THE MANCHESTER 2 CDs GAMBA BOOK (c.1660) Dietmar Berger, Viola da Gamba The Manchester Gamba Book (c. 1660) The manuscript is organized by tunings. This recording signs for each ornament, but also tablature notation includes all of the pieces shown in tablature notation in the indicating specifically how to play it. CD 1 79:12 CD 2 80:02 first three tunings (in which notes fall comfortably under the The other (and substantially greater) gem in the manu- 1 Queen Maries Dumpe (R.S.) I–1 6:27 1 What if a daye (?) I–2 4:20 fingers*. The first tuning is the standard tuning, which script is the Paven (CD2 %) in the Lyra Way tuning by 2 A paven (Joseph Sherlie) III–11 3:54 2 Malte Man (R. Sumarte) II–1 2:43 can easily be found on a guitar merely by re-tuning the third Gervise Gerrarde. Gerrarde is also the probable creator of 3 Untitled (Stephen Goodall) I–22 3:17 3 Untitled (Gervise Gerrarde) III–6 2:17 string down a half-step, from g to f#). The second tuning is the Table of Graces which complements his Paven so the same as the first except that the lowest string is re- extraordinarily well. 4 Fortune (R.S.) I–3 5:42 4 The Buildings (R.S.) I–10 5:39 tuned one step lower. The third tuning (called Lyra Way) is 5 5 Roben is to the greense-woode gon (R.S.) I–4 3:54 Preludiu (R.S.) I–15 2:16 the same configuration as a guitar but with the two lowest Gerrarde’s Paven 6 Preludiu (R.S.) I–13 1:54 6 The Nightengale (R.S.) I–12 4:35 strings each re-tuned one step lower. Gerrarde’s Paven is the most richly ornamented piece in 7 Whoope doe me no harm (R.S.) I–5 3:31 7 Untitled (R.S.) I–18 4:14 Half of the 38 contributors to the Manchester Gamba the entire literature of the instrument, and is a virtual master- 8 Daphne (R.S.) I–6 3:40 8 The Kings Maske (R. Sumarte) II–4 3:21 Book are otherwise unknown. Four of these unknown class in Lyra Viol style ornamentation. It was probably 9 Monusiers Allman (R. Sumarte) I–7 3:30 9 Preludiu (Rich. Sumarte) I–25 1:12 contributors share the surname “Read”, one of whom written as a response to Christopher Simpson’s brief and 0 Lachryme (R.S.) I–9 3:56 0 An Almaine (Joseph Sherlie) III–7 2:40 (Henrie Read) is the probable compiler of the manuscript. less than adequate comments on Lyra Viol ornamentation ! Solus cum Sola (R.S.) I–11 3:31 ! Coranto (G. Willis) III–14 1:57 The most prolific of these otherwise unknown contributors in his otherwise superb instruction manual The . is Richarde Sumarte, whose more than thirty pieces suggest At first glance the version of Gerrarde’s Paven in the @ Coranto (Alfonso Ferrabosco) III–10 2:10 @ A Saraband (Wilm Kingslake) III–13 3:27 that he may have been a resident music teacher in the Read Manchester Gamba Book appears to be an idiosyncratically # # Coranto (Alfonso Ferrabosco) III–8 1:49 Untitled () XIII–4 2:54 household. About half of Sumarte’s pieces are settings of irregular piece. Closer inspection, however, reveals an $ Salte pitts (R.S.) I–8 1:58 $ Almaine (John Jenkins) XI–1 3:04 seventeenth-century English popular songs, often including extremely high degree of regularity in various aspects of its % Untitled (Mr. Elliot, Oxon.) I–21 3:05 % Paven (Gervise Gerrarde) III–15 4:43 one or two variations which students such as the Read construction. The Paven as notated is actually intended to ^ A thump (Thomas Martine) III–12 2:51 ^ Preludium (R.S.) I–14 1:01 family may have used as models for their own improvised be the final variation of a much simpler piece, after that & Untitled (Stephen Goodall) I–19 5:15 & Coranto (Alfonso Ferrabosco) III–5 1:25 variations. simple piece has gradually been taken through a series of * A Coranto (G. Gerrarde) II–2 1:07 * Coranto (Alfonso Ferrabosco) III–3 1:32 One other noteworthy unknown is Stephen Goodall. He increasingly richer variations. ( Coranto (R. Sumarte) II–3 2:22 ( Saraband (John Jenkins) X–9 6:50 contributed only a few simple pieces, but each one is To perform Gerrarde’s Paven in an historically authentic designed to teach a specific principle or technique. His manner, the player must begin with a much simpler, ) Saraband (Thomas Woodson) I–27 2:41 ) Untitled (R.S.) I–23 4:12 most interesting piece (CD1 £) demonstrates two types of metrically regular version of the piece that can ultimately ¡ Untitled (Willm Younge) I–26 3:41 ¡ Untitled (Stephen Goodall) I–20 6:37 hemiola, a charming change of the rhythmic beat at the end evolve into the final notated version. The player must then ™ Untitled (Mr. Elliot, Oxon.) I–17 3:41 ™ Untitled (Anonymous) XVI–1 3:08 of the phrase. develop a strategy for creating a series of variations which £ Untitled (Stephen Goodall) I–16 5:10 £ A Saraband (Willm Younge) I–24 5:52 Two small items in this large manuscript make it one of embellish the piece with ever richer and denser orna- Names in brackets are the composer or arranger as given in the manuscript. R.S. is certainly Richard Sumarte. the greatest treasures of Lyra Viol literature. One is the Table mentation until those variations eventually arrive at Gervise The Roman numerals I, II, and III refer to the first three tunings in the manuscript, followed by numbers indicating the of Graces (i.e. ornament chart), depicting the new style of Gerrarde’s final version. Although this recording does not sequential position of the piece within that tuning. ornamentation which was currently evolving in France. The take on this intriguing and challenging task at the present and viol ornament charts in seventeenth-century time, a detailed prescription for the process can be found There were two styles of solo viol playing in seventeenth- The Manchester Gamba Book (c.1660) is the largest English manuscripts generally gave the name of an orna- in Paul Furnas: The Manchester Gamba Book: A Primary century England. The Division Viol style was a continuation extant manuscript of solo viol music, containing 258 pieces ment and a graphic symbol for notating it, but neglected to Source of Ornaments for the Lyra Viol. Ph.D dissertation, of the sixteenth-century practice of adding melodic and in 22 different tunings. It contains pieces in both Division Viol indicate the actual notes of the ornament. A particular name Stanford University, 1978 (pages 85-102). decorative notes to an existing piece. The newer Lyra Viol and Lyra Viol styles, but its use of variant tunings and might be used in one manuscript with one particular graphic style incorporated various elements from lute music, tablature notation technically assigns it to the realm of the sign, and then the same name appear in another manuscript Paul Furnas including the use of chords, variant tunings, tablature Lyra Viol. The history of the manuscript is obscure until with a different sign, or a particular sign might be attached notation, and the insertion of concise, generally harmonic, 1909, when it was bought by the music scholar Dr Henry to two different ornament names in two different manu- * Listeners who are viol or guitar players might wish to down- and often expressively dissonant lute-style ornaments Watson. It is now held in the Watson music collection in scripts. The Table of Graces in the Manchester Gamba Book load tablature notation for their favorite pieces from the website which were notated with small graphic symbols. Manchester Public Library. is uniquely valuable in that it includes not just the names and of The Viola da Gamba Society of America: www.vdsa.org. Dietmar Berger The Manchester Gamba Book is the largest extant manuscript of 17th century viol music, Dietmar Berger was born in Cologne. He studied cello at the music colleges in Aachen with Klaus Heitz, in Düsseldorf now kept in the Watson music collection in Manchester. Different in many regards from with Claus Reichardt and in Leipzig, where he was a student of Roland Baldini and the gamba player Siegfried Pank. After the later cello, the secrets of viola da gamba performance style are revealed in this having finished his studies, he was a member of the orchestra of the Landesbühnen Sachsen in Dresden from 1993 to priceless volume, including Gervise Gerrarde’s Paven (C2 %), the most richly 2000. He now lives in Cologne and plays the cello as well as the viola da gamba in renowned ensembles such as the Delos ornamented piece in the instrument’s literature. Other contributions include settings of Trio Köln (with Gudrun Höbold, , and Hubert Käppel, guitar) both in Germany and abroad; he appears as a soloist on numerous television and CD recordings, including Courtly Entertainment Musik for cello and guitar, and Rheinische popular English songs of the period, and from otherwise unknown musicians such as Cellomusik, both released by Verlag Dohr, Cologne. His compositions and arrangements have been published by Friedrich Stephen Goodall and Richard Sumarte. Hofmeister Musikverlag, Leipzig and by Verlag Dohr, Cologne. THE MANCHESTER GAMBA BOOK (c. 1660) CD 1 (79:12) $ Salte pitts I–8 1:58 7 Untitled I–18 4:14 1 Queen Maries Dumpe % Untitled I–21 3:05 8 The Kings Maske I–1 6:27 ^ A thump III–12 2:51 II–4 3:21 2 A paven III–11 3:54 & Untitled I–19 5:15 9 Preludiu I–25 1:12 3 Untitled I–22 3:17 * A Coranto II–2 1:07 0 An Almaine III–7 2:40 4 Fortune I–3 5:42 ( Coranto II–3 2:22 ! Coranto III–14 1:57 5 Roben is to the greense- ) Saraband I–27 2:41 @ A Saraband III–13 3:27 woode gon I–4 3:54 ¡ Untitled I–26 3:41 # Untitled XIII–4 2:54 6 Preludiu I–13 1:54 ™ Untitled I–17 3:41 $ Almaine XI–1 3:04 7 Whoope doe me no £ Untitled I–16 5:10 % Paven III–15 4:43 harm I–5 3:31 CD 2 (80:02) ^ Preludium I–14 1:01 8 Daphne I–6 3:40 1 What if a daye I–2 4:20 & Coranto III–5 1:25 9 Monusiers Allman 2 Malte Man II–1 2:43 * Coranto III–3 1:32 I–7 3:30 3 Untitled III–6 2:17 ( Saraband X–9 6:50 0 Lachryme I–9 3:56 4 The Buildings I–10 5:39 ) Untitled I–23 4:12 ! Solus cum Sola I–11 3:31 5 Preludiu I–15 2:16 ¡ Untitled I–20 6:37 @ Coranto III–10 2:10 6 The Nightengale ™ Untitled XVI–1 3:08 # Coranto III–8 1:49 I–12 4:35 £ A Saraband I–24 5:52 Full track details will be found on page 2 of the booklet Dietmar Berger, Viola da Gamba

Recorded at St Andreas Church, Cologne, Germany, 2–5 January 2011 Engineer: Roman Berger • Editor: Ralf Hahn • Booklet notes: Paul Furnas Bass Viola da Gamba: José Luis Espana M. (2007) • Treble Viola da Gamba: Anonymous Cover painting: The Viola-da-gamba Player by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656) (Private Collection / Photo © Rafael Valls Gallery, London, UK / The Bridgeman Art Library)