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Part of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Collection
Catalogue (?) Number QM7404
Village Music Project codes prefix...TBe.
Transcribed into ABC Music Notation for The Village Music
Project by Cherri Graebe
Go to ABC file
Go to PDF
file
Introduction by Chris Partington of the Village Music Project,
Dec. 2002.
This book is 9" wide, 4.75" tall, leather bound.
There are usually 4 hand-ruled staves per page, sometimes 3 or 5.
The cover has had a paper label pasted on the front, by VWML.
Its inscription is "THOMAS BENNET'S VIOLIN BOOK 1718. W.SHIELD
1810"
I can find no reference to Thomas Bennet in the National Biography
nor in Grove's
Dictionary of Music & Musicians 3rd Edition 1926, nor in New
Grove's etc.
The inside front cover has in the top right hand corner the
inscription "T.W.Taphouse, Oxford".
Groves 3rd Ed. gives Thomas William Taphouse b.1838 d.1905 as a
major music seller in Oxford, and collector of old music, which
included the only autograph copies of some of Purcell's violin
works, for example. His library was of very great value, but
dispersed on his death. Some of it was bought for the Music
Collection of Leeds Central Library. The business was continued by
his son, Charles Milner Taphouse of 3 Magdalen St., who was a
friend of folk music collector Frank Kidson of Leeds, and
publisher in 1891 of his book "Traditional Tunes, A Collection of
Ballad Airs".
This page also bears the larger, later inscription "To Frank Kidson from Alfred Moffat".
Alfred Moffat, who was born in 1866, is described in Groves 3rd
Ed., as a composer and editor of old music. He was largely
responsible for what was to become Novello's "Old English Violin
Music" series. He brought to light many works by Purcell, Jones,
Valentine, Avison and Eccles, (who coincidentally wrote the score
for the Opera "Sebella", a song from which you will find towards
the end of this Manuscript). He had a "fine and unique library of early violin music, 17th
& 18th Centuries". A look at the 1905 sale catalogue
of T.W.Taphouse's library may reveal how much of his information
came from there. Taphouse was said to be generous in allowing
access to it. Moffat collaborated with Frank Kidson, by doing the
musical arrangements, on "A Garland of English folksongs", pub.
1926, and "English Peasant Songs" pub. 1929.
On the facing page, page 1, in Alfred Moffat's handwriting, is
pasted the following:
"Violin. A collection of
Preludes, Airs, Minuetts, Jiggs, Corants, Rigadoons, Gavots,
Marches, Sarabands, Country Dance, etc., in MS for the violin or
flute. . On the first leaf is written (it continues) W.Shield
Cambridge 16th Aug 1810. On the second leaf Thomas
Bennet's Book 1718. Obl 4to"
On page 2 in Frank Kidson's hand-writing is written:
"This book is mentioned by
J.Cunningham-Woods in his paper in The Musical Association 22nd
session 1895-6 p.103 = "On the last page of all we have the
identical Sebella or Sebell which Hawkins gives at(as?) the end
of the second (act?)(something illegible in brackets). A
comparison of these two is most interesting and shows that
Hawkins is somewhat different from this written version both as
regards (notes?) themselves and the number of bars"
Sir John Hawkins 1719-89 published his 5 vol. 'General History of
the Science and Practice of Music' in 1776.
On page 3, being the first page proper, are one or two
mathematical doodles, and the large copperplate signature of
W.Shield, Cambridge, 16 Aug 1810. This hand appears nowhere else
in the book. There is a William Shields b.1748 d.1829 in Groves
3rd Ed, noted composer in his time, born in Durham and lived in
London, who wrote operas and pantomimes, serious instrumental
works and popular songs, amongst them Rosina, The Village Fete and
Old Towler. He possessed a "valuable musical library" which was
sold on his death. However I am not aware of any lasting
connection between this W.Shield and either Oxford or Cambridge,
therefore any link with our W.Shield can only be speculative.
However, the fact that Oxford and Cambridge are both obviously
ancient university towns along with Durham, the birthplace of
W.Shield composer, is a striking co-incidence.
Page 4 in my photocopy is a little faint, and scrutiny of the
original may be worthwhile. Amidst some flourishes and well laid
out in a neat hand is =
"James Bennet his book" and again underneath =
"James Bennet his book" followed by something totally illegible in
my photocopy.
And to the top right in a much inferior hand = "Thomas Bennet's
Book 1718"
Then on the next page follows the music.
All the music and titles, despite minor differences in neatness,
appear to me to be in the same hand, that of Thomas Bennet.
Two tunes only, Eccho Minuet Tbe.063, and Minuet Tbe.064, may be
in a different hand. James Bennet despite his flourishing
beginning appears not to re-appear, except just possibly in these
two tunes! Thomas Bennet occasionally seems to be practising neat
handwriting.
We have no evidence as to who Thomas Bennet was or where he
lived, nor his age or position in society. The name does not
appear in the National Biography or Grove 3rd Ed or New Grove, and
no links can be established with any Thomas Bennet (and there are
some) on genealogy web-sites. The fact that he could read and
write and had leisure enough to study music notation at such an
early date would suggest at least that he was not working class,
although it was occasionally possible to be elevated by patronage
or scholarship to the clergy, for example, (in which case he may
have studied at Oxford). In any event he would be unlikely to have
a menial future. The need for Medus and Bass parts in the
Manuscript strongly suggest genteel companions.
Contained within the music are several names.
1.."Preludes by Mr. Thomas Dean"
Grove 3rd Ed. gives Thomas Deane b.latter half of 17th C, organist
at Warwick and Coventry...is said to have been the first to
perform a sonata of Corelli in England in 1709. Compositions by
him for the violin are contained in "The Division Violin". He
graduated as Doctor of Music at Oxford in 1731.
2.."Mr Wildbore's Farwell(sic) by Charles Roe". I have been unable
to locate either of these personages, but would expect them to be
connected as character and composer with early theatrical history.
3.."Sebella" and "Semele", (Notes by Cherri Graebe) Semele is a
character from Greek mythology, the daughter of Cadmus and
Harmonia and mother of Dionysus. There was an opera of that
name by John Eccles, (b.1650 d. 1735,) libretto by Congreve, dated
either 1705, 1707 or 1710. (Also an opera or oratorio by
Handel in 1743,).
"Endless pleasure Endless Love Semele enjoys Semele enjoys Semele
enjoy----s
above on her Bosom Jove reclining useless now his Thunder lies his
Thunder lyes
to her Arms his Bolts resigning and his Lightening to her eyes"
This I presume is Congreve's libretto (though I am in no position
to check), and the piece referred to above by J.Cunningham-Woods
in 1895.
4.."Trumpet Solo by Senior Nicola"
Could this be Nicola Matteis, eminent Italian violinist , who came
to England in about 1672 and stayed? His playing was described as
"Stupendous". He was one of the first musicians to demand
attention and silence from his aristocratic audience. He composed
many works, among them "Airs for the violin, to wit, preludes
fugues alemands sarabands courants gigues fancies divisions and
likewise other passages (1685)". A set of his books was sold in
the Taphouse sale of 1905. "He
fell into such credit that he took a great house, and after the
manner of his country lived luxuriously". He was in 1696
one of the stewards for a Cecilian celebration at Oxford. He had a
violinist son, also called Nicholas, who however lived in Vienna
from at the latest 1700 until 1737.
There are in descending number:
Minuets..........21
Preludes..........14
Airs................8
Rigadoons........6
Gavottes..........5
Jiggs...............5
Bourrees..........2
Song Airs.........2
Unclassified......2
Saraband...........1
Courant............1
Country Dance....1
Four of the tunes (2 Rigadoons, a Gavotte, a Jigg), are written
for parts.
Apart from the Preludes and the songs, all these tune types were
dance forms from the 17th & 18th centuries. However, the
presence of the Preludes reminds us that they were also, including
the odd Country Dance, components of the Suite form of
instrumental music, as in Purcell, Bach's partitas, Corelli,
Handel, and indeed Signor Nicola Matteis and Thomas Deane. One
could hardly imagine, from our perspective, the average illiterate
country fiddler being interested in these tunes, with their flat
keys and many accidentals. Nevertheless such tunes do occur in
other more obviously 'dance' MSS, and remained in small numbers
right up until the end of the century. Indeed in Edinburgh the
famous Robert Mackintosh, composer and publisher of books of
reels and strathspeys and who, like a significant number of
Scottish traditional fiddlers, had a professional foot in the
classical concert world, and who is also said to have been the
first teacher of the great Nathaniel Gow, published in 1783 a book
of "Airs, Minuets, Gavottes and Reels". The gulf between
what we now think of as 'traditional' and 'serious' music was not
so obvious in the 18thC as it has since become. Nevertheless, this
was the sort of contemporary secular music that an earnest young
student might be into, if he was up at Oxford say, and wanted to
indulge his fine sensibilities. Whether he ever had the
opportunity to actually play for any young ladies to foot it in
the drawing room is impossible to say, but if he did, then he was
a little before the fashion in England of the minuet as a dance,
rather than as an instrumental piece. This did not come until
after 1730, according to Grove 3rd Ed., notwithstanding the fact
that minuets do occur occasionally in the 17thC.
The music is within the capability of a competent amateur
'serious' musician, and it is useful to remember that such suites
and their component parts were often known as 'Lessons' in
England. It does not represent quite the balance of movements in
typical suites, being over-representative of minuets, for example.
He has seemingly not taken Suites wholesale, but rather picked out
his favourite tunes.
This book nicely illustrates one end of the spectrum of amateur
music making represented in MS at VWML. Thomas Bennet would
seem to have been a young man of prospect, an amateur violinist,
with some circumstantial evidence to place him in Oxford at the
beginning of the 18thC. Oxford at this time was virtually the
'second capital'. He possessed this autograph manuscript music
book in which he recorded contemporary chamber music, to be played
for his own edification and, as the tunes for Medus and Bass show,
along with other people for recreation. Maybe the Preludes had
been recommended to him by a Teacher of Music. Although using the
dance form as a basis for the tunes, it is doubtful in this
instance whether dancing was foremost in the mind of the
performer. Playford's Dancing Master was still in print at this
time, yet contained quite a different cross section of
popular dance music. The book came into the hands of W. Shields of
Cambridge in 1810, by which time it would already be a curiosity.
From there it got into T. W. Taphouse's antiquarian collection,
where J.Cunningham-Woods had a look at it. Alfred Moffat,
who acquired it probably after the death of Taphouse, gave it to
Frank Kidson, and it now resides in the Vaughan Williams Memorial
Library.
Chris Partington, Dec. 2002.
An note of explanation by Cherri.
The headings refer to an old system of solmization, in which most
notes had two or three names - A is A re here. The writer
also uses the older method relative sharps and flats - the sharp
or flat raises or lowers the note one semi-tone, so that in (e.g.)
F, with a Bb, what we would refer to as B natural is shown as B#,
and in a sharp key Fb
would nowadays be referred to as F natural.
Gamut: Old English term for the scale or key of G, whether major or minor, and hence for a scale or range in general. It derives from the combination of gamma, the Greek G and ut, the name given in medieval theory to the note G, bottom line of stave in bass clef. Also the scale beginning on Gamma ut, and more generally the range or compass of the fiddle.
Solmization - the designation of the musical scales by means of
syllables Based on Hexachords - scales of 6 notes beginning on G
(hexachord durum), C (hexachord naturale) and F (hexachord molle),
and the same names were used for each scale, so each note after
the first 3 could have 2 or 3 names. This system
originated in the 11th century.
Per New Grove: the use of syllables in association with
pitches as a mnemonic device for indicating melodic
intervals. "A solmization
system is not a notation: it is a method of aural rather
than visual training"
Cherri Graebe, 2002.
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