Purcell, Henry

1) A single leaf containing: on the recto, the song 'She who my poor heart possesses', Z415, notated in a scribal hand in brown ink on four hand-drawn two-stave systems, marked "H P:" at the end, the words of the second and third verses following the end of the music, a few corrections; and on the verso (upside down in the lower half of the leaf), in the same scribal hand, the song 'How happy are they', ZS57, FORMERLY REGARDED AS INAUTHENTIC BUT PROBABLY, AS THIS SOURCE INDICATES, BY PURCELL, DIVERGING FROM THE ONLY OTHER SOURCE, WHICH ASCRIBES THE SONG, PROBABLY INCORRECTLY, TO 'MR. MARSH', notated in brown ink on three hand-drawn two-stave systems, marked "H P" after the double bar, the words of the single verse written between the first and second stave of each system, corrections to a few notes 

2 pages, 4to (c.29 x 20cm), watermark of a heart above a cartouche with a circle at either end, no place or date, [1680s], inner edge strengthened, repairs to small tears and folds, browning



2) a single leaf containing the song 'Cease anxious world', Z362, APART FROM PURCELL'S AUTOGRAPH, THE ONLY SOURCE FOR THIS SONG, in a different scribal hand to that of 1), above, notated in brown ink on up to six two-stave systems per page, the notation extended into the margin on four staves on the recto, inscribed below the music "Hen: Purcell"



2 pages, 4to (30.5 x 18.5cm), watermarked "PB", rubricated margins, no place or date, [1680s], upper margin cropped, tear to outer edge, slightly affecting text, all edges strengthened, small tear to lower margin, browning to edges 

Formerly belonging to the collection of Julian Marshall; Stargardt, Berlin, 17 April 2013 (lot 741)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

IMPORTANT CONTEMPORARY SOURCES FOR THREE PURCELL SONGS, ONE CONFIRMING HIS PROBABLE AUTHORSHIP OF 'HOW HAPPY ARE THEY', ZS57.

CONTEMPORARY MANUSCRIPTS OF PURCELL'S MUSIC ARE RARELY OFFERED FOR SALE. The whereabouts of the two leaves in the hundred or so years before their re-emergence in 2012, were unknown. 

The most important source here is that for the song 'How happy are they', ZS57, which confirms the composer's probable authorship; in the only other hitherto known source, The Banquet of Music (1688), the song is attributed to a "Mr. Marsh". Two other notable differences between the two sources are the lack of a second stanza in the present source and its radically different bass part. While it is possible that the copyist may have been responsible for the bass part here, there is no reason, according to Robert Thompson, why Purcell should not have composed both the bass part and the vocal part, which has affinities with 'How I sigh when I think of the charms of my swain', Z374, published by Playford in 1681.  

The present source of the song 'She who my poor heart possesses', Z415, compares favourably with the only one of the three other known sources for it to include the bass part - Book 4 of Playford's Choice Ayres and Dialogues (1683) (the other two sources are British Library Add. MS 19759, fol. 35, and The Newest Collection of the Choicest Songs (London, 1683), p. 63): it does not follow, for instance, Playford's incorrect substitution of 'tongue' for 'thoughts' in the fourth line of the second stanza.

In contrast to the source for the above two songs, written hastily on lightweight writing paper, that for the song 'Cease anxious world', Z362, looks like a professional copy of the 1680s, and is very closely related to Purcell's autograph in the British Library (MS R.M. 20.h.8), the only other known source for the song. The fact that the present source omits the end of b. 30 and the whole of b.31 has led to speculation that both derive from a lost autograph, in which the 'omitted' music was added later.

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Robert Thompson in our cataloguing of this lot.