''Elizabeth Rogers' Virginal Book'' is a musical

commonplace book Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into blank books. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century. Such book ...

compiled in the mid-seventeenth century by a person or persons so far unidentified. Of all the so-called English "virginal books" this is the only one to mention the name of the instrument (the

virginal The virginals is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Description A virginals is a smaller and simpler, rectangular or polygonal, form of harpsichord. ...

) in the title, the others being so-called at a far later date.

The manuscript

The manuscript is a

folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...

volume of sixty pre-lined pages of six staves containing 94 pieces for keyboard and 18 ''Voycall'' ocal''Lessons''. It was rebound using part of the original covers, in 1949. The first page bears the inscription ''Elizabeth Rogers hir virginall booke. February ye 27 1656''. However, on the same page the name ''Elizabeth Fayre'' is written, and it has been suggested that these two Elizabeths are the same person, before and after marriage. There are various other writings, including the name "John Tillett", who may have been a subsequent owner of the manuscript, some poetic fragments, and a note concerning the tuning of the

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

. There are also three incomplete tables of contents. Four different

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

have been discerned. The manuscript is now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

, catalogued as Add MS 10337. The

American Institute of Musicology The American Institute of Musicology (AIM) is a musicological organization that researches, promotes and produces publications on early music. Founded in 1944 by Armen Carapetyan, the AIM's chief objective is the publication of modern editio ...

published an edited version by George Sargent in 1971.

The pieces contained in the manuscript are relatively simple, and written for the amateur performer. There are settings of popular tunes, dance movements and vocal pieces. None of the keyboard pieces bear a composer's name, and only a few of the vocal pieces are attributed, but many are identifiable from other sources. These include:

William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continental Europe, Continent. He i ...

, with his ''Battel'' suite, dating from at least 1591; Orlando Gibbons;

Henry Lawes Henry Lawes (1596 – 1662) was the leading English songwriter of the mid-17th century. He was elder brother of fellow composer William Lawes. Life Henry Lawes (baptised 5 January 1596 – 21 October 1662),Ian Spink, "Lawes, Henry," ''Grove Mu ...

and his brother

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

;

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

; and Nicholas Lanier. Several pieces are attributed to Thomas Strengthfield, of whom nothing is known, but who may have been Elizabeth's music teacher. Other pieces are attributed to John Balls (died 1622), a '' wait'' or public musician of the city of London; and John Wilson, who replaced him. # Sr Tho: ffairfax Marche # Nanns Maske (Orlando Gibbons) # Almaygne # The ffairest Nimphes the valleys or mountaines euer bred, & c. # The Scots Marche # Prince Ruperts Martch # One of ye Symphon(ies) # One of ye Symphon(ies) (William Lawes) # Selebrand (Sarabande) # When the King enioyes his owne againe # Almaygne # A Trumpett tune # Essex last goodnight # Almaygne per Tho: Strengthfield # The Corrant to ye last Alm(aygne) per Tho: Strengthfield # Ruperts Retraite # Almaygne per Tho: Strengthfield # Corrant to ye former Alma(ygne) per Tho: Strengthfield # ntitled# The Nightingale # Corrant Bear # Selebrand Beare # Corrant Beare # Almayne # Corrant # Corrant Beare # Corrant Beare # The Battaile (William Byrd): The Souldiars summons # The Martch of ffoote # (The) Martch (of) horse # The Trumpetts # The Irish Martch # Bagpipes # The Drum and fflute # The Martch (to) ye ffight # Tarra-tantarra # (The) Battell Joyned # Retrait # The Buriing of the dead # The Souldiers delight # Corrant # Selebrand # A Maske # Corrant # Selebrand # Ly still my Deare # The Chestnut # Cloris sight (sighed) # Now ye springe is comne # Oh Iesu meeke # Corrant # Corrant # Maske # Corrant # Almaygne # Lupus Ayre ( Thomas Lupo?) # Could thine incomparable eye # Almaygne: Mr Johnson (Orlando Gibbons) # Mock-Nightingale # What if the King should come to ye City # The Kings Complaint # Almaygne # Corrant # Selebrand # My delyght # A Scotts Tuen # An Irish Toy # Allmayne # The spaynard (Spaniard) # ntitled# Selabrand # The ffinex (Phoenix) # The faithfull Brothers # A Corant # This soldier loues # Carron o carron (

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( ; ) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the worlds of the living and ...

) # A horne pipe # Almaygne # Corrant per Tho: Strengthfield # Selebrand # Almaine # Corant # Almaygne # I wish noe more (Nicolas Lanier) # ntitled# Selebrand # Loue is strange # Almaygne Mercure # Glory of ye North # Almaine # Merceur (Mercury) # Corrant # Corrant # Phill: Porters Lamentation # Psalme 42 (William Lawes) # Must your faire # Since tis my fate # No flattring pellow # Baloo my boy # Ile wish no more # Deerest loue # No noe I tell ye no # O that myne eyes # Yes I could loue # Lett god the god of Battaile Rize # Sing to the king of kings (William Lawes) # Psalme 39. verse 12 (William Lawes) # I preethe sweete (Henry Lawes) # fyer (Nicholas Lanier: lyrics by

Thomas Campion Thomas Campion (sometimes spelled Campian; 12 February 1567 – 1 March 1620) was an English composer, poet, and physician. He was born in London, educated at Cambridge, and studied law in Gray's Inn. He wrote over a hundred lute songs, masque ...

) # Come you pritty (Thomas Campion) # All you forsaken louers # Think not deare (William and Henry Lawes)

The manuscript

Contents

See also

References

Further reading