Dear Kenneth, Very interesting to hear your parallel with the art world. I suppose the problems with a painting are far more complex than those with music manuscripts. As often as not, a bit of damp or aging here or there will not necessarily lose us the music (the raison d'être of the manuscript), whereas similar damage to a painting destroys part of its very essence.
I had been thinking of the Chilesotti lutebook in this context, but had forgotten the Straloch Lute Book. It is a pity one of those 19th-century enthusiasts who copied Straloch didn't make a copy of the Etwall Hall Lute Book too. Etwall is a little village just the other side of Derby from where I live (Nottingham). There used to be a stately home there, but it was not looked after very well. If I remember right, there had been soldiers billeted there during the Second World War. Ownership passed to the local authority, who neglected the building as it fell into disrepair. Eventually they pulled the building down (in the 1950's), and built a school on the site. Goodness knows what happened to the contents of the house, including the lute book. As with the Welde Lute Book, we have a tantalising reference to the "Etwall Hall Lute Book" in the 19th century, but, unlike the Welde, no-one knows where it is now. Quite a few years ago the late Robert Spencer made inquiries about the Etwall Hall manuscript, but got nowhere. I did what I could too, nosing around libraries in Derby, contacting local historians, and generally asking around. I drew a blank too. It is possible that the book still survives, of course, but as time goes by, one is left wondering if the book was simply thrown away. Who knows? Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 4:53 AM Subject: Re: Welde Lute Book > I find Stewart McCoy's discussion fascinating. His distinction between > primary sources and the sometimes crucial value of secondary sources when they > preserve evidence of notations recently lost is important. As an art conservator > specializing paintings in the museum field I deal with these matters and > issues quite regularly. The challenge of understanding original artistic intent, > especially when compromised by damage or change, must be understood not only in > the original work of art, but also through critical and direct comparison > with early copies of works of art. Sometimes these copies provide important > clues on color intensities, compositional completeness, and context which are lost > in the autograph version of a painting. When involved in a restoration > treatment, I must consider all the surviving evidence to understand artistic > intent, aesthetic appearance, and interpretation of a work of art. > > With the lute, for example, think of where we would be without the sole > extant copies of the Chilesotti lutebook or the Straloch lutebook... > > Kenneth Be > Cleveland, Ohio
