sir watkin williams wynn and the rutgers handel collection

More documents

Recommendations

Info

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 23All three members of the Hommann family were active as violinists inPhiladelphia before 1820 and continued to perform in concerts sponsoredby the Musical Fund Society after it was founded in that year. The Society'sfirst Directors of Music included Rayner Taylor, Benjamin Carr, and a dozenothers, including J. C. Hommann; Hommann Jr. is listed among its members.30 The three Hommanns performed at the first concert of the Society(1821), an extraordinary program of symphonies, overtures, concertos,songs, and choruses, including overtures by Rossini and Mehul, andBeethoven's "Grand Sinfonia in C" (probably the First Symphony rather thanthe Fifth). 31 The Handel concerto volume (given to Rutgers by Mrs.Charles C. Hommann, Jr., in memory of her husband, Rutgers College classof 1910) thus represents an authentic link between Handel, his distinguishedAnglo-American follower Rayner Taylor, and the latter s studentJ. C. Hommann, Jr., by the generosity of whose family the volume waseventually given to the Rutgers Library.* This essay is respectfully dedicated to Professor Sir David G.T. Williams, President ofWolfson College, Cambridge, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.Notes1 "Handeliana in the Rutgers University Library," in The Journal of the Rutgers UniversityLibrary, 29 (1965): 3-12.2 The call number of the nine MS volumes in the Rutgers collection is X Fo.M2038.H14A5. v. 1 (-9).3 The call numbers of these volumes are X Fo. M1510.H 14033 and X Fo.M1529.H14I8, respectively.4 Jens Peter Larsen, Handel's Messiah, 2nd ed. (New York, 1972), pp. 326-27; WintonDean and Anthony Hicks, "Handel," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed.Stanley Sadie (London, 1980), 8:83-140; Graydon F. Beeks, "The Chandos Anthemsand Te Deum of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)," (Ph.D. diss., University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, 1981), pp. 253-73; idem, "Handel's Chandos Anthems: The 'ExtraMovements," Musical Times, 119 (1978): 621-23; idem, "Handel's Chandos Anthems:More 'Extra Movements," Music & Letters, 62 (1981): 155-61; Bernd Baselt, Hàndel-Handbuch, Bd. 2, Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis: Oratorisch Werke, Vokale Kammermusik,Kirchenmusik (Kassel, 1984), pp. 440ff, 605ff, 680ff; Hallische Hândel-Ausgabe, Ser.Ill, Bd. 4-6, Anthems fur Cannons I-III, ed. Gerald Hendrie (Kassel, 1985- ).For reference purposes, it will be useful here to list the contents of the Rutgers MSSaccording to the numbers assigned in the Baselt Verzeichnis (HWV):(1) Anthems, vol. I (HWV 281). (2) Anthems, Appendix vol. I (HWV 282, 256b, 250b).(3) Anthems, vol. II (HWV 248, 253). (4) Anthems, vol. Ill (HWV 249b, 251b). (5)
24 THE JOURNAL OF THEAnthems, vol. V (HWV 250a, 252). (6) Anthems, vol. VI (HWV 251c, 254). (7) Anthems,vol. VII (HWV 265, 263). (8) Anthems, vol. VIII (HWV 268). (9) Anthems, vol. IX (HWV256a, 251a). (10) An Ode for Queen Anne's Birth-Day (HWV 74). (11) Italian Duettosand Trios (HWV 178, 180, 183-85, 188, 191, 193, 194, 196-201).5 Charles Burney, An Account of the Musical Performances . . . (London, 1785; reprint,Amsterdam, 1964), part I, pp. 45-46.1 have altered the format of the original descriptionsin order to clarify their relationship to the Rutgers MSS. Originally the sentencesdescribing each work were indented as separate paragraphs. (See PI. 2)6 "The Chandos Anthems and Te Deum of George Frideric Handel," p. 253, and"Handel's Chandos Anthems: More 'Extra Movements," p. 157.7 Music of Eight Centuries. Musical Documents c.l000-c.l800. September 23 throughDecember 14, 1990. Gallery 50, Special Collections and Archives, Alexander Library.The Handel MSS are no. 31 in the catalogue, which contains a facsimile of the openingpage of the Birthday Ode.8 E.G. Jones, "Wynn family of Wynnstay, Ruabon," in The Dictionary of Welsh Biographydown to 1940, ed. J.E. Lloyd and R.T. Jenkins (London, 1959), p. 1100.9 Charles Mackeson, "Ancient Concerts," Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nded., ed. by J.A. Fuller-Maitland (London, 1904, 1:81-82; reprinted in subsequent eds.including 5th ed., ed. by Eric Blom (London, 1954), 1:144-45; Burney, An Account of theMusical Performances, Commemoration, pp. 3, 17.10 Brinsley Ford, "Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, A Welsh Maecenas," Apollo, 99 (June,1974): 435-39, offers an illustrated survey of Wynns patronage of art and artists.11 R.D. Griffith, "Parry, John ('The Blind Harpist')", The Dictionary of Welsh Biography,p. 735; Owain Edwards, "Parry, John (i)," The New Grove, 14:245.12 The statement that Parry is said to have been admired by Handel is made in thearticle by W.H. Husk, "Parry, John," in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed.,ed. J.A. Fuller-Maitland (London, 1904), 3:627, and subsequent editions. The samestatement is found in the revised article by Peter Crossley-Holland in the 5th ed. (1954),6:565f.13 London Daily Post, 27 February 1741; cited in Otto Erich Deutsch, Handel, ADocumentary Biography (London, 1955), p. 512.14 Edwards, "Parry," in The New Grove, 14:245.15 Percy A. Scholes, The Great Dr. Burney {London, 1948), 1:262.16 The painting, purchased at the Wynn sale at Sotheby's in 1947 by William RandolphHearst and given by him to the Los Angeles County Museum, is reproduced and itsbackground described by Nicholas Penny in the splendid Reynolds catalogue of the RoyalAcademy of Arts (London, 1980), pp. 266-68. Also to be seen there is a photograph of theMusic Room of the Wynn house on St. James Square. Penny describes Wynn as "probably
Page 2 and 3: 18 THE JOURNAL OF THEIn 1975, nearl
Page 4 and 5: 20 THE JOURNAL OF THEharp and guita
Page 6 and 7: Pl. 1. Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787), P
Page 8 and 9: Pl. 3. MS, "Anthems Composed by Mr.
Page 10 and 11: sH a r p l i c o r c l o r O r a a
Page 14 and 15: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 25the

sir watkin williams wynn and the rutgers handel collection

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?