One of a complete set of five partbooks, containing motets and
madrigals by Alfonso Ferrabosco. Continuation of Christ Church Mus
78-81.
Contents: Layer 1 (ff. 1r-7v). Layer 2 (ff. 8r-19v). Layer 3 (ff.
20r-41v). Layer 4 (ff. 42r-49v). Layer 5 (ff. 50r-90v).
Contents note: The main copyist numbered the pieces in two
sequences, the first covering the motets (Layers 1-3), the second
the madrigals (Layer 5). Most of the layers include pages of unused
ruled staves headed by item-numbers, on which copying of additional
pieces was evidently envisaged; thus, within the original numbering
sequences, there are unused pages reserved for the copying of
motets 9 and 22-4, and madrigal 11. Layer 4 ends with unused pages,
as if for the addition of further Lamentations. The copyist has
created alphabetical lists of the contents in the following places:
(a) list of motets: on front flyleaves; (b) list of madrigals, on
ff. 50r-v.
Extent: ff. iii (modern paper); iii (16th century paper) + foliated
92 (16th century paper).
Dimensions: 280 x 215 mm.
Hand: Unidentified copyists.
Musical notation: Manuscript score.
Binding: All five partbooks are bound in late 16th-century bindings
of limp vellum, gold-tooled with fillets enclosing elaborate
central decorative panels. Stubs of green ribbon ties remain in
place at the foredge heads and tails of the covers. The outside
upper covers have been annotated in ink with part-names ('Cantus',
etc.).
Additional information: For a detailed description, please see
www.chch.ox.ac.uk/library-and-archives/digital-library.
Provenance: Provenance uncertain; most likely from the Goodson
bequest, less likely from the Aldrich bequest. Not listed in any of
the 18th-century catalogues of the Christ Church music collections
until Malchair (f. 5), where the set is described in the section
devoted to the Goodson bequest, as follows: 'Five books vellum
bound . the several / parts of some Lattin Mottetts'.
