Sources of Scottish Instrumental Music 1603-1707

Stell, Evelyn Florence (1999) Sources of Scottish Instrumental Music 1603-1707. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Aims and objectives This thesis presents a survey, analysis and synthesis of music manuscripts of Scottish provenance containing instrumental music of the period 1603 to 1707. It pays particular reference to those pieces that are of Scottish origin, and this corpus of written material is used as a basis for understanding Scottish instrumental music of the seventeenth century in all its aspects, from patronage to performance. Survey and creation of database Of the full list of 44 known sources of this period in Scotland (including those of foreign origin), some 20 significant manuscripts have been selected for detailed examination. Descriptive commentaries and lists of contents relating to these sources (Section 2) are accompanied by a computerised database of 1,500 incipits from significant manuscripts, organised by title, keyword and theme (Appendixes B-E), an approach which has enabled, among other things, the identification of untitled works. Some pieces have also been selected for transcription (Appendix A), largely in support of the the analysis and synthesis in Section 3 (below). Analysis and synthesis Utilising the descriptions and databases, the contents of the sources are drawn together and examined under four main headings (Section 3): notation and script, including the identification of music scribes, amateur and professional; the instruments for which the manuscripts were intended and, equally importantly, those instruments for which there is no surviving written music; the repertoire, including a discussion of foreign influences (and of Scotland itself as a centre of influence) and an analysis of the forms, tonality and rhythm of Scottish traditional music, and; the place of music in society, including the identification of patrons, teachers and performers, and the incidental light which the titles and music may shed on contemporary social mores.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: Kenneth Elliott
• Keywords: Music history
• Date of Award: 1999
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1999-76280
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 19 Nov 2019 16:11
• Last Modified: 19 Nov 2019 16:11
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/76280