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

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

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

) 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 sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...

volume of sixty pre-lined pages of six staves containing 94 pieces for keyboard and 18 ''Voycall''

ocal Ocal or OCAL may refer to: * Öcal, Turkish surname * Öçal, Turkish surname * Open Clip Art Library Openclipart, also called Open Clip Art Library, is an online media repository of free-content vector clip art. The project hosts over 160,000 ...

''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 viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...

. There are also three incomplete tables of contents. Four different hands have been discerned. The manuscript is now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, catalogued as Add MS 10337. The American Institute of Musicology 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 composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...

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

Orlando Gibbons Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical fami ...

;

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 Musi ...

and his brother

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

;

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

; 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 Wait or WAIT may refer to: Music * Wait (musician), British town pipers Albums and EPs * ''Wait'' (The Polyphonic Spree EP), by The Polyphonic Spree * ''Wait'' (Emanuel Nice EP), a 2002 EP released by the band Emanuel Nice * ''Wait'' (Stee ...

'' 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) #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, studied law in Gray's inn. He wrote over a hundred lute songs, masques ...

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

The manuscript

Contents

See also

References

Further reading