Published posthumously in 1697.
This edition was produced directly from the J. Heptinstall edition of 1697, using a PDF copy from IMSLP[0]. It is a verbatim transcription, except for the following changes:
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Meters are printed in modern fractional style.
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Accidentals apply throughout the measure in which they appear.
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The MS does not use natural signs. Instead, sharps are used to indicate flat pitches that have been naturalized. I have used natural signs in staves and in the figured bass.
A few errors have been corrected and are listed in Specific Edits.
A note on figured bass style: The figured bass in the MS switches between ‘tonal’ and ‘intervallic’ style in several places. In the intervallic style, bass figures take an altered bass note into account, while the tonal style does not. (For example, an F♯ bass with B♭ and D in the upper voices would be marked 6/4 in the tonal style and 6/♭4—or even 6♭/4♭—in the intervallic style.) I have used the simpler tonal style throughout.
General MS oddness:
Flats and sharps in the figured bass sometimes appear above the figure to which they apply. Thus,
♯
6
sometimes means ‘sixth, sharp third’ and sometimes ‘sharp sixth’.
My understanding of US copyright law is that transcribing a work in the public domain doesn’t transform it and doesn’t allow me to claim copyright on the result. I have attached the CC0 public domain dedication to make it clear that I don’t intend to claim any rights to these scores or their source files.
Wolfgang Corcoran-Mathe wcm@sigwinch.xyz
Changed vln. II m 43, beat 3, note 1 from C♯ to A♯. The C♯ in the MS is almost certainly a mistake. m 42–43 are a passage in thirds between vlns. I and II. If correct, this C♯ would be a bizarre lone unison. The MS also has a sharp on this pitch, which would be unnecessary (in the current key signature) if C♯ were really intended.
m 8: Changed bass figure of last beat from 5 3 to 5 3♯ to match upper voices.
The adagio opening is marked C-slash in vln. I & vln. II and C in bass and continuo. The canzona is marked C-slash in all voices except the bass, where it has no time signature. I have used 2/2 throughout both movements.
m 12: Amended first two bass figures to 7 — 6. (MS has 6 — 7)
m 57: Amended bass figure on third beat to 6. (MS has 5 — 6)
m 79: Cleaned up figured bass. The original,
5656
♯4
is unclear due to lack of space and printing limitations.
m 84: Split bass figure on third beat (5♯, which seems to be an error) between last two beats. This yields ‘5 ♯’, which is true to the upper voices.
m 86: Amended bass figure on last beat to ♭5. (MS has ♭6)
m 96: Cleaned up bass figure, changing 4 to ♭4. Original:
65
543
m 114: Cleaned up bass figure. Same mess as above.
m 128: Changed bass figure on first beat to 3/2, as in m 130. The MS has 4/5, which is inexplicable.
m 132: Changed bass figure on first beat to 3/2, as in m 130. The MS has 4/2 — 3, which almost makes sense. Could Purcell have meant 4/3/2? I have used the more obvious fix.
m 187: Removed bass figure on first beat. (♯7 or ♯/7—neither fits.)
m 201: Added dynamic mark to vln. II and continuo.
The grave movement is marked C-slash in vln. II and C in all other voices. I have used 4/4.
The adagio movement is marked C-slash in vln. I and C in all other voices. I have used 4/4.
m 41: Amend second & third beat figured bass to 3 — 4. (MS has 4 — 3.)
m 44: Clean up figured bass.
m 56: Amend fourth beat pitch in continuo to D (MS has F, which is contradicted by the bassus and figured bass).
m 59: Flip another reversed figured bass (4 — 3 to 3 — 4).
m 67: Remove bass figure (4 — 5) from second beat, as it doesn't make any sense. Change third beat bass figure to ♯3.
m 68: Fix obvious typo in continuo. (MS has B on second beat.)
The adagio and both grave movements are marked C-slash in vln. I and C in all other voices. I have used 4/4 for both.
Note: Dynamic marks beginning at m 172 are reproduced from the MS exactly.
m 7: Amend third beat figured bass to 2 4♯ (MS has 2 2♯).
m 14: Here is an interesting question about figured bass. Beat two (E♭) has 6♯ is the MS continuo, but the bass has C. Neither 6♯ nor 6♮ is not the right notation since the C is not altered. I have used 6 and left the rest to the performer.
m 22: Amend first beat figured bass to 4♯ (MS has 4).
m 27: Cleaned up clustered bass figures.
m 44: Some confusion in the continuo, as usual. The MS seems to have two figures, ♯♭, for the first beat. Unless the second C♯ in vln. I is wrong, the figure for this beat should be ♯. The ♭ might apply to the second beat, but in this case it is superfluous. I have dropped it.
m 48: Change third beat figured bass from 6♭ (which in this edition could mean ‘♭6’ or ‘6/♭’—neither make any sense here) to 6.
m 49: Change third beat figured bass from 6♯ to 6.
m 80: Clean up figured bass slightly (MS has 5/♯).
m 100: Amend third beat figured bass to 6/5 (MS has 6/4).
m 102: Move bass figures ahead one quarter to where the seem to apply.
m 123: Change first beat in continuo from E♮ to E♭ to match bass (E♭ seems a little more likely here).
m 145: Amend duration of D in vln. I. (MS has dotted-half.)
The continuo lacks several accidentals found in the bass (mainly in the canzona), as someone seems to have gotten the staff and bass figure accidentals confused. The third and fourth beats of m 28, for example, are ‘A G-F G F-E♭’ with sharps above the E♭ and first F, while the bass has ‘A G-F♯ G F♯-E’ for the same passage. I have changed the continuo pitches to follow the bass.
m 74: Amend second beat of continuo to G (MS has F).
m 32: Amend ‘6♯’ (which makes no sense—nor does 6/♯) to 7/♯.
m 84: Amend second beat of bass to F♯ (MS has G♯. Thanks to the author of the ‘f’ scribbled above this note).
m 104: Add missing (and obvious) bass figures.
m 120: Move first bass figure back a beat to where it seems to apply.
m 125: Amend third beat bass figure to 4♯ (MS has ♯).
m 161: Move dynamic mark in vln. II back 1 1/2 beats to match vln. I.
m 167: Clean up bass figures.
m 30, 45: Remove apparently meaningless second/third beat bass figure (♭).
m 32: Add accidental to bass figure (MS has 6/4).
m 43 & 44: Move first bass figure (3) to last beat in previous bar.
m 64: E♭?
m 74: Amend bass figure to 7 (MS has 7♯).
m 77: Clean up (and interpret) bass figure. The original is this:
b56
7
♭5 is wrong, so the right interpretation must be:
♭ 5 6
7
The position of the 5 is uncertain, but it must come before the 6 on the second beat.
m 90: Amend bass figure to 7 (MS has 7b).
m 134: The MS has 6 for the eighth-note C (or somewhere near it) in this measure, which is odd. It is more likely that this 6 belongs to the final beat and was dragged over in error. Thus we have 6/4 — 3/6 for the third beat B♭, which agrees with the upper voices.
m 143: Reverse bass figure (MS has 6 — 7).
m 193: Amend first bass figure to 7♭ (MS has 7).
m 195: Amend bass figure to 6/5 (MS has 6 — 5, which is clearly an error).
m 199: Amend second bass figure to ♯3 (MS has 3).
m 202 at (?): The B♭ eighth should probably be a D.
m 215: Amend second beat bass figure to 7 (MS has 6).
m 216: Amend bass figures to 4/2 — 5/3. The MS bass figures, 7/5 — 6/4 are inexplicable.
Note: Dynamics are reproduced verbatim. The final section is marked ‘Adagio’ in vln. I, ‘Grave’ in continuo, and is unmarked in the other parts.
m 14: Put bass figures where they seem to apply (MS has ♯ for both Ds).
m 46: This measure is missing in the bass. Copy it from the continuo.
m 53: First beat in continuo should be B♭, not B♮.
m 124: Amend bass figures to 6 — 5 — 6 (MS has 5 — 6).
m 143: Change B♮ to B♭ in continuo.
m 182: Drop meaningless first-beat bass figure (♭5).
The vln. II part for the opening adagio is missing m 24. Replacing this measure with rests (as in some editions) leaves a nasty hole. I have reconstructed the missing four quarters from the figured bass and from the surrounding music. (This is also the course taken by Musica Amphion on their Complete Chamber Music recording on Brilliant).
m 36: Drop ♯4 from final beat, as it doesn’t seem to apply.
m 132: Reverse bass figure (MS has 5 — 6).
m 156: Amend bass figure to 7 (MS has ♭6).
m 169: Amend first beat bass figure to 6/5 (MS has 5 — 6).
m 176: Assume vaguely-placed tie/slur applies to first two beats. This matches vln. I and the next two measures.
The adagio movement is marked 3/3 in vln. I and 3/2 in all other parts. I have used 3/2.
m 54: Add missing slur in vln. I.
m 46–49, 53: Note the odd figured bass. Did Purcell mean to use dotted whole notes in these measures? The rests appear clearly in both bass and continuo parts, so I have not changed anything.
m 63: Missing from continuo part, but easy to reconstruct from vln. I.
m 85: Remove tie at end of measure. This would be a very odd variation of the canzona theme. It does not occur anywhere else and is probably a mistake.
m 122: Move bass figure (7) forward a beat to where it seems to apply.
m 184: Amend second beat pitch in vln. II to E (MS has F).
The canzona movement is marked 4/4 in bassus and 2/2 in all other parts. I have used 2/2.
The grave movement is marked 4/4 in vln. II and 2/2 in all other parts. I have used 2/2.
m 5: Amend fourth beat bass figure to 6/5 (MS has 5).
m 17: Bass figure on the (empty) third beat — sic.
m 31: Amend bass third beat bass figure to 6 (MS has 7 — 6).
m 70: Amend second beat bass figure to 6/5 (MS has 6 — 5).
m 75–77: Clean up bass figures. Only one figure—the 4/3 on the second beat of m 76—was actually wrong. The rest were muddled.
http://imslp.org/wiki/10_Sonatas_in_Four_Parts,_Z.802-811_(Purcell,_Henry)