Drexel 5856 | |
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New York Public Library for the Performing Arts | |
![]() Drexel 5856 | |
Type | Music manuscript |
Date | between 1720 and 1721 |
Place of origin | England |
Size | 124 pages |
Drexel 5856 is a music manuscript containing works composed by George Frideric Handel. It is a significant primary source of the composer's work, having been copied by one of Handel's frequent copyists, John Christopher Smith, possibly as a presentation copy. [1]
Belonging to the New York Public Library, it forms part of the Music Division's Drexel Collection, located at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Following traditional library practice, its name is derived from its call number. [2]
Drexel 5856 dates from 1720 to 1721. [3] Most of Handel's keyboard music was composed in the decade 1710–1720, an observation we know from a study of his handwriting and paper studies. John Christopher Smith became Handel's copyist beginning in the years 1716–1717. Along with two other manuscript, Terence Best surmises that Drexel 5856 was prepared for a patron who was a friend of the composer. [1]
The earliest known owner of Drexel 5856 was the composer John Stafford Smith, who also was as an antiquarian and collector of manuscripts. He presented it as a gift to Charles Wesley, possibly in 1813. [4] This much of the provenance is known from Wesley's inscription on the volume's initial leaf:
Charles Wesley An. Dom. 1813
The Gift of Mr. J. Stafford Smith
Gentleman of His Majesty's Chapel
supposed to be transcribed
from Handel's mss
bythe late Mr. Smith.
Below Wesley's writing is an inscription from the subsequent owner Edward Francis Rimbault, who wrote:
I believe this book to have been written
for the use of the Princess Amelia,
who was Handel's pupil.
In an old list of "Books in ye
Closet at Gunnersbury," it
is exactly described.The hand-writing is certainly Smith's.
Rimbault stated that he believed the manuscript to have been copied for Princess Amelia of Great Britain. [5] He based this idea on having seen a book "Books in ye closet at Gunnersbury." (No contemporary musicologists repeat this assertion. Rimbault's findings are occasionally faulty; see Drexel 4180—4185 for examples of his conclusions that are consider doubtful.)
After Rimbault's death in 1876, the manuscript was listed as lot 1366 in the 1877 auction catalog of his estate (the number 1366 can be seen in the upper left corner of the initial leaf). [6] The manuscript was one of about 600 lots purchased by Philadelphia-born financier Joseph W. Drexel, who had already amassed a large music library. Upon Drexel's death, he bequeathed his music library to The Lenox Library. When the Lenox Library merged with the Astor Library to become the New York Public Library, the Drexel Collection became the basis for one of its founding units, the Music Division. Today, Drexel 5856 is part of the Drexel Collection in the Music Division, now located at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
Although no scholars have written about the manuscript as a whole, the editors of the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe were well-aware of Drexel 5856. It is included in a list of significant sources of Handel's keyboard works in the Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis, the thematic catalog of Handel's works. The thematic catalog attests that Drexel 5856 was used in editing the critical editions of those works included in the manuscript. [7]
Christopher Hogwood consulted the manuscript when working on his book Handel : Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. [8]
In his review of a 1986 edition of Handel's harpsichord suites, [9] Terence Best criticized the editor for not including "important" sources, mentioning Drexel 5856 as one of those sources. [10]
Pages | Title in manuscript | Uniform title | Key | HWV number | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-7 | Aria in ye Opera Rinaldo vo' fa' Guerra | "Vo' far guerra, e vincer voglio" from Rinaldo | G major | HWV 7a, no. 28 | Caption title, page 1. |
8-12 | Chaccone | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 2 | G major | HWV 435 | Caption title, page 8; Of the five versions Handel wrote of HWV 435, Drexel 5856 corresponds to the fifth version |
13-16 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 5 | E minor | HWV 438 | There are two versions of the Gigue; Drexel 5856 contains the second version |
17 | Prelude | Prelude | G minor | HWV 572 | Music incipit gives treble voices of whole-note chord notation at opening which probably was meant to be arpeggiated |
17-19 | Sonata | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 | G minor | HWV 432/2-3 | At head of page 19: "This piece is like Crome's Music [?]" |
20 | Prelude | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 1 | B-flat Major | HWV 434/1 | At tail of page 20: "Segue Subito" |
21-22 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 7 | B-flat Major | HWV 440/1b, 3b | At tail of page 21: "Segue il Sarabande" |
22-23 | variate | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 1 | B-flat Major | HWV 434/2 | Aria variate; at tail of page 23: "Volti Subito" |
24-26 | Air | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 1 | B-flat Major | HWV 434/3 | |
26-31 | Prelude | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 4 | D minor | HWV 437 | Crossed-out version of prelude (page 26) written with C-1 clef, followed by clean copy with G-2 clef |
32 | Sonatina | Sonatina (Fugue) | D minor | HWV 581 | |
33-35 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 8 | F minor | HWV 433/3-5 | |
36-37 | Chaccona | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 | G minor | HWV 432/6 | |
38-39 | Chaccone | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 5 | G major | HWV 430/4a | page 38, outer margin, 3rd system: "better / than in / the printed / lesson" |
40-43 | Allemande favorita | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 4 | E minor | HWV 429/2-5 | page 41, inner margin, center: "Sarabande / a great favorite of / the Cilibrated Geminiani / and Mr Shelway" |
44 | Menuet I | Minuet | B flat major | HWV 553 | At head of page 44: "The Court Menuets by M.r HANDEL." |
44 | Menuet 2 | Minuet | B flat major | HWV 554 | |
44-45 | Menuet 3 | Minuet | B flat major | HWV 555a | Version exists in 6/8 |
45 | Menuet 4 | Minuet | G minor | HWV 535b | Known in some sources as "The Princess Sophia's favourite Minuet" |
45 | Menuet 5th | Minuet | G minor | HWV 534a | Slightly different version exists, listed as HWV 534b |
46 | 6. Menuet | Minuet | F major | HWV 516a | At head of page 46: "In one of / the Hautbois Concertos" |
46-51 | Allemande | Suite | C minor | HWV 446 | Originally intended for 2 cembalos, though only first part is preserved |
52-53 | To one | of His Operas | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 | G minor | HWV 432/1 | At head of page 52: "The op'ning of the 7th Suite. Vol. I."; in the left margin: "I think Agrippina" |
54 | Menuet | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 1 | G minor | HWV 434/4 | |
54 | Menuet | Minuet | G minor | HWV 540b | Also used by Handel in HWV 1, HWV 540, HWV 603, and as popular song "Who to win a woman's favour" |
55 | Gigue | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 | G minor | HWV 432/5 | |
56 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 8 | G major | HWV 441/1 | |
56 | Menuet | Minuet | G major | HWV 513b | |
57 | Prelude | Prelude | E major | HWV 566 | |
58-60 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 | E major | HWV 432/2-3 | |
61-64 | Overture for ye Water Musick | Water music | F major | HWV 348/5-10 | At head of page 62: "Aria" |
64-66 | [without title] | Water music | D major | HWV 349/11-12 | |
67-68 | Air | Water music | G major | HWV 350/16-18 | |
68-69 | [without title] | Water music | D major | HWV 349/14-15 | |
69-70 | Minuet | Water music | G minor | HWV 350/19-21 | At tail of 2nd system, page 70: "Siegue il Coro" |
70 | Coro | Water music | D major | HWV 349/13 | At head of 4th system (in a later hand), page 70: "What is all / this!" |
70 | Harpeggio | Prelude | F-sharp minor | HWV 570 | At head of 4th system, page 70: "6 [illegible] / in / the Printed / SUITE." |
71-73 | Ouverture | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 6 | F-sharp minor | HWV 431/2-4 | |
76-85 | Allemande | Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 6 | G minor | HWV 439/1-2, 4, 432/4 | At head of page 76: "Composed for Her R.H. The Princess of ORANGE." |
86-97 | Chaconne | Chaconne with 49 variations | C major | HWV 484 | Chaconne 49 Variations; variations 45-49 numbered incorrectly; |
97-110 | Chacconne | Suite de piece Vol. 2 No. 9 | G major | HWV 442/2 | Before variation 62, system 5, page 110: "Canon in the 8th"; prelude missing |
111-115 | Ouverture of Amadis | Amadigi di Gaula (Excerpts), arr. | C minor | HWV 11 | Later version of Overture (comp: 1725c): HWV 456/2 differs from transcription of HWV 11 on many points, and excludes the Gavotta |
116-118 | Capriccio | Prelude and Capriccio | G major | HWV 571/2 | Drexel 5856 does not include Prelude of HWV 571, and the pairing of Prelude and Capriccio might not be the composer's |
119 | Prelude | Preludes | D minor | HWV 562 | At head of 1st system, page 119: "Arpeggio" |
120-121 | Ouverture of ye Pastorale | Il Pastor fido (Excerpts), arr. | D minor | HWV 8a | At tail of page 121: "Segue L'aria [music incipit] c: / in ye printed book" |
122-124 | Aria Adagio | Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 3 | D minor | HWV 428/5 | At tail of page 124: "FINE." |
George FridericHandel was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.
Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically informed performance and a leading figure in the early music revival of the late 20th century.
The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name. The musicians play on either original instruments from the period when the music was composed or modern copies of such instruments. They generally play Baroque, Classical, and sometimes Romantic music, though they have also played some new compositions for baroque orchestra in recent years.
Edward Francis Rimbault was a British organist, musicologist, book collector and author.
The Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis is the Catalogue of Handel's Works. It was published in three volumes by Bernd Baselt between 1978 and 1986, and lists every piece of music known to have been written by George Frideric Handel. The catalogue also includes the first few bars of each piece and large amounts of factual information including manuscript sources, early prints, photographs, spurious works, etc. The catalogue does not include the full scores of Handel's works.
Gottlieb Muffat, son of Georg Muffat, served as Hofscholar under Johann Fux in Vienna from 1711 and was appointed to the position of third court organist at the Hofkapelle in 1717. He acquired additional duties over time including the instruction of members of the Imperial family, among them the future Empress Maria Theresa. He was promoted to second organist in 1729 and first organist upon the accession of Maria Theresa to the throne in 1741. He retired from official duties at the court in 1763.
John Christopher Smith was an English composer who, following in his father's footsteps, became George Frideric Handel's secretary and amanuensis.
Clori, Tirsi, e Fileno, Cantata a tre, subtitled Cor fedele in vano speri, is a 1707 comic cantata by George Frideric Handel. The subject is a pretty shepherdess who loves two young men, but loses both when they discover her fickleness. Believed lost for many years, the score is the source of arias in some of Handel's later, more celebrated operas.
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Bernd Baselt was a German musicologist noted for his works on the Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. He was born in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and died in Hanover.
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The Drexel Collection is a collection of over 6,000 volumes of books about music and musical scores owned by the Music Division of The New York Public Library. Donated by Joseph W. Drexel in 1888 to the Lenox Library, the collection, located today at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, is rich with materials on music theory and music history as well as other musical subjects. It contains many rare books and includes a number of significant 17th-century English music manuscripts.
Drexel 4041 is a 17th-century British music manuscript commonplace book. As described by musicologist John P. Cutts, Drexel 4041 "is a treasure-house of early seventeenth-century song and dramatic lyric worthy of the attention of any student of seventeenth-century literature and drama." It is also a major source for the work of English composer William Lawes. Belonging to the New York Public Library, it forms part of the Drexel Collection, housed in the Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Following traditional library practice, its name is derived from its call number.
Drexel 4175, also known by an inscription on its cover, "Ann Twice, Her Book" or by the inscription on its first leaf, "Songs unto the violl and lute," is a music manuscript commonplace book. It is a noted source of songs from English Renaissance theatre, considered to be "indispensable to the rounding-out of our picture of seventeenth-century English song." It is believed to contain the original music of the song "Come Away, Hecket" as heard in Thomas Middleton's play The Witch which was used in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Belonging to the New York Public Library, the manuscript forms part of the Music Division's Drexel Collection, located at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Following traditional library practice, its name is derived from its call number.
Drexel 4302, also known as the Sambrook Book, based on an inscription from a former owner, Francis Sambrook, is a music manuscript containing vocal and keyboard music from Italian and British composers, documenting the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music. Though literature on the manuscript has assumed the copyist was Francis Tregian the Younger, recent analysis has demolished that hypothesis.
Drexel 4180–4185 is a set of six manuscript partbooks copied in Gloucester, England, containing primarily vocal music dating from approximately 1615-1625. Considered one of the most important sources for seventeenth century English secular song, the repertoire included represents a mixture of sacred and secular music, attesting to the partbooks' use for entertainment and pleasure, rather than exclusively for liturgical use.
Drexel 5611 is a 17th-century music manuscript compilation of works written for virginal. Dating from either the end of the Commonwealth period or the early Restoration period, it is an important source for English keyboard music. It also includes a handful of works by French composers, reflecting the growing interest among English musicians in contemporary French keyboard music.
Drexel 3976, also known as The Rare Theatrical, is a 17th-century music manuscript compilation of works by the composer Matthew Locke, considered by some to be "the father of all Restoration dramatic music." The manuscript is a significant source of Locke's instrumental dramatic music with many works not known through any other source, although the contexts of the individual works and the names of the plays which they are from has not been documented.
Daphne or Die Verwandelte Daphne, HWV 4, is an opera composed by Handel for the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg in 1706, to a libretto by Hinrich Hinsch. The opera, based on the Daphne myth, was the second part of a double opera. Both works were first performed in Hamburg in January 1708. While the music is lost, the libretto survived, and two suites were reconstructed.