Author: PURCELL (Henry):
Title: Te Deum et Jubilate, for Voices and Instruments Perform'd before the Sons of the Clergy at the Cathedral-Church of St. Paul. [And]: ARNE (Thomas): [King Arthur].
Description: London. Printed for and Sold by John Walsh Musick Printer and Instrument maker to his Majesty..., [no date], [?1730, c. 1770. Folio, 335 x 225 mms., title-page, 18 + 4 + 2 [1 blank] - 81 engraved pages of music [82 blank], with 6 other pages unengraved], contemporary marbled boards (soiled and rubbed), with black leather label (chipped) on front cover ("Purcell's/ Te Deum Jubilate/ and King Arthur in Score"); occasional contemporary annotation in ink, including a note in an 18th century hand on the lower margin of page 65, "Sound a Parley, ye Fair, & surrender/ Orpheus Britannicus [by Purcell] Page 130 2d Edition"); and with the ownership autograph "W. Mitford" on the upper margin of the front paste-down end-paper. This is possibly the historian of ancient Greece, William Mitford (1744–1827). The same autograph appears on a copy of Bemetzrieder 's Music made Easy to every Capacity (1778/1779) in McGill University Library. Purcell (1659 - 1695) composed this in November, 1690, and it was first published in 1697. The Te Deum is followed by, first (no title-page), the "Overture to King Arthur, Composd' by Dr Arne." Other music, arias and duets, is attributed to Purcell and "Grimbald" (presumably Grimbaldi Nicolini [1673 - 1732]). Purcell's opera was famous for the music of the "Frost Scene," which is printed here, pages 56 - 59. Among the singers whose names are printed with the music are Mr. Vernon, Mrs. Scot, Mrs. Baddeley, Mr. Bannister, Mrs. Dorman, Miss Rogers, and Mr Champness. Sophia Baddeley (?1745 - 1786) began her singing career in the 1760s and worked with David Garrick, who wrote the libretto for Arne's King Arthur; she also sang with Joseph Vernon in the pleasure gardens Jonathan Tyers.. Samuel Champness gave singing lessons to Thomas Busby (1754 - 1838) when he was a boy. This appears to be a re-issue of the first edition of 1697, with a new title-page; the pagination is the same as the first edition (ESTC R182271). W. Smith and C. Humphries: A Bibliography of the Musical Works published by the Firm of John Walsh...1721 - 1766 (1968), no. 1255 (c. 1730). However, the pagination given there is 48, so this seems to be that title-page with the 1697 text. The copy of King Arthur has no title-page, but is almost certainly to be identified with Songs, Airs, Duets & Choruses in the Masque of King Arthur, published by John Johnston in 1770 or shortly after (see BL Integrated Catalogue online), which has the same pagination (pp. iv, 81) as this copy.

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