Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia

Subject: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: GUEST,Black Auk
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 03:17 PM

Does anyone if in Thomas Ravenscroft's compilations of folk songs whether Ravenscoft wrote any of the songs or were they just a compilation her put together? Or were they all his own work?

Thx

Subject: RE: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: Robert B. Waltz
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 03:41 PM

A good place to start is to compare them with Beaumont and Fletcher's play "The Knight of the Burning Pestle." (Actually thought to be entirely by Beaumont.) The character Old Merrythought sings many of the songs found in Ravenscroft's volumes. (Of which there were three -- note that Deuteromelia is the second delicacy!) It makes sense to assume that Ravenscroft, in those cases, was arranging existing songs.

Other than those, there is no reason to think any of them folk songs prior to Ravenscroft's publications. Probably, though, he was often setting existing texts.

Subject: RE: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: Nick Dow
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 07:44 PM

I have a PDF copy if you would like it PM me with an Email address.
There are a couple of well known songs 'Martin said to his man' and the 'Three Ravens', plus others that may be versions of songs familiar to us under different titles. To be honest I have not looked for a while. As Robert said this is the second of three (1609). I don't have the others

Subject: RE: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 08:57 PM

They are all available online both as facsimile and transcribed to modern notation.

https://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ravenscroft/modern/

His early publications represented secular songs he heard around him; later work is original and more religious

From Grove's dictionary
RAVENSCROFT, Thomas, Mus.B., bom
about 1582, was a chorister of St. Paul's under
Edward Pearce, and graduated at Cambridge in
1607. In 1609 he edited and published * Pam-
melia. Musickes Miscellanic : or Mixed Varietie
of pleasant Roundelayes and delightful Catches
of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Parts in one '—the earliest
collection of rounds, catches, and canons printed
in this country. A second impression appeared
in 1618. Later in 1609 he put forth *Deutero-
melia ; or the Second Part of Musick*s Melodie,
or melodius Miisicke of Pleasant Roundelaies ;
K. H. mirth, or Freemen's Songs and such
delightfull Catches' ; containing the catch,
' Hold thy peace, thou knave,' sung in Shake-
speare's 'Twelfth Night' In 1611 he published
'Melismata. Musicall Phansies, fitting the
Court, Citie, and Countrey Humours, to 3, 4
and 5 Voyces.' In 1614 he published 'A Briefe
Discourse of the true (but neglected) use of
Charact'ring the Degrees by their Perfection,
Imperfection, and Diminution in Mensurable
Miisicke against the Common Practise and Cus-
tome of these Times ; Examples whereof are
exprest in the Harmony of 4 Voyces Concerning
the Pleasure of 5 vsuall Recreations. 1. Hunt-
ing. 2. Hawking. 8. Dancing. 4. Drinking.
5. Enamouring ' — a vain attempt to resuscitate
an obsolete practice. The musical examples
were composed by Edward Pearce, John Bemiet,
and Ravenscroft himself. [Much of the material
is found in a MS. in the Brit. Mus. Add. MS.
19,758 (Diet, of Nat. Biog.), In 1618-22 he
was music -master at Christ's Hospital (Mus.
Times, 1905, p. 580.)] In 1621 he published
the work by which he is best known, *The
Whole Booke of Psalmes ; With the Hymnes
Evangelicall and Spirituall. Composed into four
parts by Sundry Authors with several! Tunes as
have been and are usually sung in England,
Scotland, Wales, Germany, Italy, France, and
the Netherlands.' Another edition was pub-
lished in 1683. Four anthems or motets by
Ravenscroft are among the MSS. in the library
of Christ Church, Oxford. [For other music by
him see the Quellen-Lexikon.'] The date of his
death is not known. It is said by some to
have been about 1630, and by others about
1635. w. H. u.

Subject: RE: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: GUEST,Black Auk
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 02:36 AM

Thanks all.

Thanks, Nick, I have a copy.

Does anyone know what the K H in K H mirth stands for?

Subject: RE: Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia
From: Nick Dow
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 12:02 PM

Thanks Julia

https://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ravenscroft/modern/