Dear Arthur, The outside cover of the Swan Lute manuscript is included in the facsimile. I have had another look at it, and I am inclined to agree with Tim Crawford that the motto reads, "Inconcussa manet" (She remains steadfast).
Out of curiosity I searched for "Inconcussa manet" via Google, and found a few sites in Czech, Latin, and Spanish, including the following: "Inconcussa manet: Emblematické supralibros Maríe Manrique de Lara y Mendoza," in Sborník k 80. narozeninám Mirjam Bohatcové, ed. Anezka Badurová, Prague, 1999 [2000], pp. 152-62 >From this I gather that Maríe Manrique de Lara y Mendoza stamped her books with the motto "Inconcussa manet". It's too early to say for sure, of course, but it seems likely that this lady or one of her descendants living in Prague owned the Swan Lute Book. One of the websites seemed to suggest that the motto may have been taken from a sacred text. I have tried in vain to identify the tower in the emblem. There seem to be two "winds", little putti blowing at the tower, so it may represent the Tower of the Winds in Athens, associated with time. It is known as the Horologium. Although Athens is a long way from Prague, using the image of that tower to represent the passing of time, is the sort of thing someone might want to include in their emblem. Best wishes, Stewart. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arthur Ness" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 3:43 PM Subject: Re: Judentanz Neusidler etc. Dear Stewart, A Russian musiciologist and then Tim Crawford tried to read that seal as Latin, and it didn't make sense. The spelling is irregular, and looks somewhat like Latin. But it's French all right. Idon't know if the cover is in the facsimile edition. I have some old Xeroxes from the 60s(?). And the watermark seems to represent the city gates of Rostock. Guess I'd look for somone named Zwann, since there is a Z in the monogram. Arthur. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Arthur Ness" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 4:47 AM Subject: Judentanz Neusidler etc. Dear Arthur, The first few pieces in Louise Charlotte's book are in keyboard tablature. They have some fingering marked, which gives a clue as to how one should perform the ornaments. There are some singing exercises, which seem to derive from Thomas Morley's _A Plaine and Easie Introduction_ . There follows a large number of songs, mostly in German, some of them with many verses, and written for treble and bass. The original clefs vary a little, as you might expect, but it's essentially a two-part texture. The book is a diplomatic facsimile of the original. It all looks rather quirky, but the main thing is that Musica Baltica have made the book available. They did a limited print-run - something to do with pressure from sponsors - but I would guess it is still available. I think it's a bit pricey, but then so many books of this kind are expensive. Their address is K. Barona iela 39, Riga, LV-1011; tel: 7275575; facs: 7272755; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; website: www.musicabaltica.com . I'm not surprised that the Swan manuscript has a French motto, because, as you know, French was spoken in the highest echelons of society in many European countries. I'm afraid I have nothing useful to say about it though. All the best, Stewart. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arthur Ness" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 12:30 PM Subject: Re: Judentanz Neusidler etc. Good morning, Stewart. What kind of notation is used in that songbook? Is it keyboard. I recall some French lute music, but perhaps transcribed for keyboard. Bolte gives the contents (ca. 1890). By the way, the seal stamped on the cover of Swan has a French, not Latin, slogan. Wonder if it can be traced. I can't reememberthe French words, but in translation is is something to the effect "let creative efforts guide your rudder." That mound depicted in the center may be a lighthouse, or artificial hill used to light a guiding fire. That modern edition you cite from Riga. Is it an edition or a facsimile? Arthur. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lute Net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 5:19 AM Subject: Judentanz Neusidler etc. Dear Rainer, Many thanks for this list of pieces. I have one more to add to it. Kit's Almain is used for the song, "Es ist warlich", No. 12 in the Baltic Song Book, i.e. the Louise Charlotte Songbook, St Petersburg Academy of Science, Q 203 (olim XXL 5). A modern edition is available via Musica Baltica in Riga, Latvia. Louise Charlotte's Songbook came from the same library (in Jelgava, Latvia) as the Swan Lute Book (ON 124) and a Dutch keyboard manuscript, QN 204 (olim XXL 6), before ending up in St Petersburg in 1716. The English connection is via Walter Rowe, who played and taught music in eastern Europe in the early part of the 17th century. Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
