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Welcome to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani. This hour, we’ll dive into the musical tastes of “Dr. Rainbeau,” b-e-a-u, someone with varied interests in early music. We know of his tastes only through the 1862 publication titled Catalogue of the Extensive Library of Doctor Rainbow. There’s a small problem, however…the good doctor was not a real person, rather an elaborate caricature. The catalogue, published by Messrs. Topsy, Turvy, & Co, was a prank played on organist and antiquary, Edward Rimbault, who was very much alive in 1862, unlike the owners of most auctioned-off collections.

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MUSIC TRACK
Saul / Handel
Philharmonia Baroque Chorale and Orchestra, McGegan
Philharmonia Baroque Productions [Produced] 2020 / PBP-14
George Frideric Handel
Tr.72 Act III Scene 5: O fatal Day! How low the Mighty lie! (David, Chorus) (4:40)

“O fatal Day! How low the Mighty lie!” from Handel’s dramatic oratorio Saul performed by the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale and Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas McGegan. / That was a live-performance recording made in 2019. / The oratorio’s plot centers around the biblical King Saul and his jealousy towards his successor, King David, to whom the Psalms are often attributed.

The fictional Dr. Rainbeau—(that’s spelled R-A-I-N-B-E-A-U)—like many antiquaries in the 18th and 19th centuries, loved Handel. Numerous entries in the Catalogue of the Extensive Library of Doctor Rainbow poke fun at this, including listings for a re-gilded bust of Handel worshiped by his devotees, Rainbeau’s dissertation on the spelling of Handel’s name, and a fought-over copy of “Ye Life of Handel.” But Rainbeau’s musical tastes stretched back farther than Handel and the 18th century. Catalogue entry No.9 alludes to this. The title of this item reads: [quote] “Ye Publications of ye ‘Musical Distractarian Society’—Being a reprint of the musical twaddle of the early ages, each volume has a pair of spectacles and a night-cap bound up with it.” [end quote]

I do love some “musical twaddle.” As for Rainbeau’s “Musical Distractarian Society,” it’s a parodic nod to the work Edward Rimbault did for the Musical Antiquarian Society, a group focused on publishing early English musical works. Rimbault edited their first volume, William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices composed in the 1550s. Let’s hear some music from that work performed by the Gesualdo Six.

MUSIC TRACK
Byrd: Mass for Five Voices
The Gesualdo Six; Owain Park, conductor
Hyperion 2023 / 00602448799784
William Byrd
Mass a 5
Tr.4 - I. Kyrie (1:26)
Tr.5 - IIa. Gloria in excelsis Deo (1:55)
Tr.6 - IIb. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei (3:08)

Excerpts from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices performed by the Gesualdo Six directed by Owain Park.

The Musical Antiquarian Society’s mission was [quote] “to print scarce and valuable Musical Works, which at present exist only in Manuscript, in separate detached parts, or which, having been long out of print, are unattainable by those who may wish to possess them.” [end quote]

They worried that musical works representing English musical taste were [quote] “approaching extinction,” so they sought to publish works by Byrd, Dowland, Gibbons, Bennett, Weelkes, Ravenscroft, and Locke, hoping their efforts would preserve them.

The society included such notable members as composer William Sterndale Bennet and music publisher William Chappell, whose family press conveniently printed the majority of the nineteen volumes. Rimbault edited nine of these volumes including songs by Thomas Morley, madrigals by Thomas Bateson; and several works by Purcell. Let’s hear a piece by Morley and another by Bateson.

MUSIC TRACK
English madrigals
Tallis Scholars
Gimell 2007 / GIMSE 403
Thomas Morley
Tr.3 Thomas Morley, Phyllis, I fain would die now (5:31)

MUSIC TRACK
English madrigals from The Oxford book of English madrigals: "Sing we at pleasure."
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Musical Concepts 2008 / ALC1039
Thomas Bateson
Tr.21 Bateson, Those Sweet Delightful Lillies (2:29)

That was Thomas Morley’s “Phyllis, I fain would die now” sung by the Tallis Scholars, followed by Thomas Bateson’s “Those Sweet Delightful Lillies” performed by Pro Cantione Antiqua.

The eighth publication Rimbault edited for the Musical Antiquarian Society was a version of Parthenia, a 17th century collection of music for Virginal, an early keyboard instrument. Rimbault provided modern notation, as well as a historical introduction to the work, (which included a description of the method of printing by copper plates), and the inclusion of several facsimile pages of the original. The book contains popular instrumental music and dance forms by William Byrd, John Bull, and Orlando Gibbons. We’ll hear a fantasia by Gibbons.

MUSIC TRACK
Parthenia
Alina Rotaru
Dorian Sono Luminus 2016 / DSL-92208
Orlando Gibbons
Tr.17 Gibbons: Fantasia a 4 (5:58)

Harpsichordist Alina Rotaru played Gibbons’ Fantasia for 4, from Parthenia.

You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.

Mid Break Music Bed:

MUSIC TRACK
Parthenia
Alina Rotaru
Dorian Sono Luminus 2016 / DSL-92208
Orlando Gibbons
Tr.20 Gibbons: The Queen's command

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Welcome back. This week, we’re listening to early music collected by Dr. Rainbeau, a caricature of the nineteenth-century organist and antiquary Edward F. Rimbault.

The farcical auction catalogue of Dr. Rainbeau produced by Topsy and Turvey in 1862 includes many inside jokes for antiquaries and early music lovers who lived in 19th century London. Here’s an example, Item No.10, “Dr. Sharpset’s Booke of ye Psalms of David,” described as, [quote] “cooked in many waies for to suit a fevered man’s appetite. The whole harmonized in 365 different waies to the amazement and infinite pleasures of all hearers. Also, his pious song, for the King’s Birthday, of the ‘Marrow-bone Cleaver.’” [end quote]. (Whew, that was a mouthful.) This small-sized book (an octavo) was printed in 1600. While we may not know exactly who (if anyone) Dr. Sharpset represents, many books from the late 16th century titled Psalms of David exist, including Franco-Flemish composer Claude Le Jeune’s written in 1564.

MUSIC TRACK
Dix pseaumes de David
Ludus Modalis, Bruno Boterf
Ramee 2010 / RAM1005
Claude Le Jeune
Tr.6 Psalm 98, "Chantez a Dieu nouveau cantique" (3:28)
Tr.7 Psalm 149, "Chantez a Dieu chanson nouvelle" (3:59)

Two psalm settings by Claude Le Jeune. Psalm 98 and Psalm 149 performed by Ludus Modalis, directed by Bruno Boterf.

The fictional Dr. Sharpset’s Booke of ye Psalms of David is unusual not only in its inclusion of a pious song about a meat cleaver for the King’s birthday, but also in the alternative uses of the psalm settings. A note at the end of the entry states, [quote] “by turning these compositions upside down they become merry jigs and sarabandas … most proper for times of trouble and family distress.” And on that note, let’s put on some dance music.

MUSIC TRACK
Le jardin de mélodies: 16th-century French dances & songs
The King's Noyse
Harmonia Mundi 1997 / HMU907194DI
Anonymous
Tr.1 Mon Dieu la belle Entree [France, 16th Century] (4:08)
Pierre Phalese
[Liber Primus Leviorum Carminum]
Tr.6 Almande - Saltarello (1:15)

Sixteenth-century French dance music performed by The King’s Noyse. We heard “Mon Dieu la belle Entree” / followed by an almande and salterello from Pierre Phalese’s Liber Primus Leviorum Carminum.

You’re listening to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.

We’re stretching our reference to the Catalogue of the Extensive Library of Doctor Rainbow as we turn to our featured recording.

Organist Edward Rimbault (a.k.a. “Dr. Rainbeau”) grew up surrounded by sacred music as his father was also an organist. So, it’s no surprise that Dr. Rainbeau’s catalogue contains an insider joke for organists. Item No. 42 is titled “The Organist’s Delight— or You pay and I’ll play. Dedicated to the Congregation by a Sleepy Organist.” Perhaps earlier generations of organists like Bach, Buxtehude, or even 17th-century Italian composer Girolamo Frescobaldi would have appreciated the humor, too.

While Frescobaldi is often known for his toccatas for keyboard, he worked as organist of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for much of his career. In 1635, he published a book of liturgical music for organ titled Fiori musicali, or Musical Flowers. The book was used to train composers and organists in counterpoint through the time of Dr. Rainbeau. Tonight’s featured release, Richard Lester’s 2022 album Fiori musicali: Organ Masses, showcases the variety of musical writing and idiomatic keyboard music in this important book.

MUSIC TRACK
Fiori musicali: Organ Masses
Richard Lester, organ
SOMM Recordings 2022 / SOMMCD0661
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Tr.2 Kyrie (2:20)

A Kyrie from Frescobaldi’s Messa della Domenica. Originally published in the collection Fiori musicali and Performed by organist Richard Lester with The Greenwood Consort and Mark Bennett.

This collection also contains music for the organist to fill between the mass movements, often with instructions on where it should be played. Fiori musicali includes many instrumental genres such as the imitative ricercare, improvisatory toccata, canzon, and cappriccio.

MUSIC TRACK
Fiori musicali: Organ Masses
Richard Lester, organ
SOMM Recordings 2022 / SOMMCD0661
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Tr.15 Messa della Domenica: Ricercar dopo il Credo (3:28)
Tr.24 Messa della Madonna: Recercar con obligo di cantare la quinta parte senza toccarla (4:17)

Two ricercari from Frescobaldi’s Fiori musicali. First, an unusual ricercar with an optional vocal line from Messa della Madonna performed by baritone Mark Bennett and organist Richard Lester, followed by “Ricercar dopo il Credo” from Messa della Domenica performed by Richard Lester.

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Harmonia is a production of WFIU and part of the educational mission of Indiana University.

Support comes from Early Music America: a national organization that advocates and supports the historical performance of music of the past, the community of artists who create it, and the listeners whose lives are enriched by it. On the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-dot-org.

Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. You can follow us on Facebook by searching for Harmonia Early Music.

The writer for this edition of Harmonia is Devon Nelson.

Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: LuAnn Johnson, Aaron Cain, and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.

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