cartusianum,' written wholly in transitional neums (12th or early 13th century), and other breviaries and missals; a fine folio MS. entitled 'A booke of In Nomines and other Solfainge Songes of v, vi, vii, and viii. partes for voyces or Instrumentes' (16th century); a small book of canons in Byrd's autograph; a splendid Virginal-book bearing the names of Philip and Mary; a large collection of autograph letters and MSS., including works by Beethoven (sketches for the Pastoral Symphony), Haydn (Symphony No. 1, Salomon set), Mozart (quintet, fantasia and sonata, quartet, etc.), Schubert, Spohr, and many others; MSS. of Locke, H. and W. Lawes. Purcell, Travers, and Arne; full scores of operas, including some used by Handel in conducting, and containing his corrections and additions. Mr. Marshall is also the possessor of the original caricature by Goupy of Handel, as well as of the portrait by Kyte, which was considered by Hawkins to be the best likeness of that master in existence. [App. p.724 "The greater portion of Mr. Julian Marshall's library was sold in 1884. A large part of the more valuable MSS. had been previously acquired by the British Museum."]

d. Mr. W. H. Cummings has a musical library of a very varied character, comprising autographs of Purcell, Handel, Beethoven, Weber, Mendelssohn, Bennett, and other composers of note. Amongst these we may particularly mention the duplicate of Handel's autograph will; unpublished compositions by the same master; and a score of the music to Macbeth, believed by Mr. Cummings to be the original in Purcell's handwriting. In printed works this collection contains fine copies of various editions of the treatises of Gaforius; all the editions of Morley's 'Plaine and Easie Introduction'; a perfect set of the Salmon and Lock controversy; early editions of madrigals and of Marot and Bèza's Psalters; Wilson's Ayres; Lawes' Ayres and Psalms; a perfect copy of the 3 parts of Purcell's 'Don Quixote' (probably unique); a copy of Bach's 'Kunst der Fuge' (1752); the copy of Goudimel's Psalms (1565) which formerly belonged to Joseph Warren (said to be unique); and many rare works by Purcell, in which this library is especially rich.

e. Mr. John Bishop, of Cheltenham, possesses an extensive and valuable library, comprising a very large collection of every different class of music (principally full scores), and a still larger collection of ancient and modern treatises, in seven different languages, including the rare Spanish works of Cerone and Lorente, historical and biographical works, and miscellanies.

f. Mr. Alfred H. Littleton possesses a small but valuable collection of about 200 volumes, which comprise several works that are unique in England, as well as especially fine early printed books. Amongst the principal rarities are the following works:—Burtius, 'Musices Opusculum' (Bologna, 1487); 4 editions of the treatises of Gafurius, including the one of 1502; Agricola's 'Musica Instrumental' (Wittenberg, 1529); Senfel's 'Liber Selectarum Cantionum' (1520); Animuccia's Masses (1567); and Davante's 'Pseaumes de David' (1560).

g. Mr. Victor Schœlcher formerly possessed an extensive collection of music, but he has lately