The Henry VIII book : (British Library, Add. MS 31922) : facsimile [DIAMM facsimiles, 4]

Henry, King of England; David Fallows (introduction); Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music

ISBN 10: 190764704X / ISBN 13: 9781907647048

Published by Oxford : DIAMM Publications, 2014

About this Item

1 score (ii, 85 pages, approximately 260 unnumbered pages) ; 33 cm. Thirty-three compositions by Henry VIII alongside a wide selection of other music from the first years of the sixteenth century are all collected together in a manuscript that probably contains the repertory of Henry s own music-making sessions. He was not quite eighteen years old when he became king in 1509. But in the next decade, before the difficulties began, his court was one of the most brilliant in Europe. And he himself was always eager to show off his abilities as a musician. The book was almost certainly not made for him: its decorations are too modest. But it is easy to imagine that it was for one of the favoured subjects who made music with him. It is clearly written and easy to read, a perfect size for three instrumentalists or singers. Some of the pieces are textless and evidently intended for instrumental performance; others do have text but were probably also for instruments alone; and some are three-voice songs with all three voices clearly texted. The accompanying Introduction by David Fallows includes individual comments on every piece explaining any notational difficulties, summarizing the available literature, sometimes offering new and unusual views on them. The Introduction also includes discussions of Henry as a composer and what we know of his musical activities.

Seller Inventory # PGDIAM05

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Henry VIII book : (British Library, Add. MS 31922) : facsimile [DIAMM facsimiles, 4]
• Publisher: Oxford : DIAMM Publications
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 190764704X
• ISBN 13: 9781907647048
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Ethnomusicology
  • History