From 71162.751@compuserve.com Sun May 28 11:19:08 1995 Date: 28 May 95 11:19:10 EDT From: Arthur Ness <71162.751@compuserve.com> To: "INTERNET:rags@triples.Math.McGill.CA" Cc: LUTE NET Subject: Missing page from Koenigsberg MS I do wish to congratulate Rags for his discovery of the lost folio from the Koenigsberg Manuscript, and thank Ms. Langley for the nice posted tablature edition of "Love mee tendre, love me sweete." I always thought there was something missing from that manuscript. Of course such a major discovery does require the necessary scholarly evaluation, with concordances. I am pleased to report the preliminary, albeit tentative, results of a thorough examination of likely sources. To avoid duplication by others who may also wish to flit off to discover additional concordances, I should report that I did check and was unable to find any concordances in some "enigmatic," ... err elusive central European lute manuscripts, such as the "Hans Kernsthock Lautenbuch" in the Universitaets-Bibliothek in Lemberg (Austria), the "Micolay Strzeskowski Commonplace Book of Polish Dances" in the Biblioteka Uniwersytecka in Lwow (Poland), the "Joannes Tratkott Codex" at the Ivan Franko library in the Gallician city of Leopoldius, not even is a concordance to be found in Ms. 1400/I at the Naucnaja Biblioteka in Lviv (note spelling) in the Ukraine. For additional information on these manuscripts, see Pohlmann (5th ed.), under "Lemberg," and Boetticher's RISM volume, under "Lwow." When stumped, as often happens, I checked with the in-house reference service, and after much toil can report the unmasking another rip-off by the notorious Lait de Pres. We have been successful in locating the original. It is "Aura Lee" with music by George R. Poulton (d. 1867), lyrics by William Whiteman Fosdick (1825-1862). The first edition was dedicated to the Holley and Campbell Minstrels, and published by J. Church, Jr., of Cincinnati. According to records in the Library of Congress it was copyrighted by Church on May 1, 1861. For those who like to sing to the lute, here are the authentic lyrics (brought to you, sparing no expense): As the black-bird in the spring,__ 'Neath the wil-low tree__ Sat and pip'd I heard him sing,___ Sing-ing Au-ra Lee. [chorus] Au-ra Lee! Au-ra Lee! Maid of gol-den hair; Sun-shine came a-long with thee, And Swal-lows in the air. [2] On her cheek the rose was born; 'Twas mu-sic when she spake:___ In her eyes the days of morn, With sud-den splen-dor break. [chorus] (I think I prefer Lait de Pres' text.) Arthur Ness (Boston) "...even Francesco Milanese, Alberto da Mantova [Albert de Rippe] and my messer Marco da l'Aquila take pleasure in listening to the strummings of a barber's lute." (Ltr. from Pietro Aretino to Paolo Manuzio, dtd Venice, 9 December 1537.)