Shelfmark
MS 299
Title
The Eton organ books. manuscript.
Publication, distribution, etc.
Eton, England, 1686-1732.
Physical description
9 volumes : paper ; 27 x 38 cm or smaller.
Note
Devised title.
Note
Collection of organ books holding the musical accompaniment to choral works performed during services in Eton College Chapel.
Note
Place of production inferred from the provenance of the manuscripts within Eton College Library together with contemporary bindings bearing the armorial device of the College.
Note
Dates of production taken from the College Audit Books (ECR/62/13 to ECR/62/17), when regular payments were recorded for writing in the organ and choir books, and for the purchase of music paper and binding of the books. See Roderick Williams, 'Manuscript organ books in Eton College Library', Music & letters, vol. 41, no. 4 (1960), pp. 358-359. The names of the copyists are also given in the audit books.
Note
Approximately 90 leaves in each volume.
Note
Volumes 1, 3, 4 and 6 have been written in from both ends.
Note
Each page has staves ruled in ink, with six lines per stave.
Note
The volumes have been renumbered over time. The sequence runs from 1-10, with number 7 omitted. volumes 2 and 9 have been swapped to reflect internal cross-references by the original copyists. For more on the volumes and their numbering, see accompanying manuscript note by R. Andrewes.
Note
A list of contents has been written on the front pastedown of each volume with page numbers.
Note
Two accompanying typescript indexes by volume and by composer. In this list volumes 1, 10 and 2 are listed as A, B and C respectively.
Note
Armorial device of Eton College stamped onto binding of some volumes.
Note
A complete catalogue of the volumes' contents has been published by Keri Dexter in 'A good Quire of voices': the provision of choral music at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and Eton College, c. 1640-1733 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002), pp. 365-397.
Binding
Contemporary mid-brown reverse calf; blind tooled triple fillet frame; some volumes bear armorial device of Eton College within a laurel wreath and surmounted by an angel, either blind stamped or gold stamped; others bear a roman numeral gold stamped; four raised bands; red sprinkled edges.
Subject
Eton College Choir.
Subject
Music Manuscripts.
Subject
Music England Eton Manuscripts.
Subject
Service books (Music)
Added entry--name
Eton College Choir.
Added entry--place
England Eton
Language code
eng
Identifier
B46786