Mathew Holmes lute books (MS Dd.9.

33)
Dd.9.33 is third of the four Mathew Holmes lute books, copied probably 1600-1605. Nine
music manuscripts in Cambridge University Library were shown by Ian Harwood in the
1960s to have been copied by Holmes who was Precentor and Singing man of Christ
Church in Oxford from 1588 and then in Westminster Abbey in London from 1597 until his
death in 1621. Four of the manuscripts, with the shelfmarks Dd.2.11 , Dd.5.78.3, Dd.9.33
and Nn.6.36, form a chronological series largely devoted to tablature for the renaissance
lute. The four comprise the most extensive and important source of English lute music to
survive in the world, totalling over 650 separate items, some duplicated within or between
manuscripts, crammed into all available space of more than 300 folios (600 pages) in
total. The manuscripts are the major source of the music of all the great English
renaissance lute composers and preserve a complete cross-section of the repertoire in
common use in England for the period 1580 to 1615. The other five manuscripts copied by
Mathew Holmes are one for solo cittern (Dd.4.23), and four part books for the
characteristic English mixed consort of lute (Dd.3.18), bass viol (Dd.5.20), recorder
(Dd.5.21) and cittern (Dd.14.24), with part books for bandora and treble viol now lost.
Holmes seems to have copied the four lute books sequentially, probably with some
overlap, the first two manuscripts in Oxford from the late 1580s continuing with the last
two into the second decade of the seventeenth century after he moved to Westminster
Abbey. It is noticeable that his handwriting is bold and clear in the first manuscript, but
gradually deteriorates throughout the series, accompanied by fewer titles and with
composers’ names reduced to initials, together with progressive use of abbreviated
notation of rhythm signs in the later manuscripts. The consort part books he also copied
are presumed to have been used for teaching the choristers in his care and other pupils at
Oxford and Westminster Abbey, but the purpose of the solo lute books is not at all clear. It
is most likely that he chose to collect and record for his private use the lute music in
circulation in the capital, which he first must have had access to when in Oxford and surely
did when he moved to the centre of court life at Westminster Abbey. He may well have
been acquainted with most of the resident and visiting composers still living, and could
have been trusted to borrow their lute books long enough to copy a selection of his choice.
From the high quality of much of the music, it seems he could play the lute to a high
standard of proficiency and for his own personal recreation. Thankfully his hobby of filling
up the four manuscripts obsessively with the huge amount of contemporary music that he
laid hands on over a quarter of a century has turned out to be an invaluable legacy for the
lute revival nearly 400 years later.
The 163 items in Dd.9.33 comprise 149 solos, 5 duet parts and 1 consort part, for 6- or 7-
course renaissance lute (apart from 1 in transitional tuning), as well as 6 for bandora and
1 for lyra viol. Unusually for Holmes, a few items in this lute book are copied by a hand
other than his own (fols 47r, 65r, 86v-87r and 95v - the lyra viol solo), that also copied
music in Dd.4.22 and other lute books. This is probably also the hand that made
corrections to the rhythm signs on much of Holmes’ tablature between fols 54 and 59 (i.e.
probably during a limited period of copying by Holmes). John Dowland is the composer
most frequently represented, with 30 of his lute solos present out of the total of just over a
hundred extant. Other composers include some from an earlier generation such as Baruch
Bulman (1), Francis Cutting (14), John Johnson (6), Peter Philips (1), Francis Pilkington
(1), Nicholas Strogers (1), Thomas Tallis (2), John Taverner (1), as well as those that
Holmes may well have encountered in London during his time at Westminster Abbey:
Daniel Bacheler (6), Edward Collard (1), Anthony Holborne (10), Robert Johnson (3),
Thomas Robinson (1), and the more obscure Robert Ascue (1) and Mr. Lusher (2). The
genres are typical of English lute music (7 fantasias, 27 pavans, 33 galliards, 5 almaines, 2
jigs and settings of 21 popular ballad tunes, some in the characteristically English form of
a set of variations). As a sign of the changing muscial fashions in early seventeenth-
century England, Dd.9.33 includes a larger proportion of French lute music (24), copied in
blocks around fols 53-59 and 64-65.
Many lute solos in the Holmes manuscripts have titles with the names of dedicatees,
including royalty, nobility, members of the merchant class, academics or actors from the
London theatres. The more famous can be easily identified, but it is only rarely that the
date or the occasions for which the music was written can be identified. Composers were
probably either commissioned to write appropriately merry or sorrowful music for events
such as marriages or funerals, or else they submitted music with the offer of a dedication
to honour a patron or for direct financial reward, in the same way that they dedicated
whole printed books of music to notable figures to acknowledge patronage or for financial
gain. The 50 or so dedications in the Holmes lute books include on fol. 23r, John Dowland's
galliard usually known as the Battle, or King of Denmark's Galliard which is here given the
title Mr Mildmays Galliard, presumably Anthony Mildmay of Apethorp (d. 1617) who is also
the dedicatee of pieces in Dd.5.78.3. Several jigs are dedicated to famous comic actors,
presumably celebrating such events as their rise to fame or their retirement from the
stage, and it is likely that the actors danced the jigs to the music on stage. Dd.9.33
includes a jig probably for the actor Edward Alleyn/Allin (d. 1626) on fol. 28r.
John H. Robinson, Lute Society
Information about this document

Physical Location: Cambridge University Library

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Classmark: MS Dd.9.33

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Subject(s): Lute music; Bandora music

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Origin Place: Westminster

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Date of Creation: c. 1600-1605 C.E.

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Former Owner(s): Holmes, Mathew, -1621

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Associated Person(s): East, Thomas, 1540?-1608?

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Extent: a-d + 96 + e-h Leaf height: 305 mm, width: 218 mm. Staff height: 15.5
mm, width: 153-156 mm.

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Collation:

The manuscript consists of 8 quires as follows:

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Four modern paper flyleaves (fols a-d)
Quire 112 (fols 1-12)
Quire 212 (fols 13-24)
Quire 312 (fols 25-36)
Quire 412 (fols 37-48)
Quire 510 (fols 49-58)
Quire 614 (fols 59-72)
Quire 710 (fols 73-82)
Quire 814 (fols 83-96)
Four modern paper flyleaves (fols e-h)

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Material: Paper

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Format: Codex

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Condition:

The manuscript has suffered considerable water and mould damage, particularly
affecting the inner margin and bottom edges of the pages. The outer edges of the
pages, particularly the lower outside corners have also been damaged.

There is also insect damage to fols 84-96 which on occasion impacts on the text
and music.

The manuscript has been extensively repaired with handmade Japanese paper.

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Binding:

Bound in 2006 at Cambridge University Library in an Espinosa limp vellum style

binding, sewn on seven split alum-tawed supports laced through limp vellum
covers with an alum-tawed spine, fastened with two bone clasps.
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The manuscript was previously quarter-bound in leather with marbled paper sides,
with vellum tipped corners, sewn on four tapes.

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Script:

A single hand is responsible for the words and music throughout, identified as
that of Mathew Holmes (-1621) who writes mostly in secretary hand with
occasional use of italic.

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Music notation:

French tablature on 6-line staves copied by Mathew Holmes.

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Foliation:

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Modern pencil foliation in the top right hand corner of each recto.

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Layout:

Each folio, with the exception of fol. 96 is printed on both sides with 8 staves per
page, 6 lines per staff with vertical printers' rules to either side of the staves, 158
apart. The eight staves are arranged in two groups of four with a central gap of 31
and the total height of the staves is 250. It was printed by Thomas East (1540?-
1608?) with his initials in the lower right margin of each recto. This is Fenlon and
Milsom's type 3f (Fenlon and Milsom 1984:148-152).

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Additions:

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On fol. 96v, the final leaf of the manuscript and the only one not printed with
musical staves, are two inscriptions, both in the hand of Mathew Holmes:
"I am to desire you to pray for on Davie were dwelling in theving lane being
prentice to Robert Wilson, who hath bene a very long time sicke and xviij weekes
past all hope of mortall health to pray for his eternall life or speedy delivery. /
1600. febr. 28/"
"To the minister of the lordes holy word.
I hartely desire you that in Christian Charitye you will desire the Congregacion
gathered together in Devocion that they will pray or ioyne with you in prayer to
our lord and heavenly father that in his promised mercy / he will be mercifull to me
a Sinner to restore my former helth if so it be his determinate pleasure or release
me of this grievous sicknesse by his messenger, that I may enioy / a place
prepared in his kingdome, for all such as he hath selected, of which number I hope
I am / finishing their Daies in the faith of him that suffred upon the Cro[ss] for the
redemption of man / into whose hands I come[nd] my sprite. / William Hoper / "

The shelfmark "Dd-9-33" has been added in ink at the top of the opening leaf in an
eighteenth-century hand.

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Provenance:

Ian Harwood identified Mathew Holmes as the copyist of CUL MS Dd.9.33 and
three other lute books in 1963. It has been possible to place Holmes' books in
chronological order and Dd.9.33 is the third. It was copied at Westminster where
Holmes was chanter and singingman from 1597 until his death in 1621. Harwood
(1963:46-47) suggests that the two requests for prayers for the sick men Davie
Were [Wier] and William Hoper [Hooper] which Holmes wrote on the back flyleaf of
the manuscript may have been rough drafts for memoranda collected by Holmes
as part of his duties within the Abbey. Thieving Lane, where Davie lived, was in the
parish of St Margaret's, Westminster and most of its houses belonged to the
Abbey. The parish register records the burial of Davie Wier on 18 March 1600. The
Westminster parish register records the burial of William Hooper on 15 April 1601.

It seems likely that all the manuscripts copied by Holmes were together in
Westminster at the time of his death in 1621, although some were copied in
Oxford before his move to Westminster. It is not known when or by what means
they entered the University Library. The first reference to Dd.9.33 is in CUL MS
Oo.7.53, a manuscript catalogue of the library compiled in 1753.

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Data Source(s): This catalogue entry is based on an inventory prepared by John

H. Robinson of the Lute Society.

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Author(s) of the Record: Suzanne Paul

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Bibliography:

Early Editions

Adriaenssen, Emanuel (ed.), Novum pratum musicum (Antwerp: Excudebat Petrus

Phalesius sibi et Ioanni Bellero, 1592).

Robinson, Thomas (ed.), The schoole of musicke (London: 1603).

Rosseter, Philip (ed.), Lessons for consort (London: Printed by Tho. Este alias

Snodham, for Iohn Browne, and are to be sould at his shop, 1609).

Dowland, Robert (ed.), Varietie of lute-lessons (London: Adams, 1610).

Ballard, Robert, Premier livre de tablature du luth (Paris: 1611).

Modern Editions

Lumsden, David James (ed.), An Anthology of English Lute Music (16

Century) (London: Schott & Co, 1954).

Harwood, Ian, Ten easy pieces for the lute, Cambridge lute series vol. 1
(Cambridge: Gamut Publications, 1962).

Souris, André, Sylvie Spycket and Monique Rollin (eds), Robert Ballard. Premier
livre (1611), Corpus des luthistes français (Paris: Éditions du Centre national de la
recherche scientifique, 1963).
 

Poulton, Diana (ed.), English ballad tunes for the lute, Cambridge lute series
(Cambridge: Gamut Publications, 1965).

Simpson, Claude M. (ed.), The British broadside ballad and its music (New

Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1966).

Jeffery, Brian (ed.), Francis Pilkington complete works for solo lute (London:

Oxford University Press, 1970).

Long, Martin (ed.), Daniel Bacheler: Selected Works for Lute (London: Oxford

University Press, 1972).

Souris, André and Monique Rollin (eds), Œuvres des Bocquet, Corpus des luthistes
français (Paris: Éditions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1972).

Sundermann, Albert (ed.), Robert Johnson complete works for solo lute (London:

Oxford University Press, 1972).

Souris, André, Monique Rollin and Jean-Michel Vaccaro (eds), Œuvres de

Vaumesnil, Edinthon, Perrichon, Raël, Montbuysson, La Grotte, Saman, La Barre,
Corpus des luthistes français (Paris: Éditions du Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique, 1974).

North, Nigel (ed.), William Byrd: Music for the lute (London: Oxford University
Press, 1976).

Poulton, Diana and Basil Lam (eds), The collected lute music of John Dowland 3rd
(London: Faber & Faber, 1981).

Nordstrom, Lyle, The bandora: its music and sources, Detroit studies in music
bibliography vol. no. 66 (Warren, MI: Harmonie Park Press, 1992).


Caldwell, John (ed.), Tudor keyboard music, c. 1520-1580, Musica Britannica vol.
66 (London: Published for the Musica Britannica Trust ... [by] Stainer and Bell,
1995).

Robinson, John and Stewart McCoy (eds), The solo lute music of Richard Allison :
with bandora and cittern arrangements (London: Lute Society Music Editions,
1995).

Shepherd, Martin (ed.), The complete works of John Danyel. Volume 1 Lute

music (Guildford: The Lute Society, 1997).

Smith, David J. and John H. Robinson (eds), Lute intabulations of works by Peter

Philips, Lute Society music editions (Guildford: Lute Society, 1998).

Spencer, Robert, Stewart McCoy and John H. Robinson (eds), Lute music of Philip
Rosseter (Guildford: Lute Society, 1998).

Burgers, J. W. J. (ed.), John Johnson: Collected lute music (Lübeck: Tree Edition,

2001) vol. 1,2.

Burgers, Jan (ed.), Francis Cutting: Collected lute music (Lübeck: Tree Edition,

2002).

Spring, Rainer aus dem (ed.), Anthony Holborne: Music for lute and bandora Rev.
(Guildford: Lute Society, 2002).

tablature mss (Viola da Gamba Society,

2011-) http://www.vdgs.org.uk/tab.html Accessed: 2014-10-25 11:24:21.

Secondary Literature


Lumsden, David, The sources of English lute music (1540-1620) (PhD thesis
Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1957).

Harwood, Ian, "The Origins of the Cambridge Lute Manuscripts", Lute Society

Journal vol. 5 (1963).

Harwood, Ian, "The Origins of the Cambridge Lute Manuscripts: A Postscript", Lute

Society Journal vol. 6 p. 29 (1964).

Nordstrom, Lyle, "The Cambridge consort books", Journal of the Lute Society of

America vol. 5 pp. 70-103 (1972).

Boetticher, Wolfgang, Handschriftlich überlieferte Lauten- und Gitarrentabulaturen

des 15. bis 18. Jahrhunderts: beschreibender Katalog, International inventory of
musical sources (RISM). B vol. 7 (München: Henle, 1978).

Rooley, Anthony, "New Light on John Dowland's Songs of Darkness", Early

Music vol. 11 pp. 6-21 (1983) http://www.jstor.org/stable/3137501 Accessed:
2014-04-24 13:08:08.

Fenlon, Iain and John Milsom, ""Ruled Paper Imprinted": Music Paper and Patents
in Sixteenth-Century England", Journal of the American Musicological Society vol.
37 pp. 139-163 (1984) http://www.jstor.org/stable/831161 Accessed: 2014-06-25
10:43:05.

McFeely, Julia Craig, English Lute Manuscripts and Scribes 1530-

1630 (2000) http://www.ramesescats.co.uk/thesis/ Accessed: 2014-02-25
17:29:56.

Spring, Matthew, The lute in Britain: a history of the instrument and its

music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).

Harwood, Ian, "A Lecture in Musick, with the Practice thereof by Instrument in the
Common Schooles, Mathew Holmes and Music at Oxford University c.1588-
1627", Lute Society Journal vol. 45 pp. 1-70 (2005).


 Harwood, Ian, "'The Jewes Dance' and 'De Jerr A Mort': Music from Marlowe's play
The Jew of Malta", The Lute vol. 51 pp. 40-44 (2011).

Pavan (image 2, page 1v)Pavan (image 4, page 2v)Galliard (image 6, page 3v)Galliard

To plead my faith (image 7, page 4r)Lullaby (image 8, page 4v)Only joy (image 9, page
5r)Lady Russell's pavan (image 10, page 5v)A fancy (image 12, page 6v)Galliard (image
15, page 8r)Almain (image 16, page 8v)Almain (image 17, page 9r)Pavan (image 18,
page 9v)Courant (image 19, page 10r)Galliard (image 20, page 10v)Galliard (image 21,
page 11r)Pavan (image 22, page 11v)Pavana Bray (image 24, page 12v)Pavan (image
26, page 13v)Chromatic pavan (image 28, page 14v)Chromatic galliard (image 29, page
15r) Galliard (image 30, page 15v)Pavan (image 31, page 16r)Forlorn hope fancy (image
32, page 16v)Hasellwood's galliard (image 33, page 17r)Mr Langton's galliard (image 34,
page 17v)Scottish jig (image 35, page 18r)Sir Fulk Greville's pavan  (image 36, page
18v)Mr Knight's galliard (image 38, page 19v)Galliard (image 38, page 19v)Mrs Vaux's
galliard (image 39, page 20r)Mrs Vaux's jig (image 40, page 20v)Walsingham (image 41,
page 21r)The Shoemaker's wife, a toy (image 42, page 21v)Galliard (image 42, page
21v)Pavan (image 44, page 22v)The King of Denmark's galliard  (image 45, page
23r) Pavan (image 46, page 23v)Jig (image 47, page 24r)Pavan (image 48, page
24v)Sacred end pavan (image 50, page 25v)Walsingham  (image 52, page 26v)Gathering
peascods (image 55, page 28r)Mrs Clifton's almain (image 56, page 28v)Mignarda
(galliard) (image 57, page 29r)Robin (image 58, page 29v)Variations on a ground  (image
60, page 30v)Go from my window (image 62, page 31v)Mrs Anne Markham's pavan  
(image 64, page 32v)Mrs Brigide Fleetwood's pavan, alias Solus sine sola  (image 66, page
33v)Groaning pavan (image 68, page 34v)Pavan (image 70, page 35v)Galliard (image
72, page 36v)Susanna jig (image 73, page 37r)Whip of Dunbain (image 73, page 37r)The
clink (image 73, page 37r)Galliard (image 74, page 37v)Lady Hunsdon's puff  (image 75,
page 38r)De jerr a mort (image 75, page 38r)Mounsieur's almain  (image 76, page
38v)Pavan (image 80, page 40v)Farewell (image 82, page 41v)Brett's courant  (image 84,
page 42v)Lady Strange's almain (image 84, page 42v)Courant (image 85, page 43r)A
fancy (image 86, page 43v)A fancy (image 88, page 44v)Galliard (image 90, page 45v)La
Bergere (consort lute part)  (image 91, page 46r)Mounsieur's almain (image 93, page
47r) Galliard (image 94, page 47v)Rosamund (image 96, page 48v)Pavan (image 98, page
49v)Farewell (image 100, page 50v)Galliard (image 102, page 51v)Butts (image 103,
page 52r)Il nodo gordia (image 104, page 52v)Courant (image 105, page 53r)Courant 
(image 105, page 53r) Mounsieur's almain  (image 106, page 53v)Courant (image 108,
page 54v)Courant (image 109, page 55r) A toy (image 109, page 55r) Volta (image 110,
page 55v)Courant (image 111, page 56r) Courant (image 112, page 56v)Courant (image
112, page 56v)Courant (image 113, page 57r)Vous me iures Bergere (courant)  (image
114, page 57v)Untitled (image 114, page 57v)La ballet des folles (image 114, page
57v)Courant (image 115, page 58r)Brett's Courant (image 115, page 58r)Volta (image
116, page 58v)Courant (image 117, page 59r)Galliard (image 118, page 59v)Galliard 
(image 119, page 60r) In nomine galliard (image 120, page 60v)In nomine (image 121,
page 61r)Galliard (image 122, page 61v)The fairy round (galliard)  (image 123, page
62r) What if a day (image 124, page 62v)Mall Sims (image 124, page 62v)Leaves be
green (image 126, page 63v)Courant (image 128, page 64v)Courant (image 128, page
64v)Courant (image 129, page 65r)Courant (image 129, page 65r)Pavan (image 130,
page 65v)Galliard (image 132, page 66v)Wanton (image 133, page 67r) J'aimerai
toujours, ma Phyllis (image 133, page 67r)Walsingham  (image 134, page 67v)Loth to
depart (image 136, page 68v)Paradizo pavan (image 139, page 70r) Pavan (image 140,
page 70v)The image of melancholy (pavan) (image 142, page 71v)Whip of Dunbain 
(image 144, page 72v)Sick tune (image 144, page 72v)Piper's Galliard (image 146, page
73v)Galliard (image 147, page 74r)Galliard (image 148, page 74v)Courant (image 149,
page 75r)Courant (image 150, page 75v)Almain (image 151, page 76r) Jig (image 151,
page 76r)Fantasia (image 152, page 76v)Jiggy joggy (image 153, page 77r)Offertory  
(image 154, page 77v)Jig (image 162, page 81v)Grimstock (image 162, page 81v)The
shepherd (image 162, page 81v)Robin Hood (image 162, page 81v)Gathering peascods 
(image 163, page 82r) Bonny sweet boy (image 163, page 82r)The Spanish pavan (image
164, page 82v)Almain (image 166, page 83v)Almain? (image 166, page 83v)A jig (image
167, page 84r)Hermoza galliard (image 167, page 84r)Fantasia (image 168, page 84v)A
jig (image 169, page 85r)James's Galliard (image 170, page 85v)A fancy (image 172,
page 86v)Courant (image 173, page 87r) Robinson's may (almain) (image 174, page
87v)Almain (image 174, page 87v)Lord Zouche's maske  (image 175, page 88r) Almain? 
(image 175, page 88r) Untitled (image 176, page 88v)Fortune (image 177, page
89r) Untitled (image 178, page 89v)Almain? (image 179, page 90r) My Lord Chamberlain's
galliard (image 179, page 90r)Flat pavan (image 180, page 90v)Lady Rich's galliard  
(image 182, page 91v)Untitled (image 183, page 92r) Robinson's may (almain) (image
183, page 92r)Almain? (image 184, page 92v)Flat galliard (image 184, page
92v)Quadran pavan (image 186, page 93v)The King of Denmark's galliard  (image 188,
page 94v)Prelude? (image 190, page 95v)Up tails all (image 190, page 95v)