Ne irascaris, Domine - The Viola da Gamba Society

Editorial
It gives me great pleasure to bring you the fifth issue of the Viola da Gamba Society
Journal. As with previous volumes there is no overall theme here, but rather an attempt to
present some of the most stimulating research into the history of early stringed
instruments, and particularly the viol, produced over the past twelve months.
Recent discoveries have allowed Andrew Ashbee to take stock of all previous research into
the elusive Polewheel and his ubiquitous Ground. The investigation into no fewer than
twenty related sources draws up a fascinating web with possible links to Cornwall and the
network of English Catholic colleges in continental Europe. My article is an examination of
an intriguing manuscript from the second half of the seventeenth century housed in the
Bibliothèque du Conservatoire, Brussels. It contains trios by Italian, English, Netherlandish
and French composers, and informs our understanding of musical exchanges across the
Channel. I would like to thank Andrew Ashbee for undertaking the editing of my
contribution to this volume.
Richard Carter’s article – part one of two dealing with lyra-viol arrangements of music by
William Byrd – considers the evidence afforded by the ffeff/h tablature setting of the
composer’s popular five-part motet Ne Irascaris, Domine, deftly exploring the suggestions
derived from the process of arrangement and copying, as well as the implications for
performance. Peter Holman’s survey of music for viols available on the internet is a
welcome addition to this issue of the Journal. As online resources for researchers and
performers proliferate, Professor Holman’s thoughts on what is out there and how to make
the most of it will be invaluable to many of us.
The current issue also includes four reviews of recently published, highly significant
monographs. Simon McVeigh’s wholehearted recommendation of Peter Holman’s Life after
Death (a volume reviewed by fellow Society member Lucy Robinson in Early Music 39/3)
reflects on the many noteworthy threads weaved by the author into this important book.
Richard Carter’s exceptionally thorough examination of Charles Brewer’s The Instrumental
Music of Schmeltzer, Biber, Muffat and their Contemporaries (which also received attention in
Early Music 39/4), recognizes its many virtues, while clarifying errors and pointing out
omissions. We end with Andrew Ashbee’s insightful reviews of two particularly fine
monographs – respectively by Christopher Marsh and John Harley – published in 2010.
In short, these articles and reviews present exciting and compelling evidence that
illuminates several important trends of current research. While there is no general theme to
this issue, those concerned with lyra-viol music, the circulation of music in Early Modern
England, seventeenth-century instrumental music from Central Europe, the growth of
online resources, Byrd scholarship, the later history of the viol, and the musical networks
created by exiled English recusants, will find something of interest here.
I am grateful to the general editor, Andrew Ashbee, and all other contributors for
supporting and encouraging me through what has been a rewarding and thought-provoking
first experience as Journal editor.
iv
PATXI DEL AMO
London, January 2012