Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

456 SIMPSON SIMPSON
' Introduction ' to the second edition of his
Divinion Viol, 1667, when he thanks his patron
—Sir Robert BoUes—for the Cheerful Maintenance
he had ' afforded him. This Sir Eobert
'
BoUes and his family were all fervent Royalists
and ardent patrons of music, and at the end
of the civil war Christopher Simpson enjoyed
their hospitality at their residence, Scampton,
Lincolnshire. To him was assigned the musical
tuition of Sir Robert's son and heir, John
Bolles and a certain Sir John Barber, and
in this congenial musical atmosphere Simpson
began to write his valuable book of instructions
for the gamba, which he called The Division
Viol. The excellence of this work is confirmed
by Sir Roger L'Estrange, himself a distinguished
gamba-player, who remarks in the preface to
the second Edition that ' it is not only the Best
but the only Treatise I find extant upon this
argument.' Simpson's pupil, John Bolles, attained
a high degree of perfection as a viol-dagamba
player, and a laudatory Ode ' ' addressed
to him while in Rome is inserted by Simpson,
with pardonable pride, in the second edition of
his Division Viol. On assuming the title at
the death of his father John Bolles showed his
regard for his old master by continuing the
patronage which had previously been extended
him by Sir Robert. This was fortunate ; as
was also the fact that Simpson's publications
brought him in a good income, for Sir R. Bolles,
whose will he witnessed, left him only the sum
of &o. Before that event came to pass the
eminent gambist had purchased a house and
farm—
' Hunt-house '—near Pickering, in Yorkshire,
and settled this property, by deed, upon
his nephew Christopher, the sou of Stephen
Simpson. According to evidence gained from
Simpson's will, he died in the year 1669, between
the 5th May and the 29th July. Apparently
his demise took place at one of Sir John Bolles's
residences, for although Hawkins {Hist. Mus.)
states that he died at Turnstile, Holbom, where
he had lived for many years, his contemporary
Anthony k Wood records ' Anno 1669, Mr.
Christopher Sympson, a famous musitian,
died at Sir John Bolles house, whether
in Lyncolnshire or London I know not.'
Although nothing is definitely known as to
whether Simpson married or not, it may be
assumed, from his leaving all his property to his
nephew, and all his ' musick-books or whatsoever
is of that concernment,' to Sir John
Bolles, that he was not.
Simpson's skill was greatly respected by his
contemporaries, and musicians such as Lock,
Salmon, Mace, and Sir Roger L'Estrange have
shown their esteem by their various complimentary
allusions to him. He lived in an age
when the gamba was much cultivated, both by
professionals and amateurs ; but besides being
the best authority on that instrument he was a
composer of talent, and Mace (Musiek's Monu-
'
ment, 1676) ranks him with William Lawes
and John Jenkins as a composer of ' Fancies.
The Oxford Music School possesses a portrait of
Simpson.
List or Poblishbd Woeks.
1. Annotations on Dr, Campion'B Art o/DUeamt, 1655.
These remarks were introduced into the second edition of Playford's
ariefIntroduction, 1660, and in the other editions untU 1684.
The Division Violist or an Introduction to the playing upon
2.
a ground : Divided into two parts. The first Directing the Hand
with other Preparative Instructions. The second, Laying open the
Manner and Method of playing Ex-tempore, or Composing division
to a ground. To which are Added some Divisions made upon
Grounds lor the Practice of Learners. London, 1659. W. Oodbid,
for J. Playford. Fol. (with portrait). Dedicated to Sir Eobert Bolles.
Second Edition with title and text in Latin and English thus :—
Chelys mlnuritionum artiflcio exomata : sive Minnrltiones ad
Basin, etiam Extempore Modulandi Batio. In tree partes distributa.
The Division Viol or the Art of PLiying Extempore upon a
Ground. Divided into Three Parts. London, 1665. Fol. with
portrait. A further supply of this second Edition was published
by W. Oodbid for Henry Brome at the Gun in Ivy Lane in 1667.
Pol, with portrait by Faithome engraved from a painting by G.
Carwarden. Dedicated to Sir John Bolles.
Third edition published by Pearson, with portrait of Simpson
engraved by Faithome, appeared in 1712. With two Sonatas for
the gamba. ,
The Principles of Practicle Musiclr. . . . either in singing or
3.
playing upon an instrument, London, 1665. Dedicated to Sir John
Bsche—A compendium of Practicall
by a new and easie method.
MusiclE in five parts
1. The rudiments of
teaching
Song. 2. The
principles of composition. 3. The use of discords. 4. The form
of Fignrate Discant. 5. The contrivance of Canon. Godbid W.
for H. Brome, 16fl7. Dedicated to William Cavendish, Duke of
Newcastle. The first part of this, the Jiudiments of Song, was
reprinted in a revised form.
Third Edition. London, W. Godbid for Henry Brome, 1678.
Fourth Edition. W. Pearson for T. Culien, 1706.
Fifth Edition. Loudon, 1714.
Sixth Edition. Loudon, 1722.
Seventh Edition. 1727.
Eighth Edition. 1732, W. Pearson.
Ninth Edition, with portrait.
Id Playford's Catch that Catch '
can,' 1672-73, there is a composition
of Simpson's, and Hawkins tffigt, ofMutic) mentions a ' Divijsion
on the Ground ' for viola da gamba by Simpson of the year 1665.
In Thomas Campion's Art of Setting or Composing of Muaic there
is a composition by Simpson for the viola da gamba.
MS. COHFOsmoKB.
A Series of Suites in Three parts (British Museum Add. MSS.
18,940, 18,944).
Months and Seasons, namely Fancies, Airs, Galliards for two
Basses and a Treble [lb. 31,436).
Consorts of Parts for two Basses and two Trebles with figured
Bass. (Heidelberg, MS. 3193.)
Bales of Theory (British Museum, MS. 142).
Fancies for a viola da gamba (Christ Church, Oxford).
Fancies and Divisions (British Museum MS. 31,436 and Bodleian
Library, Oxford).
Mnsgrave, in his Obituary, mentions a MS. (music) under the
date 1666, by Christopher Simpson.
Hawkins, Hist. Music ; Burney, Hist. Music ;
Mace, Miisick's Mommient ; Lock, Observations ;
Hart, The Violin and its Music ;
Wasielewski,
Die Violoncell ;
Quellen-Lexijcon ; Fetis, Biog.
desMus. ; Simpson, The Division Viol ; Anthony
k Wood, Life. E. h-a.
SIMPSON, John, a London music-publisher
and instrument-seller of some note. As may be
gathered from one of his early engraved labels,
he had been employed by Mrs. Hare of Comhill,
the widow of Joseph Hare (see vol. ii. p. 295),
but about 1734 he began business on his own
account at the Viol and Flute ' ' in Sweeting's
Alley, a street running out of Cornhill, at the
back part of the Royal Exchange. In Simpson's
early business career this was named ' Switlien's
Alley,' but in 1741 references to Simpson give
this address, indifferently, with ' Sweeting's
Alley.' He first published sheet songs, which
he afterwards gathered into the two volumes as
Thesaurus Musicus (circa 1745-47), and had
probably bought the stock and plates of both
Mrs. Hare and B. Cooke. He was in business
connection with the proprietors of the Printing-
'