Surviving copies of the Wesley/Horn
"48"
[Return to main Wesley/Horn page]
On this page, I intend to list all the surviving copies of Well-Tempered
Clavier published by Samuel Wesley and Charles Frederick Horn in 1810f.
The following copies are studied in my article "Pursuit of Perfection: Stages of Revisions
reflected in the Wesley/Horn '48'" in
The English Bach Awakening: Knowledge
of J. S. Bach and his Music in England 1750–1830, ed. Michael Kassler
(Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004), pp.341-377. The tag [letters
+ number] are the source reference used in the article, classifying
the edition into the following seven types:
A. First issue. Book I contained the title-page (Stage
P1) and a printed list of 144 subscribers (A-H,
I-Y). All copies seen of
this issue that have at least one title-page bear Wesley’s ‘control’ signature ‘SWesley’
on the title-page of each book included in the copy.
B. A second impression of Book I (and possibly also of Books II and
III), made from engraved plates that were changed to incorporate a small number
of corrections to the music. Stage B copies used the same title-page as in stage
A but included an updated subscribers’ list of 152 printed names (A-H,
I-Y). All copies examined of this stage
also bear Wesley’s control signature on the title-page. Three states can be
distinguished within this stage, reflecting separately made corrections to the
musical plates.
C. A reissue in which the title-page was altered from ‘Printed for the
Editors by Rt. Birchall’—or, in the case of Books III and IV, from ‘Printed for
the Editors by Rt. Birchall, and Chappell & Co.’—to ‘Printed and sold by Rt.
Birchall’ (= Stage P4). Wesley's
control signature no longer appears on copies from this stage onwards. The list
of subscribers also ceased to be included from this stage onwards, and no
alterations to the musical text were made after this reissue.
D. Another reissue with an altered title-page (from ‘No. 133, New Bond
Street’ to ‘No. 140 New Bond Street’; =
Stage P5), reflecting the Birchall firm’s change of address.
E. This stage is distinguished only by a manuscript amendment to the
title-page that reduced the price of each book from 12/– to 10/6
F. A later reissue by Birchall’s successor, Christopher Lonsdale, with
the newly engraved title-page (Stage P6).
G. A further reissue by Lonsdale, with yet another newly engraved
title-page (Stage P7) having the
significantly changed wording
A complete List
Australia
- Private Library of Jamie and Michael Kassler, Northbridge NSW:
[B2], [B4], [C6], and [E1]
Germany
-
Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Institut,
Göttingen: M 40 [D3]
Ireland
-
Trinity College, Dublin: Prout E. 107 [D6]
UK
-
Bodleian Library, Oxford: Mus. 118 c.B.143 [A2]
-
British Library, London: f.11.c [A1],
f.11.b [C1], Hirsch.IV.1588
[D1]
-
Cambridge University Library, MR340.a.80.32 [E2],
MR340.a.80.39–40 [F1]
-
Henry Watson Music Library, Manchester: R740.Ba332 [D12]
-
Pendlebury Library of Music,
University of Cambridge: Xra.850.68B.W20 [B7],
Xra.850.68B.W2 [D11]
-
Royal College of Music, London: H290/1 [B3], H622/1–4
[C2], H280/1–4 [D2]
-
University of Edinburgh:
RM78 BAC-5, Cupb. P, accession D5861 [A4], RTM78 BAC-5, accession D1715 [B5]
-
University of Sheffield Library: RBR Q 786.4 (B) [D10]
-
Private Library of Yo Tomita: [C5] and [D7]
USA
-
Library of Congress, Washington, Music Division, M22.B11
W3 Copy 1 Case [C3], M22.B11 W3 Copy 2 Case [C4]
-
New York Public Library, Mus
Res MYD [B6]
-
Riemenschneider Bach Library,
Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, Kenney 2450 [A3];
Kenney 2451 [G1]
-
University of California at Berkeley: M22.B32 1824 MUSI
Case X [D8]
-
University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music:
MT247.B11wW [D9]
-
Yale University Library: Ma31
B12 C33 [D5]
-
Youngstown State University,
Youngstown, Ohio, M38.B32 [B1]
-
Private library -- The Walter
and Marcellene Hawk Mayhall Bach Collection, Youngstown, Ohio [D4]
NB. The source identification (see the article itself for classification) is
in square brackets.
Copies unavailable for consultation
- Duke University Library, M786.4 B118 W846 1810,
containing Books I–II only—this recently went missing
- a copy owned by Angela Hewitt, which was unavailable
- Wesley’s presentation copy to A. F. C. Kollmann, sold
as lot 64 in a Puttick & Simpson auction on 30 January 1877 and presumed to be
lost
- a copy owned by Frederick Iliffe, which he mentions in
his article ‘The construction as to form of Bach’s forty-eight preludes’,
Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association v 23 (1897) p 57–66
- a copy of Books I–IV printed and sold by the Birchall firm
at 140 New Bond Street (hence a stage D or E copy), with no signatures of
prior owners, which appeared as item 13 in catalogue 82 (issued in 2003) of
Musikantiquariat Bernd Katzbilcher, Wiesenfelden, Germany.
Any further information regarding the above copies is gratefully received.
The following copies have been consulted after the
publication of the above article:
-
I purchased another 'D' copy from Travis and Emery in Autumn 2005, containing
numerous manuscript additions in ink, transferring the information found in
the Czerny's edition published in London in 1838. It lacks 'Introduction'.
-
Bach-Archiv Leipzig: Rara III 196 -- a clean 'D' copy.
- Privately owned by Mr Martin Collins of Cambridge, MA, USA: a copy of Books I–IV, of which Book I bears the
ownership inscription of the organist and composer Charles Sherwood Jekyll
(1842–1914) and Book II (only) bears Wesley’s ‘control’ signature. Each of four books appears to
have been printed in stages C (paper = laid; watermark '1811' with 'S'), A or B
(paper = wove; watermark '1812'), C (paper = wove; no watermark), and C (paper
= wove; no watermark), respectively.
- G copy is currently on sale (£750 [sic!]) by Keoghs Books at
www.AbeBooks.co.uk since 23 April 2007.
I welcome any information regarding further copies.
Yo Tomita
Last
updated:
07 February 2008