Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book is the most comprehensive historical collection of harpsichord music of the late 16th and early 17th century in England. It was probably compiled by the composer Francis Tregian ( 1574-1619 ).
The music collection
The emergence of the compilation at the beginning of the 17th century (ca. 1610-1625 ) is largely in the dark. The authorship of Francis Tregians regarded as controversial. Maybe he has collected in his last decade of life. But the assertion that the persecuted Catholics have made the note copies during his imprisonment in the Fleet Prison, could be exposed as a pious falsification of history. The English music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814) made at the end of the 18th century with its identification of the work as Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book for confusion. Music researchers pointed out later, the music-loving monarch did not have the technical skills to play the virtuoso musical creations, and especially some of the pieces was composed until after her death.
On not clarified, the manuscript collection came into the possession of the English composer of German origin Johann Christoph Pepusch ( 1667-1752 ). Together with his entire library was sold in 1762 for 10 guineas at the music publisher Robert Bremner ( 1713-1789 ) of Edinburgh. The art-loving aristocrat and politician Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam of Merrion ( 1745-1816 ), acquired the Antique by Bremner. The patron of the arts, she bequeathed his entire book and art collection donated by him in 1816 the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, where she is today.
The unhistorical name Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book persisted to the beginning of the 20th century. Only after a careful Edition by John Alexander Fuller - Maitland (1856-1936), author of musical literature and music critic of Times and the Guardian, and the music librarian of the British Museum William Barclay Squire (1855-1927), and the year 1899 in London Leipzig appeared in the traditional music publisher Breitkopf & Härtel, sat down gradually by the technical term Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. It is derived from its storage place in the eponymous museum.
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book contains 297 airs, variations, fantasies, toccatas, pavan, galliard, allemandes and Courantes to 220 folio pages. Almost all the major composers of the Elizabethan and Jacobean era, who composed for keyboard instruments, represented by John Bull (1563-1628), William Byrd (ca. 1543-1623 ) and Giles Farnaby make up the majority of the pieces. In fourth place followed by Peter Philips ( 1561-1628 ). Even pieces of lesser known composers such as Martin Peerson (approx. 1572-1650 ), John Mundy ( 1550-1630 ), Edward Johnson (about 1572-1601 ), William Tisdale (also Tisdall ) and William Inglott ( 1554-1621 ) and anonymous Musicians has added to his collection Francis Tregian. Some composers are known only for pieces from this work. Some compositions are also Tregian even attributed.
For some composers of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, such as William Byrd, John Bull, Giles Farnaby and Peter Philips, this collection is today's main source of their works.
Sound Sample
" Alman " by William Byrd