The Braye Brown Manuscript
The following is my introduction (work in progress) to the undated Braye Brown manuscript for solo lyra viol. This manuscript has never been put in print. It is my intention to issue this new edition in 2009 on CD. I will announce on this webpage the completion of this edition along with the price of the edition. One work appears in this manuscript that also appears in the Playford 1661 edition. Thus, the Braye Brown manuscript surely dates from around this time period. This edition is based upon the photocopy of the Braye Brown manuscript housed at Stanford’s Music Library (Bernard Schmidt Collection #176). The second part of the manuscript contains tablature for the bandore, which was not found in the photocopy used for this edition.
The works in the manuscript are numbered. However, the numbering system leaves much to be desired. Additionally, pagination has been added by an two unknown hands. Therefore, the numbering system and pagination found here are my own. The manuscript contains tunings for the works, which are not altogether correct.
I have endeavored to accurately transcribe each work. However, the resulting transcriptions leave out marks which, in my opinion, are not significant features, such as fingering, where the fingering is evident from the tablature.
The first work in the manuscript includes in the first two measures marks that are clearly designed to indicate fingering. These marks are not included here. The significance of these marks is that this manuscript was clearly intended for a performer new to lyra viol technique. The third work includes marks below many notes that is a single dot. Many lyra viol manuscripts use the single dot to indicate either a down bow, a fingering mark (i.e. the first finger) or a left hand pizzicato. None of these uses seem to apply here. Thus, the mark could indicate a staccato. Yet, there is no proof of this usage.
All information in the following list is my best effort to transcribe the information found in the manuscript. I have relied upon outside sources for corroboration and additional information. I have not made any corrections, in either spelling or in grammar. Few such concordances have come to light.
The originals of Numbers 26 and 27 in this edition are found on page 36/19 of the manuscript. The two works are quite different despite having the same name. Most notably, Number 26 begins with a pickup measure and Number 27 does not. The odd page number is due to the fact that the manuscript evidently was paginated by one hand and Schmidt (?) later repaginated the manuscript. Additionally, many leaves in the manuscript were blank, and, evidently, not placed on the microfilm, from which the Schmidt copy was generated. Number 38 has a rhythm strongly suggestive of a Galliard, but is quite different from the preceding Galliard.
CONTENTS
Number TITLE AUTHOR
1 Almaine [anon]
2 Corronto [anon]
3 Saraband [anon]
4 [untitled] [anon]
5 Almand Alfonso
6 A Toy [anon]
7 Almand Jo. Jen.
8 Prelude J. J.
9 Coranto Ro. Taylor
10 Coranto Stefkin
11 Saraband Will Lawes
12 Saraband Ro. Tayler
13 Coranto Jo. Jen.
14 Coranto Jon. Jen.
15 Saraband Jon. Jen.
16 Almand Jon. Jen.
17 [untitled] Rilkermie
18 [untitled] [anon]
19 Almaine [anon]
20 Kilnennie [anon]
21 Looke dowe [anon]
22 A Imitation of the Drumme [untitled] ye Fife [anon]
23 The Widdowe [anon]
24 Corranto [anon]
25 Serraband R.T.
26 Joye! [anon]
27 Joye! [anon]
28 [untitled] [anon]
29 [untitled] [anon]
30 [untitled] [anon]
31 Maske [anon]
32 All Ye Forsaken [anon]
33 Masque [anon]
34 See the Buildings [anon]
35 Masque [anon]
36 [untitled] [anon]
37 Galliard Ro. Taylor
38 [untitled] [anon]
39 Ayre T.G.
40 Almaine T.G.
41 Almaine T.G.
42 [untitled] T.G.
43 [untitled] T.G.
44 Coranto [anon]
45 [untitled] [anon]
46 Coranto [anon]
47 Sidonia [anon]
48 The French Maypole [anon]
49 Temple Masque [anon]
50 Almaine Ro. Taylor
51 A Masque [anon]
52 The Princes Dance [anon]
53 Peggie [anon]
54 [untitled] [anon]
55 Birds Lullaby [anon]
56 Serraband Will Lawes
57 Allmand Jo. Jen.
58 Coranto Jo. Jen.
59 Coranto Jo. Jen.
60 [untitled] [anon]
61 A Toy R.T.