Walsh, Forty Select Duets

[happyfanaticsalsero]

Some time ago I noticed a volume published by John Walsh in London from 1757 which mentions the "mandelin" as an alternative instrument (likely the volume was intended mainly for the English guittar, a cittern type). I announced this in the thread about John Goodin duets as he published the Oswald duets (also for English guittar and alternatively "mandelin", also from London and 1757).

I published a blog post about this but initially without any music as the British Library is pretty strict on editions (you need permission and usually have to pay a fee). However, after some people on the forum (such as John Goodin and Martin Jonas) motivated me to apply and check the details, the British Library actually granted me a license free of charge.

As with previous editions of some of my discoveries they are downloadable free of charge from my blog (on the updated blog post about the Walsh volume).
https://www.vantichelen.name/2018/06...g-the-1750s-1/

Enjoy!

[Martin Jonas]

Hi Pieter,

Many thanks for those -- the editions look wonderful and I'm looking forward to trying them out, this weekend I hope!

One question springs to mind: have you been able to identify the four pieces attributed to Handel in the existing catalogues? Presumably these aren't actually unpublished original Handel pieces, although it may be big news if that were the case.

Regarding the mention of early Neapolitan mandolins in Britain in your blog post, one of the paintings I like to look at in my lunchbreaks (it hangs in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, 10 minutes walk from my office) is "The Family Of Sir William Young" by Johann Zoffany, dated 1767-69, which quite definitely has a Neapolitan mandolin in it, about ten years after the Walsh publication. The Museum's description of the painting says: "His wife Elizabeth is beside him playing a Neapolitan mandolin, which she may have acquired whilst on the Grand Tour of Italy in 1752-53."



Martin

[happyfanaticsalsero]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your reaction & have fun with the duets! As you obviously had a lot of fun with Oswald's pieces these will likely be up your sleeve, though a bit different in style in places.

I haven't yet tried to identify the Händel pieces - I have put it on my list to apply some minimal effort though. But it can take a huge effort and usually will just prove to be a copy / reduction of known pieces. In my opinion these are likely reductions from known pieces by Händel.
The international musicological society RISM hasn't been identified them (yet) either, so it might not be very easy to trace their origins (or they would have).
Would be very exciting though to identify their origins because that might help us find out more about the origin of the rest of the volume.

Interesting painting and interesting it might be linked to an early 1750s trip to Italy. Paul Sparks has a few 1750s British paintings in his article in Early Music Series (Paul Sparks, The Mandolin in Britain, 1750-1800, Early Music Series, vol. 46, Issue 1, 4 May 2018, Pages 55–66). One is by Arthur Devis (Sir Nathaniel and Lady Caroline Curzon) from 1754, and one by Pompeo Batoni (John Brudenell, later Marquis of Monthermer) from 1758. My research does add a number of mandolin-related music prints to the sources listed by Paul in either The Early Mandolin or this article, I'll keep everyone posted as I will publish more blog articles and editions.

I've currently narrowed the scope of my mandolin historical research to prints, but manuscripts, paintings, written sources and preserved instruments should be combined to get a proper view of mandolin history. However, focusing on mandolin-related prints prior to 1850 already proved to cost me years of research, and I will now first start sharing my finds before really shifting focus to any of the other sources.

Kind regards

[Martin Jonas]

Thanks, Pieter.

Interesting painting and interesting it might be linked to an early 1750s trip to Italy. Paul Sparks has a few 1750s British paintings in his article in Early Music Series (Paul Sparks, The Mandolin in Britain, 1750-1800, Early Music Series, vol. 46, Issue 1, 4 May 2018, Pages 55–66). One is by Arthur Devis (Sir Nathaniel and Lady Caroline Curzon) from 1754, and one by Pompeo Batoni (John Brudenell, later Marquis of Monthermer) from 1758.

Thanks for the names of the two paintings -- they're both online in decent quality (Arthur Devis and Pompeo Batoni). I'm not entirely convinced the Batoni painting is a Neapolitan mandolin at all. All you can see is the headstock and part of the soundhole rosette. Yes, it has eight tuners but the neck is very wide. Kudos to the painter for reproducing the music in sufficient detail that it can be transcribed from the painting. There's an unusual source for a lost piece of music right there!

Martin

[happyfanaticsalsero]

Hi Martin,

The Batoni painting also raised a few questions in my mind.

However, the painting was made in Rome when John Brudenell was in Italy on his Grand Tour. Likely the instrument was supplied as a prop for the sake of the meaning of the painting (Grand Tour-ists would usually display their cultural knowledge and expertise they gained - by having themselves painted, or by buying items). Such props for painting or theater are not always instruments in working order. I don't think we should try to draw too much conclusions based on this painting in particular (unless we might find some further information).

I think that the Davis painting mentioned by Sparks (and actually discovered by Frances Taylor) is much more interesting.

Pieter