The
'Gyffard' Partbooks (
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 ...
GB-
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This set of four partbooks were probably mostly copied during the reign of
Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...
for use at
St. Paul's Cathedral, but copying continued to ca. 1580. They are named after one of their early owners, Philip Gyffard.
Contents
The collection consists of mostly four-voice
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
a cappella choral music (though there are some 3- and 5-voice pieces). The music is arranged liturgically, and groups of similar pieces are also arranged by the seniority of the composer.
It contains the following pieces:
See also
*
Eton Choirbook
The Eton Choirbook (Eton College MS. 178) is a richly illuminated manuscript collection of England, English sacred music composed during the late 15th century. It was one of very few collections of Latin liturgical music to survive the English R ...
*
Lambeth Choirbook
*
Caius Choirbook
*
Peterhouse partbooks
*
The Mulliner Book
The Mulliner Book (British Library Add MS 30513) is a historically important musical commonplace book compiled probably between about 1545 and 1570, by Thomas Mulliner, about whom practically nothing is known, except that he figures in 1563 as ' ...
, an instrumental collection
*
List of Renaissance composers
References
Sources
* ''The Gyffard Partbooks'' ''I'' and ''II'' edited by
David Mateer. EARLY ENGLISH CHURCH MUSIC Volumes 48 and 51 (London: Stainer & Bell, 2007 and 2009)
* Roger Bray, 'British Museum Add. MSS. 17802-5 (The Gyffard Part-Books): An Index and Commentary', ''Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle'' 7 (1969), 31-50
* David Mateer, 'The "Gyffard" Partbooks: Composers, Owners, Date and Provenance', ''Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle'' 28 (1995), 21-50
External links
Table of Contents for Stainer & Bell's Gyffard Partbook compilations
Playlist of available works from the Gyffard partbooks on American SpotifySource description in DIAMM
{{Anglican church music
15th-century books
Renaissance music
Books on English music
Renaissance music manuscript sources